There is no rule which says you must paint
woodwork white, or strip it, or colour it to
merge with the walls. In a room whose walls,
window frames and doors are in the same neutral
colour, you could paint the skirting board a
clear contrasting colour. This will define the
line between the floor and walls. Trim colours
that contrast with walls and ceilings might suit
your style in one room, while a more subtle
colour change might be right somewhere else in
the house.
You can liven up plain, flat walls by adding
moldings so as to create panels around the room.
For best results, make sure you keep your
working area within the proper temperature range
recommended for the paint. All interior woodwork
that has been stripped, from baseboard to dining
room tables, needs to be primed with either a
standard acrylic wood primer. After that you can
paint on it with oil-based flat eggshell, gloss,
or acrylic paints.
Most interior woodwork looks best in an eggshell
finish, as high-gloss paint can have a rather
bleak, deadening effect. If your plan is to
paint walls, ceiling, and trim, then it’s best
to get the trim painted first, along with the
room’s windows and doors. Paint woodwork in
small sections. Keeping a wet edge to avoid lap
marks.
A wide range of broken- colour effects work well
on woodwork, but ideally you should use
oil-based paints as latex has little durability
on wood. Stains add colour to wood while
allowing its natural grain pattern to show
through. Varnishes are clear finishes that form
a tough coating over stain. They are available
in a range of finish sheens from satin to high
gloss. At the end of a project, combine all of
the leftover paint of the same colour into as
few cans as possible.
About the Author:
Roger King has been involved in home interior
painting for several years, and has been helping
people find and review the best value for
interior painting solutions. Visit his Web site
http://www.decorativeinteriorpainting.com
to learn more about this service.
