Why Should You Paint Your Skirting Boards Before Your Walls?

Traditional painting methods have you paint a room from the top down. This would mean that you start with the ceiling, move on to the walls and then finish off with the skirting boards.

Working in this way does help you deal with paint accidents, like drips as you work. The premise here is that a drip falling down on an unpainted surface is easier to deal with than a drip on a painted one.

However, there is an argument that you can turn this rule on its head a little. While painting a ceiling first is important, you can then switch to painting your skirting boards before the walls if you want. Why is this a good idea?

Avoid Gloss Mistakes on Walls

You usually use some form of enamel gloss paint on woodwork like skirting boards. This paint is a little thicker and harder to handle than the paints you use on walls, which tend to be acrylic-based.

The properties of gloss paint make it harder to clean up after a drip or spill. While you can clean up acrylic paint accidents easily with a damp cloth, you generally need turps or a paint cleaner for gloss. These cleaners may themselves affect the surfaces they clean. So, if you're following the traditional route of painting down, then your walls will be done before you gloss. However, if you accidentally get gloss paint on a wall as you paint an area of skirting at the end of the job, then this paint is hard to get off quickly and effectively.

If you wipe the paint with a damp cloth, it will simply smear and look worse. Turps or a gloss cleaner will remove the paint, but it may leave a mark on the wall. The cleaner may also take some of the colour off that paint.

If you glossed the skirting boards first, then you won't have this problem. If you accidentally drip paint on the skirting when you do the wall, then this acrylic paint is easily removed with a damp cloth. It won't affect the glossed area.

Bear in mind that you do need to give gloss paint some time to completely dry and cure. While an acrylic paint drip is easy to wipe off when gloss is set hard, you will damage the surface if it is still tacky or soft.

If you're worried about getting your painting in the right order, then why not leave the job to the professionals? Hiring a local interior painting services contractor gives you a much better chance of achieving a professional finish.


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