Painting your rooms a different color is hard work but once you have the walls completed a bad job on your trim will make all your work look unprofessional.
There are two main ways to handle the painting of moldings, trim, windows and other items.
Paint Before Applying
If you are installing new moldings you can apply the paint before you attach them to your walls and then do light touchups over the nail holes. This is not a a bad idea if you are installing stain grade trim. Preparing and staining the items can be done in a garage or another empty room that is dust free.
Once you install the moldings with a brad nailer pin nail you may have a small hole to fill. This can be done with a color matching filler crayon available at all paint supply stores. If you have a larger dent due to a kickback from the brad nailer then you may need to use some regular wood filler and restain the area to make it look right.
Paint grade trim can also be painted before you apply it to your walls. Fixing problems due to attaching it is much easier then on stain grade trim.
When applying a Paint Grade Trim Piece not made of solid wood like pine such as low cost particle or composite materials you must prime all edges of the piece to reduce warping. Composite materials like medium density board have a problem with moisture. Although they are suppose to do better in standard humidity exposed areas often swell.
Paint In Place
Staining trim in place is a difficult task and will require lots of masking and cleaning of dust if you need to sand or strip the part. Be careful and do not use painters grade tape to protect against sanding or strippers. Paint grade masking tape is low tack and will not hold out and stripper will get under it.
The same is true when applying stain. Although Paint grade Masking Tape is great for latex and most oil paints using it while applying stain will allow the stain to get under the tape causing problems later.
If you are painting your whole room you may want to stain and protect your stain grade trim first. Leave it masked off while you paint the walls of the room and then remove the tape later. Never allow tape to set in place for more then 12 hours or it may tare drywall paper causing holes you will need to fix.
The choice to paint in place vs removal is up to you but if the trim is in good condition quick drying latex paint and proper masking can speed the job.
Problems Around Carpet
Painting Paint grade trim in place is relatively easy if you have tile or wood floors. If you keep a damp cloth with you any paint that ends up on the floor can be quickly wiped away.
If you have carpeted floors and you are using a contrasting color be very careful to protect surrounding areas from spills and splatter.
Pretaped drop cloth masking material in a 1 foot wide section can be used as a starter strip around the edge of the room then to that you want to tape a heavy 10 mil or better drop cloth to protect the field of your carpet from splatters. Over protection is never enough you will be amazed how far a little flick of red paint can fly on to your nice new white carpet.
New Carpeting
If you will be adding new floor to your room painting should always be completed first. This is the case for all floor types including tile, sheet goods and carpet.
A 1 minute touchup to remove a stain from your wall is always easier and less expensive then cleaning or repairing your floor.
Tools you can use
You should always pick an appropriate sized brush when painting trim. You want one that is large enough to cover the full width in one stroke without overlap. Slightly smaller is better then larger.
For stains and gloss paints you always want to use a soft full brush to provide a nice finish. Semi-gloss and shell finishes can use a coarser brush if you like the look of brush strokes on your wood.
Paint Shields are a great tool for working around your molding and windows. Use the shield as a guard by placing it against the surface you want to protect. This will reduce your need for using masking tape.
As you make your stroke along the trim move the guard with your brush. Do not make small 10″ strokes unless the item is small like window trim.
No matter how well you paint a drop cloth is always a good idea. Cover the floor where you are working and cover anything expensive that you could not remove from the room.
The YouRepair Store Carries a full line of Painting Suppies for your next Project