painting/preping trim

[edog]

Hello All,

I've been a lurker ever since the woorworking bug bit me so consider me a newbie. I'm attempting to paint some wood podiums, columns, and trim I recently installed. I would like to get the best results from painting and could use some guidance especially after I trashed the previous installation by using 100% silicone caulk! (yeah I know)

I'll be using Kilz Oil based primer and some semigloss oil based paint to make these items stand out in the room.

Does the wood (it's pine) need to be sealed or anything before painting ? If so, seal it with what ? I noticed one piece of casing was leaking sap. Also what other preparations would I need to do ? (sanding, wipe material down with some solution ?)

Also, there will be caulking involved to hide some gaps from the moldings to celing with paintable caulk this time. Do I caulk first or paint first then caulk? As you can see I could use some guidance. Thanks in advance.

[Leon]

Snip

You can first coat with Shellac, this should stop any bleed through. With that in mind, Kilz should do this also but I have know it to not work as advertised in some cases. For Paint I would add Alkyd to the type Oil based paint you will be using.

Calk first and then sand to smooth out any ridges. If you paint then caulk, you end up painting again and this often leaves a tell tale sign. USE A CAULK that will remain flexable and that will expand and contract along with being paintable. Don't pinch pennies here.

I have had GREAT results when using Oil based paints using the small 1" diameter closed cell foam rollers on wide flat surfaces. Use the best quality brush that you can afford for the cut in and smaller areas.

[Ray]

ALEX Latex painters caulk works great if you are going to paint over the caulk.

[bridger]

the kilz should take care of that.

primer. sand. caulk. primer. sand. paint. sand. paint.

[edog]

Thanks All, what's the reason behind sanding after priming and painting before your second coats? Does it give a better surface for the following coat or something ? I'd fear sanding would show through the final coat making it look porous. Especially with semigloss paint which reveals almost everything. No ? Should post-sanding still apply since I'm using semi-gloss oil ?

If so , what grits should be used ?

[Robatoy]

Yup.. that's the schedule. The only thing I would add to that is thinning the first primer so it becomes (as my professional painter buddy taught me) a 'piss coat' (He is oh-so eloquent.) Thinned as much as 20%, so it soaks in nice and deep, then a full strength primer on top after a day or so...then the rest of the schedule. Sponge sanding blocks are cool. medium one side, fine on the other. Watch out for big slivers shooting through those sponge blocks and accordioning into the index finger requiring surgery. DAMHIKT.

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[Leon]

Sanding smooths out the primer coats. Fine grit as you do not really want to get back to bare wood. I typically use 0000 steel wool. Don't sand the final coat.

[David]

I thought I was the only one that caught slivers when using those handy

1/4" thick sanding pads. Ouch!

David

Robatoy wrote:

[Joe Gorman]

Buy one of those caulk fingers to give you a clean caulk line. They look like a piece of square tubing with one end cut at an angle to fit into a corner. They do a wonderful job. Cut the smallest hole you can in the caulking tube, practice on scrap of course, as the caulk finger removes way more caulk than you'd believe and leaves a neat joint that I've never sanded. Joe

[bridger]

the first sanding- the bare wood one- is the one where you take the most material off.

then you prime. then you sand the primer. that is a very light sanding... just a wipedown with fine sandpaper (mebbe 120 grit) to get lumps, dust and raised grain.

then you caulk the seams. apply the caulk sparingly and wipe down with a damp rag immediately.

then you prime the caulk, and touch up any spots you sanded through last time.

then you sand those spots. at this point you may not actually need to do any more sanding- but check your work as you go and be ready to sand as needed.

then you paint.

then you check the paint for dust nibs, runs, brush marks and fingerprints. if you find any, sand them out and repaint and check again.

this approach will yield a really nice surface. it does assume a sandable paint. most latexes are not.