When I have painted trim, I run a bead of caulk where the trim meets the wall and cut a straight line by hand.
My problem is with stained/varnished trim. Since the trim is not always nice and tight to the wall, I sometime get a little “bridge” of paint going from the wall to the trim. This looks bad. How do I avoid it? Taping the wood doesn’t help, it just means more work and mess.
Has anyone every used caulk to fill the little voids and imperfections where the wall and trim meet?
Thanks for the advice.
Replies
Hi Wolfdaddy,
I am on a job where I am dealing with the same dilema. Through trial and error, I have found the best way is to mask along the edge of the stained trim, then caulk with a thin bead. Care must be taken when pulling masking tape off. I cut along caulked joint with a utility knife first, then pull masking tape.
Yes, this is a time-consuming process, but I found it produces the most professional results.
Good luck,
darcy
Caulking, and painting against stained trim can cause more problems than it may fix. In areas such as bathrooms I might use clear silicone to fill a problem gap between the wall and stained baseboard. In other rooms, a large gap may require some colored wood filler to help blend the wood to the wall. Other gaps around window trim and baseboard are considered "character". If you don't want gaps, don't use wood.
When attempting a critique of the work, remember the 3 foot rule. If you can stand 3 feet away and are unable to see it without straining your eyes...or bending forward...it is not a problem.
There is a special word in the industry for people who walk around a job with a magnifying glass...and a much stronger word for houseguests who do the same...
One trick I have learned , put a putty knife between wall and trim, carefully pull trim with putty knife about 1/8 of a inch from wall. You can now cut in the room, this trick also works for baseboard. When you are done, take your hand, make a fist and gently punch, with the bottom of your hand, the molding back in place. This has work wonderfully for me the last 20 or so years. Good Luck!
Nice trick.
And to minimize the damage you may want to try a 4" or 6" stiff tape knife.
Less chance to damage the wall or the trim.
YCF Dino
I use a stiff six inch knife to release all the moulding, being a paperhanger the knives I use are really sharp from scraping walls etc. and have never damaged a wall. And when you pucnh moulding back in place, the nail putty never moves because the nail really does not come out of the stud. The nail actually stays put . Jim Z