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We started painting the outdated trim in our home a few years ago and reached a stopping point until we finally had time just recently to continue.
It can be an overwhelming and time consuming project if not done in phases. I can’t imagine painting all the trim in our house from beginning to end without taking a break from it.
It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the stained trim and crown molding, but the newer white finish does brighten things up a lot. While at it, we’ve also changed the room colors to provide more of a contrast with the new lighter trim.
Since we already knew how the trim would look painted white, one of our greatest challenges was finding the right color to paint the walls – we like the earth tones and decided to go with a medium brown shade.
We began by clearing furniture away from the areas to be painted, removed window treatments and then began the taping. 
This step is very important for most people. I, however, prefer to paint without taping. I’ve found that there usually is some seepage under the tape, whether you use tape exclusively designed for painting or something less specific like common masking tape. I find it harder to clean up the seepage under the tape after it’s dried than just wiping any drips, etc. up as I go along. Call me weird, but just how I’ve always done it.
So…..If you prefer, tape the wall along the trim to be painted to avoid a lot of paint going where it shouldn’t, unless you have a steady hand and don’t use tape like me and prefer to wipe the drips while they are still wet. Also make sure to put some sort of cover down on the floor unless you want to do a lot more wiping up and/or scraping the dried paint off the floor because there will be some.
Now you’re ready to begin painting.
Apply a primer like KILZ first and let it dry overnight. I’ll confess that I’ve done it without a primer and usually end up with the same result, but it may require an additional coat of paint and that is time consuming because it’s always wise to allow any paint to dry overnight before applying the next coat. And extra coats can be expensive too.
Once you’ve applied the needed coats of paint and they’re all dry, you’re ready to pull the tape if you’ve used it. Then it’s time to re-tape, if you prefer. In preparation to paint the walls, tape the newly painted trim to protect it from the paint you’re using on the walls.
I like to apply the paint with a nice angled brush about two inches or so along the corners and trim around windows, doors, along the baseboards and so forth. Now you’re ready to start rolling the paint onto the walls. Roll the paint, being diligent about the coverage. I do this in multiple vertical, diagonal and horizontal strokes to make sure I have proper coverage to the point that my roller is almost dry.
After a day or two, once the walls are dry, remove the tape from your newly painted trim, touch up anything you need to, replace the furniture and window coverings and enjoy.
Oh and while I was at it, I bought these nifty Wireless Remote Control Electrical Outlet Switches through Amazon. They plug right into your outlets and then you plug your lamps or fans or anything you want into the gadget. I bought three of them for $17. You can buy a single one or as many as you want. And you can control all of them with the included remote control – pretty cool.
Paul
