How to Paint Trim, Baseboards and Casing

Coat installed interior trim with a brush for profiles and edges and a mini roller for the open flat faces. Work one bounded section at a time.

What you need

Check each member for solid wood, MDF, metal or plastic, and check the old film under raking light. Fix loose trim, soft wood or moisture first.
Clean before sanding. Probe old caulk and filler. Replace only failed material.
Photograph the room. Remove hardware by its approved method. Protect floors, walls, glass and hinges.
Test the dry roller on a trim profile. Reject rubbing, wobble or overhang past the face.
Work in sections: one casing leg, one baseboard run, one stool. Brush the profiles and stop lines first.
Draw excess paint out of corners, miters and beads.
Roll the open flat while the brush band is still wet. Finish in the member's long direction.
Check both edges, the miter and the wall or floor before you leave the section. Reinstall hardware once the coating allows.

The brush sets stop lines and fills profiles. The mini roller lays only the open flat face.
Do not flood paint against tape. It leaves a ridge that tears when the tape comes off.
Choose the roller by the finished footprint on the real flat. 47314 has a 1/4" pile and 47317 a 3/8" pile, which is coarser.
Do not go back into paint that is dragging or stringing. Let it cure, then repair.

In a home built before 1978 or a child-occupied space, resolve the lead rules before scraping, sanding or drilling painted trim.
Stop for peeling, soft wood, rust-through or moisture. Fix the cause before painting.
Keep paint out of hinge knuckles, latches, weatherstrip and sash contacts.

Questions about the right tool for your job? Email cs@hydestore.com or call 508-916-6442.