Author Brian Santos

Q. Should I paint the walls or the trim first?

Brian Santos: Great question! If you are an amateur painter, do the trim work first, then the walls. This strategy will make it easier to sand, prepare, and paint all the details, edges, and planes of the trim work. After all the coats of paint on the trim work are thoroughly dry, mask off the trim work and paint the wall. Because you have masked the trim, any splatters from the wall will land on the masking tape, which will be removed later. Most professional painters would paint the wall first, then skillfully do the trim.