Panicking about trim painting, what do I do?
We had an amazing finishing carpenter redo all our millwork, including doors, casings, baseboards, frames around windows. Looks amazing.
He recommended a painter. This painter did spray paint all the doors, casings etc before it was put on. Now he has 'his guys' patching and painting it all now that it's on.
I found out that 'his guys' he actually subcontracted out the job. I was inspecting some of the work and I'm not happy with some of it and now I'm panicking that it's too late and it's all ruined (the panic just runs away sometimes!)
My issues...around the doorways, they caulked the seams and painted. The caulk is not all smooth, and it doesn't look like 'one piece'. Our rounded corner pieces, the caulk is also not smooth and looks sloppy.
They are coming back Monday, and neither DH or I are going to be home. I don't know what to do. I know they aren't done, but I'm not liking some of what I'm seeing. I'm going to call the guy tomorrow. But right now it's 3:30 am and I'm panicking because I don't want my beautiful millwork ruined!
Also (and don't yell at me), I have no idea how much this is going to be. I asked yesterday. I know the main guy charges $40/hr, but he's not really here, it's 1-3 other people (a girl came to paint, she was amazing!)
Help?
Comments (13)
akl_vdb
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Painting Trim- How do I do this?
Comments (3)I'm going through that same process. Here's what was recommended to me and has worked really well. 1) Clean the trim really well with TSP Substitute (get at Home Depot). 2) Scuff sand the trim with a 220 grit sandpaper or 220 sanding sponge. I prefer the sponge because you can wet it to cut down on dust and also you can get into the little cracks better. 3) Clean thoroughly so there's no grit or dust remaining. 4) To get a clean edge between the trim and carpet, I put painter's tape as far down in between the trim and carpet as I can maneuver it. If you wedge it down, then pull it toward the carpet as you press it down, it will help to open up a gap between the carpet and trim. It's not perfect, but it's the best you're going to get. As I paint, I also jam a broad bladed putty knife down in between the trim and carpet, which also helps some. But when you release the putty knife, the carpet will spring back a bit - there's nothing you can do about that unless you untack, then retack the carpet edge. Once you're done and remove the tape, the carpet will spring back and everything will look fine. I've tried the long plastic edge shields, but found that the tape works just as well. 5) Prime the trim with something similar to SW ProBlock Alkyd Interior Quick Drying Primer/Sealer-white if you're planning to use a light paint color on the trim, gray if you're going to use a dark color-check at the store. Use a 1"-1.5" Chinex OR good quality natural bristle brush for this step. The brushes will have to be cleaned up with mineral spirits. This should cover pretty well in one coat. You might still see a little of the stain color through the primer, but it should cover pretty well. If you see a lot of the stain through the primer, sand lightly with the sanding sponge after the primer has dried, clean off the dust and reapply the primer. I have used this primer on dark walnut trim and found it covers in one coat as long as I'm not stingy with the primer application. 6) Sand primer lightly with 220 grit, clean, then you're ready for your first topcoat. I highly recommend SW ProClassic Satin Acrylic for a beautiful finish. Use a Chinex brush if you can find one or a high quality synthetic bristle meant for acrylic paints. Again, use a 1-1.5" brush. Don't put too heavy a coat of paint on. This paint tends to drip and sag if you go too heavy. Paint from the unpainted sections into the painted sections about 1". Don't overwork the paint. Brush it through once or twice to even it out, then go on. 7) Once the recoat time has passed (follow directions), sand again lightly, then put on a second coat. That should do it. It's tedious, but once it's done, you'll be very satisfied with how it looks. I'm slowly doing all the woodwork on my first floor which was all stained dark walnut, doors, windows, baseboard, chair rails, crown moulding-the works. I LOVE how it brightens up everything. I doubt I'll ever have stained woodwork again. I recommend SW paints because the store is only about a mile away from me and I get a nice family discount, but if a BM store is closer to you, I'm sure they have comparable products for this task....See MoreTiling Window Sill...help please! What do I do with window trim?
Comments (5)My sink and window set-up are very similar to yours, right down to the window moulding abutting the sides of the cabinets. the only difference is that our sill is much deeper. We have a tall faucet as well. If you're thinking that you need to tile the sill because it will get wet, I can tell you that our sill does not get wet. Don't know why, but it just doesn't. If you want to, you could trim or remove the part of the old sill that sticks out horizontally and use a different piece of painted wood trim applied on its side. By this I mean so its front is flush with the front edge of the moulding on the side of the windows. This is what we did. We have a piece of moulding about 2 inches high and maybe 5/8 inches thick. The side window moulding runs into it. So it's like a frame to the window, but a different profile from the side moulding. It looks like it belongs there. We needed a flat moulding to have room for our faucet. We tiled up to the bottom of the cabinets, and the tile runs into (and stops at) the moulding on the sides and bottom of the window. It looks nice. Sorry I haven't learned how to post pics....See MorePainting trim is the devil...what other options do i have?
Comments (1)What you have described is exactly why most painters don't even mess around with pre-painting the painted trim. After nail holes are filled and joints are caulked, it all needs to be painted anyway, so we just wait until it is all installed. As for the spraying, yes it is messy. The overspray hits the air and turns into a fine powder that goes everywhere. As for painting without brushmarks and roller stipple, this can be difficult to achieve for a non-pro because you need to work very fast with todays fast drying paints. Even for pros, it is hard. Todays paints are a challenge. I haven't really found a Sherwin Williams product that flattens out nicely which is why I use Benjamin Moore for trim painting. I use a 4" Wooster Pro-Dooz roller cover usually 3/8" nap. The trick is to get the paint on quick with the roller then brush it out quickly or you can just use the roller and leave it. Depends on what you are painting really and how fast you can go....See MoreOops! I forgot about the crown molding...what do I do?
Comments (0)The previous owners put crown molding in all rooms except the living room. Why? I have no idea! So, master bedroom, master full bath, and master half bath all have crown molding and it is in really good shape. I cleaned it up and it looks great. Now I need to decide if I keep it or not. Here is the problem... We removed the soffett over the 5 ft tub, and we will be turning it into a tiled shower. The oak crown molding went above the door then around the soffett. With the soffett gone, that means the crown molding will go inside the shower. The oak looks brand new, so I hate to get rid of it. I don't think I have ever seen wood in a shower except for Teak. My guesses: 1. Put the crown molding in the shower, maybe use marine grade clear coat, run the tile up to the molding. 2. Remove all molding, but then the cabinets will be affected because the molding was removed. Would need new trim pieces where the molding used to touch the cabinets. 3. Put the crown molding around all but the interior of the shower. The wall that separates the toilet from the shower would have crown molding, but only to where the tile will be. Do the same on the wall by the door. That might look a little weird though. Any other suggestions? Thank you....See Moreakl_vdb
8 years agoakl_vdb
8 years agoakl_vdb
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoSo DH did take a look at the painting. He is also not happy. There are also things they blatantly 'forgot' despite being told...patching some nailholes in doors before spraying them, not painting underneath some decorative caps on the pony walls.
I have texted him 4 times now and DH called once. No call back. He has his own business so we think he would be getting them...but dh is ready to pack up their stuff and have it ready for them if they show up in the am. Because we won't be here. And they are not coming to paint. DH is also thinking they might charge us for these days (like tomorrow).
This in addition to finding out my poor puppy is sick :( she has heart failure so was started on diuretics. We'll see how she does. She's almost 11, and so super cute :)
akl_vdb
8 years ago
Rudebekia