Advice Needed - Painting Baseboards and Casings

[TulsaWood]

I posted in another thread earlier this week that we are getting ready to change out trim and baseboards at our house.  Well, today we're headed over to the shop to pick up what we need for the game room.  I got some good advice in that thread, but wanted to ask specifically about priming and painting. 

They are made of poplar, and we will be priming and painting them white.  The goal is to get a very smooth finish, and we will be brushing/rolling them since we do not have a sprayer or any experience using sprayers.

Here's a pic of the trim we're using.
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We've used the SW Multi-Purpose primer for some of the interior walls, but I'm wondering if that is a good choice for trim.  I've seen others recommend Kilz Pro X, while others say that it is difficult to work with. 

Any recommendations from the experts around here before we get started?

Thanks!

EJ

 

[Billedis]

Certainly not an expert, but I use only pro Classic Plus white high gloss for all my trim and am very satisfied.  I have two golden retrievers that lay next to it requiring cleaning regularly and I have had it down for 7 years now and still looking great!  Since I used pre-primed boards, I would just check with the SW store for the proper primer.  Bill

 

[GreenGA]

We use oil based Kilz primer; two coats as I mentioned before.  Then two coats of finish color; water based.  We use the oil based Kilz because we can use both oil and water based paint, whereas is we were to use a water based primer, we could use only a water based top coat.

 

[fifo28]

I am not an expert, just a hobbyist.  But, I am doing exactly what you are in my house.  I went with Benjamin Moore Advanced plus their primer and their recommended brush.  I pre painted everything, its so much easier.  The Advanced primer is pretty much like any primer.  I used Advanced semi-gloss (glossy was just that VERY glossy).  You have to get a little used to working with Advanced.  The less you stroke it the better.  It will flatten out quickly and dry perfectly.  My moldings were poplar as well.  I gave them a quick sand, primer and one coat.  I installed the moldings then caulked and filled the nail holes and gave it a second coat. And it looks incredible, not a brushmark to be found.  People have asked me if the moldings came prefinished.

The one negative is that Advanced can take some time to dry.  It may take 24 - 48 hours before the paint is fully cured.

 

[Scott B.]

SW Wall & Wood is excellent on trim. Lay it on solid. It sands to powder and makes a nice surface to paint over.

 

[Brent Taylor]

Prime all the surfaces of the trim to seal the wood or warping and twisting may happen. I have had good luck with foam rollers and brushes when I couldn't spray. You will need to sand between coat, but let the paint completely dry before doing so or you will have a mess. B

 

[Pnw painter]

The SW Wall and Wood and Insl-X Stix are two popular primers that pros typically use for this type of application. Before you buy a ton of primer, I'd recommend that you do a test piece. Some water based primers will pop the wood grain and it'll take a lot of extra sanding. If that happens you might want to switch to an oil based primer.

My favorite trim paint in terms of looks is Benjamin Moore Advance, but more often than not, I end up using Sherwin Williams ProClassic on many of my clients homes.

The recoat time for Advance is about 16hrs and ProClassic is 4hrs. This alone is a deal killer for Advance in many applications for me. If you're brushing your trim just be aware that Advance has a tendency to run compared to ProClassic. I'd recommend applying the product with a foam or mohair roller and back brushing.