How to Paint House Trim

Over time, the trim of a house will need general maintenance, such as painting. All repairs to the trim need to be made before the trim can be painted. In addition, the surface of the trim must be prepared to be painted by scraping or power sanding off the old paint.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Exterior paint
• Paintbrushes

1. Choose an exterior color that you would like your trim to be. You can match your trim to be the same color as your siding color or choose a color that complements your siding. Home improvement stores, such as Lowe's have a vast exterior paint selection with various color options to choose from. For assistance, ask the store's knowledgeable sales staff to assist you with the selection of your exterior paint.

2. Paint across the grain in a side to side motion to begin painting the trim. Start at the inside of the trim and move the paintbrush toward the siding.

3. Remove the paintbrush as it reaches the edge of the trim to prevent paint from getting onto the siding.

4. Change painting directions to paint against the grain in an up and down motion. This will aid in creating a smooth and even cover.

5. Repeat the process of painting across side to side then painting up and down until all the trim has been painted.

Tips & Warnings

• Removing shutters from the house makes the shutter trim easier to paint with a power sprayer.
• Always paint outside trim during dry, warm weather, but avoid working when direct sun is on the area that you are painting.
• Check for paint drips as you continue the painting process to ensure drips are found in time to be smoothed out.

Resources

• Learn about projects using Lowe's project center.