It was recommended I sand poly interior trim before painting white. If it's
not flat (i.e. it's typical nook-and-cranny cross section, like most trim
nowadays), how do you go about sanding it?

On Jul 3, 10:03 pm, "jeffc" wrote:
It was recommended I sand poly interior trim before painting white. If it's
not flat (i.e. it's typical nook-and-cranny cross section, like most trim
nowadays), how do you go about sanding it?

You should clean the trim to be painted before sanding to make sure
there's no grease or oils that will cause problems with the finish.
Wrap sandpaper around a suitably sized dowel or pencil to sand the
rounded parts, and fold the paper to sand into the sharp corners.
Other than that it's business as usual. You're just scuffing up the
surface to give the paint primer something to bite onto. Use a primer
with high adherence like Benjamin Moore's Fresh start.

You could use a liquid deglosser (aka liquid sandpaper) that is a
really nasty chemical cocktail that will soften the poly and give it
some tooth for the primer. It will also take care of the cleaning
step at the same time. It's nasty stuff so wear a respirator.
http://www.cornerhardware.com/index....dex&cPath=7632

R

"jeffc" wrote in message
...
It was recommended I sand poly interior trim before painting white.
If it's not flat (i.e. it's typical nook-and-cranny cross section,
like most trim nowadays), how do you go about sanding it?

Just use your fingers to wrap it against the surface as you sand.

Bob

"Bob F" wrote in message
...

"jeffc" wrote in message
...
It was recommended I sand poly interior trim before painting white. If
it's not flat (i.e. it's typical nook-and-cranny cross section, like most
trim nowadays), how do you go about sanding it?

Just use your fingers to wrap it against the surface as you sand.

You guys don't seem to understand the type of trim I'm talking about. It's
not this, but it should give an idea
http://www.bmcwest.com/products/default.asp?cat=11
There's no possible way to sand hundreds of feet of that and getinto the
crevices. That's the way trim usually is nowadays.

jeffc wrote:
"Bob F" wrote in message
...
"jeffc" wrote in message
...
It was recommended I sand poly interior trim before painting white. If
it's not flat (i.e. it's typical nook-and-cranny cross section, like most
trim nowadays), how do you go about sanding it?
Just use your fingers to wrap it against the surface as you sand.

You guys don't seem to understand the type of trim I'm talking about. It's
not this, but it should give an idea
http://www.bmcwest.com/products/default.asp?cat=11
There's no possible way to sand hundreds of feet of that and getinto the
crevices. That's the way trim usually is nowadays.

Make patterns and fold -- I've done thousands of feet of similar
mouldings over my lifetime...

--

In article ,
"jeffc" wrote:

"Bob F" wrote in message
...

"jeffc" wrote in message
...
It was recommended I sand poly interior trim before painting white. If
it's not flat (i.e. it's typical nook-and-cranny cross section, like most
trim nowadays), how do you go about sanding it?

Just use your fingers to wrap it against the surface as you sand.

You guys don't seem to understand the type of trim I'm talking about. It's
not this, but it should give an idea
http://www.bmcwest.com/products/default.asp?cat=11
There's no possible way to sand hundreds of feet of that and getinto the
crevices. That's the way trim usually is nowadays.

You could sandblast it. That's what I'd do. About 200 times faster than
hand sanding.

RicodJour wrote:
On Jul 3, 10:03 pm, "jeffc" wrote:

It was recommended I sand poly interior trim before painting white. If it's
not flat (i.e. it's typical nook-and-cranny cross section, like most trim
nowadays), how do you go about sanding it?


You should clean the trim to be painted before sanding to make sure
there's no grease or oils that will cause problems with the finish.
Wrap sandpaper around a suitably sized dowel or pencil to sand the
rounded parts, and fold the paper to sand into the sharp corners.
Other than that it's business as usual. You're just scuffing up the
surface to give the paint primer something to bite onto. Use a primer
with high adherence like Benjamin Moore's Fresh start.

You could use a liquid deglosser (aka liquid sandpaper) that is a
really nasty chemical cocktail that will soften the poly and give it
some tooth for the primer. It will also take care of the cleaning
step at the same time. It's nasty stuff so wear a respirator.
http://www.cornerhardware.com/index....dex&cPath=7632

R

Good advice. I've repainted after bad paint jobs done by other people
and find that issue #1 is absolute cleanliness. Gloss is less of a
problem than greasy dirt and fingerprints. Clean it well with your
favorite household cleaner, wipe with denatured alcohol. I use only
alkyd semi for trim, but it has issues with yellowing nowadays. Latex
is crap for trim, especially when time to repaint. It may not yellow as
quickly as alkyd but stains more easily.

On Jul 3, 11:54 pm, "jeffc" wrote:
"Bob F" wrote in message

...



"jeffc" wrote in message
.. .
It was recommended I sand poly interior trim before painting white. If
it's not flat (i.e. it's typical nook-and-cranny cross section, like most
trim nowadays), how do you go about sanding it?

Just use your fingers to wrap it against the surface as you sand.

You guys don't seem to understand the type of trim I'm talking about. It's
not this, but it should give an ideahttp://www.bmcwest.com/products/default.asp?cat=11
There's no possible way to sand hundreds of feet of that and getinto the
crevices. That's the way trim usually is nowadays.

Since there were only two posters when you wrote "You guys don't seem
to understand...", I assume you meant me, which makes me wonder why
you didn't read the second part of my post.

There are two parts that must be mastered when asking for advice. The
asking part you have down pat, the reading part needs a little bit of
work. Go back and have another go at it. Thanks.

R

"jeffc" wrote in message
...

"Bob F" wrote in message
...

"jeffc" wrote in message
...
It was recommended I sand poly interior trim before painting
white. If it's not flat (i.e. it's typical nook-and-cranny cross
section, like most trim nowadays), how do you go about sanding it?

Just use your fingers to wrap it against the surface as you sand.

You guys don't seem to understand the type of trim I'm talking
about. It's not this, but it should give an idea
http://www.bmcwest.com/products/default.asp?cat=11
There's no possible way to sand hundreds of feet of that and getinto
the crevices. That's the way trim usually is nowadays.

There is a way, but it requires patience.

Bob

Norminn wrote:
....
alkyd semi for trim, but it has issues with yellowing nowadays. Latex
is crap for trim, especially when time to repaint. It may not yellow as
quickly as alkyd but stains more easily.

I disagree w/ both points, personally. Colors are more stable than ever
imo, and a good latex enamel in semi- or gloss finish won't stain badly
at all. A flat will because of the rougher texture, but flat shouldn't
be used for trim, anyway.

imo, etc., etc., ...

--

"RicodJour" wrote in message
ps.com...

Since there were only two posters when you wrote "You guys don't seem
to understand...", I assume you meant me, which makes me wonder why
you didn't read the second part of my post.

There are two parts that must be mastered when asking for advice. The
asking part you have down pat, the reading part needs a little bit of
work. Go back and have another go at it. Thanks.

I don't need to, I read it right the first time. The second part of your
post had to do with using a deglosser, so obiously I'm not talking about
that. In the second part of your post, you didn't say "disregard the first
part of my post", so I'm not. I'm responding to the advice there. To wit:
"fold the paper to sand into the sharp corners", which is just crazy. That
would take 10,000 years for all the cracks and crevices in the trim. There
has to be something like - what? - 5 or 10 thousand feet of trim in a good
sized house?

"jeffc" wrote in message
...

You guys don't seem to understand the type of trim I'm talking about.
It's not this, but it should give an idea
http://www.bmcwest.com/products/default.asp?cat=11
There's no possible way to sand hundreds of feet of that and getinto the
crevices. That's the way trim usually is nowadays.

A better example
http://www.burtonmoldings.com/images...esText/139.jpg

On Jul 4, 1:04 pm, "jeffc" wrote:
"RicodJour" wrote in message

Since there were only two posters when you wrote "You guys don't seem
to understand...", I assume you meant me, which makes me wonder why
you didn't read the second part of my post.

There are two parts that must be mastered when asking for advice. The
asking part you have down pat, the reading part needs a little bit of
work. Go back and have another go at it. Thanks.

I don't need to, I read it right the first time. The second part of your
post had to do with using a deglosser, so obiously I'm not talking about
that. In the second part of your post, you didn't say "disregard the first
part of my post", so I'm not. I'm responding to the advice there. To wit:
"fold the paper to sand into the sharp corners", which is just crazy. That
would take 10,000 years for all the cracks and crevices in the trim. There
has to be something like - what? - 5 or 10 thousand feet of trim in a good
sized house?

Let me see if I understand your position. You read the full post,
ignore the advice that works for you, and then criticize the other
part. That about sum it up?

Equally obviously, you could say thanks for the advice.

R

In article ,
"jeffc" wrote:

"RicodJour" wrote in message
ps.com...

Since there were only two posters when you wrote "You guys don't seem
to understand...", I assume you meant me, which makes me wonder why
you didn't read the second part of my post.

There are two parts that must be mastered when asking for advice. The
asking part you have down pat, the reading part needs a little bit of
work. Go back and have another go at it. Thanks.

I don't need to, I read it right the first time. The second part of your
post had to do with using a deglosser, so obiously I'm not talking about
that. In the second part of your post, you didn't say "disregard the first
part of my post", so I'm not. I'm responding to the advice there. To wit:
"fold the paper to sand into the sharp corners", which is just crazy. That
would take 10,000 years for all the cracks and crevices in the trim. There
has to be something like - what? - 5 or 10 thousand feet of trim in a good
sized house?

Yeah, you're right, it's an impossibly large job. Never been done by any
mortal. 10,000 feet, 10,000 years. That's one year per foot. I don't
think you need to be quite so meticulous with it. Just break the sheen
and slap that paint on there. You coulda sanded two rooms in the time
you spent sniveling about how hard it is. Anyway, if you can afford a
house with *two miles* of trim, you can afford to hire a professional
painter. (imagine smiley emoticon here)

dpb wrote:
Norminn wrote:
...

alkyd semi for trim, but it has issues with yellowing nowadays. Latex
is crap for trim, especially when time to repaint. It may not yellow
as quickly as alkyd but stains more easily.


I disagree w/ both points, personally. Colors are more stable than ever
imo, and a good latex enamel in semi- or gloss finish won't stain badly
at all. A flat will because of the rougher texture, but flat shouldn't
be used for trim, anyway.

imo, etc., etc., ...

--
Flat paint holds dirt more because of the texture. I was referring to
latex semi, which is smoothe. In my experience, it stains (permanently)
from ink, lipstick, and other oily stuff. It is also lousy to sand when
one wants to repaint, and trim around busy doorways usually has dings to
sand out.

On Jul 4, 9:32 pm, Norminn wrote:

Flat paint holds dirt more because of the texture. I was referring to
latex semi, which is smooth. In my experience, it stains (permanently)
from ink, lipstick, and other oily stuff.

Pretty much all paint will stain with that stuff.

It is also lousy to sand when
one wants to repaint, and trim around busy doorways usually has dings to
sand out.

That's true enough. Wonder when they'll get around to developing
sandable latex...

R

jeffc wrote:

"Bob F" wrote in message
...

"jeffc" wrote in message
. ..

It was recommended I sand poly interior trim before painting white. If
it's not flat (i.e. it's typical nook-and-cranny cross section, like most
trim nowadays), how do you go about sanding it?

Just use your fingers to wrap it against the surface as you sand.


You guys don't seem to understand the type of trim I'm talking about. It's
not this, but it should give an idea
http://www.bmcwest.com/products/default.asp?cat=11
There's no possible way to sand hundreds of feet of that and getinto the
crevices. That's the way trim usually is nowadays.



Well, actually, that's not the way my trim is nowadays or ever ) If
you didn't want advice about sanding trim, why did you ask for it?????

When complex moldings are painted, the paint tends to be a little
heavier in the carvings/crevices than on the raised portion. It also
sticks better to the raised or flatter portions....the paint film
actually "bridges" the grooves and as long as it is bonded will on both
sides, it will stick. You could probably get by without any sanding if
you clean it very well, degrease with denatured alcohol, and use good
quality primer and paint.

I've done a good deal of painting and paint removal. Unless your "poly"
is high gloss, I'd forget sanding at all. As was suggested to you, a
liquid sander can also be used - it is highly volatile, so need good
vent. and care about flammability. It softens the finish enough to
remove the gloss, and will get gummy and smeary if you use too much.

With "thousands of feet" of shaped or carved molding, I would be
hesitant to paint it at all.....clear finish doesn't show blemishes as
easily as paint, IMO.

"Norminn" wrote in message
ink.net...


Well, actually, that's not the way my trim is nowadays or ever )

It's the way plenty of trim is in plenty of houses.

If you didn't want advice about sanding trim, why did you ask for
it?????

I do want advice. If the advice is impractical or doesn't make sense, I
point it out.

I've done a good deal of painting and paint removal. Unless your "poly"
is high gloss, I'd forget sanding at all.

Well that's fine advice.

With "thousands of feet" of shaped or carved molding, I would be hesitant
to paint it at all.....clear finish doesn't show blemishes as easily as
paint, IMO.

It's not a question of showing blemishes. Houses with natural wood trim
look very dated and are hard to sell around here. White semi-gloss is the
norm. (I'll be painting the doors too, which are natural too, but that's
easy.)

"jeffc" wrote in message
...


It's not a question of showing blemishes. Houses with natural wood
trim look very dated and are hard to sell around here. White
semi-gloss is the norm. (I'll be painting the doors too, which are
natural too, but that's easy.)

Boring!!

I sure wish I could have stopped the people that painted all the trim
in my old house. The little remaining stained wood is way more
attractive than the painted wood.

Bob

On Jul 5, 2:05 pm, "Bob F" wrote:
"jeffc" wrote in message

...



It's not a question of showing blemishes. Houses with natural wood
trim look very dated and are hard to sell around here. White
semi-gloss is the norm. (I'll be painting the doors too, which are
natural too, but that's easy.)

Boring!!

I sure wish I could have stopped the people that painted all the trim
in my old house. The little remaining stained wood is way more
attractive than the painted wood.


Me, too! Who gives a crap about "hard to sell"? I'm planning on
leaving
my house feet first. I'm pretty sure it's oak under that paint--the
baseboards
are stained and varnished oak, whereas the door and window casings are
painted.

Cindy Hamilton

"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message
oups.com...

I sure wish I could have stopped the people that painted all the trim
in my old house. The little remaining stained wood is way more
attractive than the painted wood.


Me, too! Who gives a crap about "hard to sell"? I'm planning on
leaving my house feet first.

Um, younger people making wise use of their home as an investment as well?
People who are flipping houses? People who will only be in the house for a
few years? What's going on with you people, are you all 80 years old?

On Jul 5, 11:47 pm, "jeffc" wrote:
"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message
"Bob F" wrote:

I sure wish I could have stopped the people that painted all the trim
in my old house. The little remaining stained wood is way more
attractive than the painted wood.

Me, too! Who gives a crap about "hard to sell"? I'm planning on
leaving my house feet first.

Um, younger people making wise use of their home as an investment as well?
People who are flipping houses? People who will only be in the house for a
few years? What's going on with you people, are you all 80 years old?

People that disagree with your taste, or more accurately, lack of it,
are necessarily old? Interesting concept - dimwitted, but
interesting.

Your estimate of 5 or 10 thousand feet of trim in a good sized house
is way on the high side, as is your obviously gross exaggeration of
the amount of time it would take to scuff sand trim. You also seem to
be projecting your tastes onto other people, which is a common
occurrence in people new to real estate sales. It's not about you and
your ego. It's about the buyer. Making a statement that stained/
natural wood trim and doors is hindering the sale of a house is
absurd. Badly done anything is what hinders the sale of a house.
Your reasoning regarding semi gloss white being the norm in your area
dictating what you should do is faulty. If you ask anyone with real
estate experience - watching flipping shows on TV doesn't count -
making your house stand out in a good way is what sells a house -
wherever you are.

Stained/natural finishing costs more than painting. It's tougher to
get it right. If it's badly done, that's another animal entirely, but
you didn't mention the quality being poor. If the quality is
reasonable, you are downgrading the house by painting. You will
_never_ see a house listing indicate "painted trim", but you will
certainly see "natural wood" and "stained {insert wood species here}
trim" in listings. These are selling points. That's why they put
them in the listings.

You should really learn this stuff before you start mucking up
buildings. It has nothing to do with young/old. It's more of a
question of dumb/smart - and you've already weighed in.

R

On Jul 5, 11:47 pm, "jeffc" wrote:
"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message

oups.com...



I sure wish I could have stopped the people that painted all the trim
in my old house. The little remaining stained wood is way more
attractive than the painted wood.

Me, too! Who gives a crap about "hard to sell"? I'm planning on
leaving my house feet first.

Um, younger people making wise use of their home as an investment as well?
People who are flipping houses? People who will only be in the house for a
few years? What's going on with you people, are you all 80 years old?

I've always bought houses to live in, not as vehicles for financial
speculation.
Three houses, and the three questions I ask myself a

Can I afford it comfortably?
Is it a good house (structurally sound, etc.)?
Do I find it attractive?

I've never calculated whether I've made money on either of the sales.
I've
bought when I needed a house, and sold when I no longer needed it.

I bought my first house when I was 32, and I'm now 50. I'm sure that
50 seems like 80 to you. (It seems like 20 to me.)

Cindy Hamilton

jeffc wrote:
....

Um, younger people making wise use of their home as an investment as well?
People who are flipping houses? ...

Ummm....let's see. These "wise" younger people going into foreclosure
and bankruptcy over their attempted speculation when bubbles burst...

--

"dpb" wrote in message ...
jeffc wrote:
...

Um, younger people making wise use of their home as an investment as
well? People who are flipping houses? ...

Ummm....let's see. These "wise" younger people going into foreclosure and
bankruptcy over their attempted speculation when bubbles burst...

Don't make me laugh.

"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message
oups.com...
I sure wish I could have stopped the people that painted all the trim
in my old house. The little remaining stained wood is way more
attractive than the painted wood.

Me, too! Who gives a crap about "hard to sell"? I'm planning on
leaving my house feet first.

Um, younger people making wise use of their home as an investment as
well?
People who are flipping houses? People who will only be in the house for
a
few years? What's going on with you people, are you all 80 years old?

I've always bought houses to live in, not as vehicles for financial
speculation.
Three houses...

'nuff said.

"jeffc" wrote in message
...

"Norminn" wrote in message
ink.net...


Well, actually, that's not the way my trim is nowadays or ever )

It's the way plenty of trim is in plenty of houses.

If you didn't want advice about sanding trim, why did you ask for
it?????

I do want advice. If the advice is impractical or doesn't make sense, I
point it out.

I've done a good deal of painting and paint removal. Unless your "poly"
is high gloss, I'd forget sanding at all.

Well that's fine advice.

With "thousands of feet" of shaped or carved molding, I would be hesitant
to paint it at all.....clear finish doesn't show blemishes as easily as
paint, IMO.

It's not a question of showing blemishes. Houses with natural wood trim
look very dated and are hard to sell around here. White semi-gloss is the
norm. (I'll be painting the doors too, which are natural too, but that's
easy.)
Some things are just wrong. Painting over good hardwood is one of them. I
think the trend toward painted trim was probably a plot by the design
magazines done at the behest of the mills selling crap finger-jointed pine
trim.

aem sends....

On Jul 7, 7:00 pm, "aemeijers" wrote:
"jeffc" wrote in message
"Norminn" wrote in message

Well, actually, that's not the way my trim is nowadays or ever )

It's the way plenty of trim is in plenty of houses.

If you didn't want advice about sanding trim, why did you ask for
it?????

I do want advice. If the advice is impractical or doesn't make sense, I
point it out.

I've done a good deal of painting and paint removal. Unless your "poly"
is high gloss, I'd forget sanding at all.

Well that's fine advice.

With "thousands of feet" of shaped or carved molding, I would be hesitant
to paint it at all.....clear finish doesn't show blemishes as easily as
paint, IMO.

It's not a question of showing blemishes. Houses with natural wood trim
look very dated and are hard to sell around here. White semi-gloss is the
norm. (I'll be painting the doors too, which are natural too, but that's
easy.)

Some things are just wrong. Painting over good hardwood is one of them. I
think the trend toward painted trim was probably a plot by the design
magazines done at the behest of the mills selling crap finger-jointed pine
trim.

I lived in Back Bay Boston many moons ago. Spent a _lot_ of time
stripping paint off of beautiful mahogany railings and quarter sawn
oak paneling. The whole time, every scrape and stink of the way, I
was thinking, why would someone do this to nice wood?!

R

"jeffc" wrote in message

It's not a question of showing blemishes. Houses with natural wood trim
look very dated and are hard to sell around here. White semi-gloss is
the norm. (I'll be painting the doors too, which are natural too, but
that's easy.)

In 10 or 15 years, some poor ******* will be scraping that paint off to get
the natural wood again once it is back in style. It may be easier to take
out the trim, store it in the attic, and put up some cheap pine or plastic
molding that is painted.

In article CWUji.154838$Sa4.21736@bgtnsc05-
news.ops.worldnet.att.net, says...

"jeffc" wrote in message
...

"Norminn" wrote in message
ink.net...


Well, actually, that's not the way my trim is nowadays or ever )

It's the way plenty of trim is in plenty of houses.

If you didn't want advice about sanding trim, why did you ask for
it?????

I do want advice. If the advice is impractical or doesn't make sense, I
point it out.

I've done a good deal of painting and paint removal. Unless your "poly"
is high gloss, I'd forget sanding at all.

Well that's fine advice.

With "thousands of feet" of shaped or carved molding, I would be hesitant
to paint it at all.....clear finish doesn't show blemishes as easily as
paint, IMO.

It's not a question of showing blemishes. Houses with natural wood trim
look very dated and are hard to sell around here. White semi-gloss is the
norm. (I'll be painting the doors too, which are natural too, but that's
easy.)
Some things are just wrong. Painting over good hardwood is one of them. I
think the trend toward painted trim was probably a plot by the design
magazines done at the behest of the mills selling crap finger-jointed pine
trim.

What do you think about stained finger-jointed pine? Got that, and
carpeted rooms with walls sans base molding. Ever see a tapered
sheetrock joint against carpet? Fun to paint too (just did the whole
house)!

--
Keith

On Jul 7, 1:19 am, "jeffc" wrote:
"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message

oups.com...





I sure wish I could have stopped the people that painted all the trim
in my old house. The little remaining stained wood is way more
attractive than the painted wood.

Me, too! Who gives a crap about "hard to sell"? I'm planning on
leaving my house feet first.

Um, younger people making wise use of their home as an investment as
well?
People who are flipping houses? People who will only be in the house for
a
few years? What's going on with you people, are you all 80 years old?

I've always bought houses to live in, not as vehicles for financial
speculation.
Three houses...

'nuff said

What's your issue with three houses? Too many? Not enough? We've
relocated twice for job changes.

Cindy Hamilton

"dpb" wrote in message ...
jeffc wrote:
...

Um, younger people making wise use of their home as an investment as
well? People who are flipping houses? ...

Ummm....let's see. These "wise" younger people going into foreclosure and
bankruptcy over their attempted speculation when bubbles burst...


LMAO --