Are you thinking about refreshing your home’s baseboards? The baseboards may not seem like a major element of your home’s interiors, but they play a significant role in the overall look of a room. Just because baseboards are close to the ground doesn’t mean that they should be overlooked.
Painting the baseboards in your home is a simple way to upgrade your interiors. This painting project is smaller than painting the walls, but involves special considerations for success.
To ensure that your painting project yields beautiful results, follow our top tips for baseboard painting. Remember that you can also enlist the help of your Denver painting company for a professional-grade finish.
Why Paint The Baseboards?
First, let’s cover the key reasons to paint your baseboards, rather than to stain them. Many homeowners have trouble deciding between these two options when it comes to revamping the baseboards. But, for this project, painting offers a few key benefits over staining:
- Simplicity
Painting the baseboards is a simpler process than staining them. Staining takes longer to complete and can’t be done at the same time as wall painting, if you’re re-doing the entire room. Baseboards can be painted at the same time as the walls, allowing for greater speed and easier cleanup.
- Budget
Baseboards cost less to paint than to stain. To stain your baseboards, they’ll need to be made out of genuine wood. This is a much costlier option than plastic or fiberboard, which can be used for baseboards that will be painted.
- Color options
When you opt for painted baseboards, you get to choose from a wide array of paint colors. So, you can select an option that perfectly complements the color of the walls.
Tips For Painting Baseboards
- Sand The Moldings
One of the first steps in painting baseboards should be sanding the moldings. This ensures that the surface is even and improves paint adhesion. Sanding baseboards can take away years of wear and tear so that the trim appears new once again.
After you sand the baseboards, make sure to use a damp cloth to wipe off the dust and particles. This will ensure that the paint goes on smoothly, without dust getting stuck in it.
- Caulk All Cracks
Many DIY-ers skip this step, but it’s essential for top-quality painted baseboards. Before you paint, caulk each gap and crack in the baseboards. This includes even the smallest or most minor cracks. We recommend latex or paintable latex/silicone caulk. Be careful to cut the tip of the caulk tube to make a very small opening, and start with the smallest cracks and gaps. You may need to smooth out the caulk or use a putty knife to eliminate excess caulk for a clean finish.
- Use Painter’s Tape
This may seem like a given, but baseboard painting requires painter’s tape. Baseboards are small and require precision for a clean result. Without painter’s tape, it’s easy to get paint on the walls and floors that are adjacent to the baseboards. Explore all of the available painter’s tape options at your local paint store and make sure to purchase the right type for this project.
- Select The Right Paint Sheen
The sheen of the paint, not just the color, will have a large impact on the final look of your painted baseboards. Paints with a high sheen level will actually highlight any errors or inconsistencies in the surface of the baseboards. The shine will draw light to the imperfections, making them stand out. So, we recommend paint with a matte finish for baseboard projects. Matte paint provides a soft, elegant look that’s ideal for the trim.
If you’re determined to use a paint with a glossy finish, make sure to prepare the surface of the baseboards thoroughly by sanding and caulking it.
- Save The Trim For Last
If you’re painting multiple surfaces within a room, leave the baseboards for last. Completing the baseboards earlier on could give you a lot of touch-ups to do, as paint from the walls can easily drip onto the painted baseboards.
Brush Strokes Painting is a leading Denver painting company. Contact us today for professional help with your residential painting projects.
