Pre-Finishing Wood Trim before Installing Saves Time and Mess and Ensures a
Professional Finish
By Mark J. Donovan
Pre-finishing wood trim prior to
installation is a great time saver. Whether you plan to install baseboard
trim, door or window casing trim, crown molding, or chair rail, by
pre-finishing the wood trim prior to installation you can save a lot of time
and ensure a more professional job. In addition, you can pre-finish the wood
trim in a ventilated area to reduce fumes. Moreover you can pre-finish the
wood trim in an area more ideal for painting and staining, e.g. in a
ventilated garage or basement area, thus preventing accidental spills and
stains from occurring in finished living areas.
You can also pre-finish the wood
trim at your leisure, over a number of days, since you won’t be interfering
with the living area in any way.
To pre-finish wood trim, start by purchasing quality wood trim lumber and
the necessary stain, paint and priming products from your local home
improvement center.
Next lay out newspaper onto a large work surface area such as a work bench.
Then place short lengths of furring strips onto the covered work bench every
couple of feet down the length of the work bench.
Now rest your wood trim pieces on the furring strips. The furring strips
will ensure that the pre-finished trim will not stick to the newspaper as
the primer, paint, stain or polyurethane dries.
Prior to actually pre-finishing the wood trim, lightly sand the trim pieces
with fine grit sandpaper. This will help to ensure a more even finish. Sanding
the wood trim cracks can take time and involves folding the sandpaper and
working it into the cracks and sliding the paper along the length of the cracks.
When finished sanding, use a tack cloth to wipe away any dust from the wood
trim.
Pre-Finishing Wood Trim with Stain
If staining, use a rag or sponge
brush to apply the stain to the wood trim and apply it in long sweeping
strokes.
Prior to applying the stain, however,
make sure to shake and/or stir the stain well. Immediately after applying
the stain to a piece of wood trim, wipe it down with a clean rag to remove
excess stain. Typically only one application of stain is required. Work
gloves can be extremely helpful when applying the stain as stain can be
difficult to wash off the hands.
After the stain has fully dried apply a polyurethane
finish. You can choose either a satin or gloss finish. Again, make sure to wipe down the stained
wood trim prior to applying the polyurethane. Depending upon the type of
polyurethane you buy apply it with a clean cloth or a brush in long strokes
that follow the grain of the wood. Normally 2 to 3 coats of polyurethane
should be applied to the wood trim. Make sure to lightly sand the wood trim
in between coats using either a very fine grain sandpaper or steel wool.
Photo by Mark Donovan
Pre-finishing Wood Trim with Paint
If painting the wood trim, first prime it and allow it to dry before
applying the paint. Apply the primer and paint in long sweeping motions with
a brush, along the length of the trim pieces. After the first coat of paint has thoroughly dried apply
a second coat.
Pre-Finished Wood Trim Installation
When installing pre-stained wood trim make sure to touch up cut edges with
stain prior to attaching the pieces to the wall. Once the pre-stained wood
trim has been installed use a wax stain pencil to plug the nail holes.
When installing pre-painted wood trim, fill the nail holes with wood filler
or a paintable caulk. Then once the wood filler or caulk has dried, touch up
paint the joints and nail holes.
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