On Sun, 10 Dec 2006 08:14:11 -0500, Harlan Messinger
wrote:

I'm replacing the narrow, plain casings on a couple of bedroom doors
with wider, contoured ones. The replacements came primed, but it looks
like they need another coat because scuffing reveals some of the wood
underneath. I've got questions, if any of you can help!

1. I'm trying to decide the order in which to paint and hang the
moldings. If I paint first and then hang, I figure I'll have to fill in
over the nails with with wood filler, then spot prime, then spot paint.
Will all the follow-up spot painting stand out? Or I can hang them as is
and prime and paint them on the wall. I'm also thinking that if I paint
first, then when I get them on the wall, unless the edges of the molding
are absolutely flush there'll be a noticeable gap between the wall paint
and the molding paint (which are different colors).

2. I noticed that the old moldings were held in place by both finishing
nails (into the drywall) and staples (into the wood framing). Is that
necessary? Can I use nails in both? I don't know how to countersink
staples. I wasn't planning on the expense of renting either a nail gun
or a staple gun.

3. I found metal wafers inserted into slots in the corners to join
adjacent moldings. Is that necessary?

4. Am I likely to need to apply caulk either between the moldings or
along their edges? If so, then does that make "paint after" the answer
to question 1 above?


Here's what I did. Primed the bare wood moldings then painted them on
all sides. It's much easier/faster to paint them off the wall. Then
I installed the molding, filled the nail holes with glazing compound,
caulked, then painted the entire molding again. You will need to wait
2-6 hours for the caulk to cure before painting. It's very
time-consuming painting the molding adjacent to another color wall.
I've never used staples. Biscuits or plates are not necessary, but
they do help keep the corners in alignment. You can get the same
effect by cross nailing.