DIYbanter - View Single Post - Finishing a basement and want to paint walls BEFORE installing doorsand trim

Reno

wrote in news:bf2ab423-604e-47cc-86c3-4d10cebce8e5
@d77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:

I'm finishing my basement and I've primed all of my walls. I was
planning on completing the painting of the walls first - then painting
doors and trim and installing them. I thought this would save time as
I don't have to worry so much about masking everything and I can spray
just about everything.

This seems to go against what I've seen done. What is the problem
with my approach?

That is a good approach and is what we did in our new house construction.
It is the most common approach on new house construction that I have seen
- don't recall seeing any masked trim now that I think about it.

It will work great as long as you choose a type of paint that will look
good sprayed. The only things we masked were the windows and exterior
doors and that was easy because the trim was not on at the time so taping
accuracy was not an issue.

There are low build and high build paint options. Use only high build,
especially if you want to spray. The high build hides blemishes much
better while the low build will show every little thing and it dries much
quicker so over-spray edges are a real problem. I doubt that a decent job
can be done with spraying low build - it should only be rolled.

I used high build paint in my new house for both primer and top coat.
High build is much better for spraying than low build because it doesn't
mist much. A breathing filter mask is required but not a fume rated mask.
The low build is a bitch for misting and will require covering over all
window surfaces and anything you don't want painted. In my opinion you
couldn't do a decent job with low build. It would even mess up adjacent
finished walls while you were working. In homes low build is only
suitable for rolling - it is great for rolling because it goes on
easier. Needs extra coats though.

Our painter recommended spraying the primer and rolling the top coat. It
was a choice based on the fact that rolled on top coats are the norm
around here. Sprayed and rolled look much different so looks are an
important consideration. He said rolling high build was not an issue and
saved extra coats in some rooms. He saved a lot of trouble by having the
primer tinted at the same time as the top coats for every room.

Our painter and finishing carpenter collaborated on all the trim. The
carpenter cut and fitted all pieces and the painter sprayed them in the
basement or the garage depending on the weather. Then the carpenter did
the final installation and the painter sealed the nail holes.