How To/DIY: Painting Baseboards

Painting baseboards is a not so difficult task. However. It is time consuming. Make sure that you are willing to take the time and effort to do this yourself before committing. In the video you will see that the previous painters weren't committed to a quality job. The paint bled out onto the baseboards, windowsills, and they only did one coat for the walls so that whatever was painted on before shown through. You can do this with patience and effort. Let's go!

TOOLS

1. Vacuum
2. Cleaning Solution
3. Sponge/Washcloth
4. Tub of water/Access to water
5. Gloves
6. Painters Tape
7. Stirring Stick
8. Sealer
9. Paint

Before you get started. This is an option if you have bumps, and imperfections in your baseboards (or you are painting cabinets, or other furniture). SAND. This will smooth out the surface so that it's nice and smooth.

1. Cleaning the baseboards.

There are a few steps in doing this, it is up to you whether to follow each one or not. We clean our surface before painting it so that the paint adheres to the wood itself. If there is dirt buildup under the paint, the paint may come off because it's not sticking directly to the wood of the baseboard.

• Vacuum - this makes scrubbing easier. Vacuum the dust and loose dirt and there's less to scrub off.
• Wash - spray your choice of cleaning solution onto the baseboard, and then scrub with a sponge. Wipe of with a wet washcloth.

If you decide to hire a contractor, and it is not in their contract to wash the baseboards (or anything else they might be painting), try getting it done yourself before hand. This will ensure for a better finish.

2. Tape the wall above the baseboards.

Taping prevents the paint from bleeding over onto the part of the wall you don't want colored.

3. Seal imperfections in the wood.

Sealer helps to smooth out and keep imperfections from showing through the paint. Cover holes, pieces of the wood showing through, and over up discoloration.

4. Paint

Now get your baseboards painted! Because baseboards are against the floor, make sure to use a straight edge or some kind of tool you can place under the paintbrush so that it doesn't get on the carpet, tile, or wood that is your floor. You can also tape under the baseboards to prevent messes on the floor.

This is pretty much the steps for each home painting project. It can be applied to walls, cabinets, doors etc...