Painting Stained Trim
One way to really brighten a room and give it farmhouse character is to paint the trim. Here are a few steps to ensure a crisp, clean, long-lasting finish.
Oil Based Primer For the same reason oil and water don’t mix, you can’t use latex paint over oil based finishes (polyurethane). It will stick for a while and eventually just peal off. To ensure that your latex paint adheres to your stained finish, you need to use a good oil based bonding primer. Scuff the surface first with a 120-220 grit sandpaper, put a fan in the window to suck the toxic air out, and go to town. Oil based paint isn’t water clean up. You will need mineral spirits for clean up or (if you are “lazy” like me) use a disposable brush.
Caulk the gaps. You don’t notice gaps between stained trim and walls because the stain is normally dark enough to hide it. But when you paint your trim bright white, every gap will show! After priming, use paintable interior caulk to seal the gap. Do this by running a thin line down the top of your trim and use your finger to smooth it. Most brands of paintable caulk claim to be paintable in 30 minutes but I have yet to find one that dries that quickly. Give it a couple hours! Be sure to wipe off any excess while it’s still wet.
