By Mark J. Donovan
Painting exterior wood trim can be painstakingly slow. Cutting with a paint brush is an unhurried and laborious task with any type of paint job. However, if you are installing new exterior wood trim you can make your life a whole lot easier. After you purchase the exterior wood trim lumber, and before you begin to work with it, pre-paint it. By pre-painting exterior wood trim you’ll save a tremendous amount of time, achieve a more professional paint job, and better protect the wood. Why will you protect the wood better? Because, when you pre-paint the exterior wood trim you can paint all sides of it, thus completely sealing and protecting the piece of lumber from moisture absorption. Also, keep a paint brush and small pail of paint near the miter saw so that you can touch up the ends of the cut exterior wood trim pieces with paint, again to completely seal the wood. Moreover, whenever possible buy pre-primed exterior trim lumber. With any type of paint job a primer should be first applied .
If you’re painting exterior wood trim that is already attached to the home, then you have no choice but to use a paint brush and do the traditional cutting method. When painting exterior trim I find it best to use a brand new 2-1/2 inch wide tapered paint brush. This way I am sure to have a nice sharp and clean paint brush edge. Then with my small paint pail in hand I start at the top of the exterior wood trim and work my way across and down, finally completing the bottom apron piece. I follow this method for around doors and windows, as well as along the exterior wood trim that may exist on the side edges of the home. By following this process I can be sure to clean up any accidental paint drips that may have occurred on the main house siding as I work my way down.
With any type of exterior painting project always make sure the wood is completely dry and that there is no rain in the forecast for at least 24 hours. The last thing you want is to have running wet paint dripping down the side of your house siding.
If you’re painting exterior wood trim that is already attached to the home, then you have no choice but to use a paint brush and do the traditional cutting method. When painting exterior trim I find it best to use a brand new 2-1/2 inch wide tapered paint brush. This way I am sure to have a nice sharp and clean paint brush edge. Then with my small paint pail in hand I start at the top of the exterior wood trim and work my way across and down, finally completing the bottom apron piece. I follow this method for around doors and windows, as well as along the exterior wood trim that may exist on the side edges of the home. By following this process I can be sure to clean up any accidental paint drips that may have occurred on the main house siding as I work my way down.
With any type of exterior painting project always make sure the wood is completely dry and that there is no rain in the forecast for at least 24 hours. The last thing you want is to have running wet paint dripping down the side of your house siding.
No comments:
Post a Comment