5 min read
Painting skirting boards, doors and woodwork is where a decorating job is won or lost, because trim sits at eye level in doorways and catches every light in the room. In North Dublin homes we regularly repaint woodwork that was coated only a year or two earlier, and the reason is nearly always the same: no sanding, no caulking, and the wrong type of paint.
Sanding and caulking come first
Old gloss is hard and shiny — fresh paint slides off it unless the surface is keyed. Everything gets sanded, dusted and wiped. Then the gaps between skirting and wall, and architrave and wall, are caulked. Those thin dark shadow lines are what make a freshly painted room still look scruffy, and they take minutes to fix.
- —Sand all existing coatings to a key
- —Fill dents and nail holes, sand flush
- —Caulk every junction with the wall
- —Prime bare timber and filler
- —Two coats of trim paint, lightly denibbed between
Why old white gloss goes yellow
Traditional oil-based gloss yellows as it ages, and it does so fastest in rooms with little natural light — hallways, north-facing bedrooms and behind furniture. Modern water-based satinwood and eggshell do not yellow, dry far faster, smell less and are tough enough for domestic doors and skirting. That is what we use as standard unless a customer specifically wants oil gloss.
Satin, eggshell or gloss
Full gloss highlights every imperfection in old timber and reads as dated in most modern Irish homes. Satinwood is the common choice: enough sheen to wipe clean, soft enough to flatter older woodwork. Eggshell gives a flatter, more contemporary look and suits period detail well.
Frequently asked questions
- Should woodwork be painted before or after walls?
- We generally prepare everything, paint ceilings, then woodwork, then walls, cutting the wall colour neatly to the trim. It gives the sharpest line and avoids trim paint spray on finished walls.
- Can water-based paint go over old oil gloss?
- Yes, provided it is sanded thoroughly and, on badly degraded gloss, a suitable primer is used first.