Caught a tip on a podcast about painting trim before installing it

I was listening to a DIY podcast while sanding my dining room baseboards, and the host mentioned they always paint trim before nailing it up. That got me thinking about all the times I've tried to cut in around installed trim and ended up with paint on the wall. So I gave it a shot on my living room project last weekend, painting all 12 pieces of shoe molding on sawhorses in the garage. It saved me at least 90 minutes of careful brushing, and the finish looked way smoother without drips. Has anyone else tried this method and found it works better for their own projects?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.grant25d ago

grace89 mentioned catching spots she would have missed, but I found the real win was no more aching neck from painting on my knees.

grace8926d ago

Total game changer, right?! I did this on my last baseboard project and I'll never go back to the old way. Painting in the garage with a fan going let me get way better coverage without worrying about drips running down the wall. Plus I caught a couple spots I would have missed trying to cram my brush behind the trim. The finished look is so much cleaner too, no more paint on the wall that takes forever to touch up.

the_kim26d ago

Have you noticed any difference in how the paint adheres years later compared to painting them in place?