Painting trim in your Toronto home and keeping it touched up should be a priority. It is an abused part of a home; vacuum hoses get dragged along the corners of baseboard, door frames and doors get constantly touched with hands, when vacuuming the head of the vacuum gets bumped against the baseboard. The paint job should usually be refreshed every few years to touch up any damaged areas.
A question that is commonly asked is, “Would painting the trim in my house be a do-it-yourself project or should I hire a professional?” The answer depends, if you have the time, proper tools and patience you can make it a DIY project, so let’s go through the process:
gloves (optional – but the paint we use is hard to clean off skin)
paint brush spinner (optional – but makes cleaning brushes and rollers easier)
Painting Trim in Your Toronto Home Step 1: Determine Whether You Have Oil or Latex Paint on Your Trim
A professional can usually look at the paint and determine whether it is oil or latex, based on how the brush marks look – latex paint dries with more brush marks than oil paint.
If you’re unsure, use the nail polish remover test:
take some nail polish on a rag and rub the trim
if the paint transfers on to the rag it’s latex paint
if the paint does not transfer on to the rag it’s oil paint
Painting Trim In Your Toronto Home Step 2: Degloss The Trim
Regardless if the trim is oil or latex, it is generally painted with a glossy paint. To allow the paint or primer to adhere better I’d recommend giving the trim a light scuff sand. All you want to accomplish is breaking open the top layer of the paint to allow the paint or primer to penetrate deeper.
Think of it this way, is it easier to remove a drop of paint from a piece of glass or from a driveway? The glass is glossy and doesn’t allow the paint to penetrate, the paint can easily be taken off with your fingernail. If that drop of paint lands on your driveway, you might never get it off because the roughness of the surface means that the paint penetrates deeper.
This is why the rougher the surface the better for paint adhesion and penetration.
Painting Trim In Your Toronto Home Step 3: Wipe Down The Trim
After sanding give the trim a wipe with a rag to remove the dust particles. The rag can be wet with water or denatured alcohol (if you don’t want to wait for the water to dry).
Painting Trim In Your Toronto Home Step 4: Prime The Trim If It’s Oil Paint or Varnish
Going back to step 1, if your trim is latex you can opt not to prime (although priming doesn’t hurt, either). However, if it is oil or if it is varnished wood, I’d definitely recommend a primer.
Here are a few primers that are appropriate for trim:
Tip: if you’re concerned with being able to keep a straight edge feel free to use painters tape – just remember: firmly press it down so the paint doesn’t bleed underneath and take it off as soon as the paint sets up to avoid damaging the surface underneath.
Painting Trim In Your Toronto Home Step 5: Paint The Trim
We’re now to the step where we paint the trim. I like to use the new hybrid paint products that are out in the market. These products have water clean up, but when they dry, they have the properties of oil paint.
A couple of these properties that I like are:
As they dry, the brush marks level out into a smooth appearance
When fully dry they are harder and more durable than latex paint
Here are a couple of paints that I recommend for trim:
As the colder months start many people have the misconception that Toronto interior painting is best left for warmer times of the year. Let me clear up some of these misconceptions, and explain why they exist in the first place.
Toronto Home Painting Misconception #1: Paint Smells
First, in the winter months, you can’t open the windows to air the house out, so many of us take advantage of our home furnace if we have to open windows because of the paint fumes. Just imagine how cold it would be if you didn’t have access to a heating system in your home? Of course, your main aim could be to dry your paint as quickly as possible, and that’s fine, but you also need to take care of yourself, especially in the colder months. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that your system will last for the duration of the winter, so making sure you get it serviced or repaired, with companies like Buric Heating and Air Conditioning (www.burichvac.com/colesville-heating-service/) can help to make sure that your home can be heated with warm air, without the worry of it breaking. What could be better than having a warm home, and fresh paint on the walls?
There was a time when oil-based paint was commonly used in the interior of a home. Oil-based paint has a long dry time, and it’s quite smelly as it dries. Even until recently most latex paints had a noticeable odor. Many people sensitive to odor opted to have their painting projects done during warmer months when windows could be left open. With the windows open the smell would air out quickly. Painting windows can sometimes be a hassle, especially if people have to make sure that they’ve timed their appointment at the correct time of year. This might be why some people have considered contacting a replacement windows austin company to replace their windows for energy-efficient ones that don’t even have to be painted. For some homeowners, getting windows like this might be beneficial as they won’t have to worry about airing their house out. Not to mention, their home would always look clean and well-maintained. However, before changing your windows, it might be worth having a look at a home window replacement guide to make sure you’ve found the best windows for your home. By learning about some of the different windows available, you can make sure that you’ve found the most practical windows for your home. This should keep your home safer and warmer throughout the winter.
Currently, we have a whole selection of low to no-VOC and low-odour products to choose from. In fact, most top-line paint from Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore and others are low-odour. This allows us to paint in the winter months with the windows closed and very little “paint smell” is created. As well, with low to no-VOC paint little to no toxins are released into the air as paint dries.
Toronto Home Painting Misconception #2: Dry Time
Secondly, many people are concerned that paint takes longer to dry in the colder months than it does in the warmer months. In most cases, this is simply not true. Interior air in the winter is much drier than interior air in the summer. Furnaces give off a very dry heat, which actually causes paint to dry quicker than in the summer months.
Here’s a situation where dry time can be longer in cold weather: If a house is poorly insulated outside walls can be quite cold, and this can cause longer dry times. Usually, this happens in homes built before the 1970s that have not had the insulation upgraded. If we run across this, we’ll use quicker drying patching compounds and quicker drying paint as well as a fan or heater to speed up the drying process. Therefore, in the rare instance that we run across a home with poor insulation we can take steps to ensure that painting in the colder months can proceed without any compromise in the quality of the paint job.
Here is an advantage to scheduling your painting during the colder months. Since there is no exterior painting going on, painting contractors are generally less busy during these times of the year. Therefore, it’s much easier for a painting contractor to schedule the work in – there’s less of a wait time for you.
In fact, CAM Painters is running a promotion for work booked during the months of January and February 2017. If you book your project during these months we’ll give you 10% off to a maximum of $500. It’s a win-win, so watch the video below… and book a quote!
CAM Painters will Transform your home with Lasting Beauty!
Toronto is putting up condos like crazy! Unlike a single family dwelling, there are many rules that condo dwellers must abide by. These rules are designed to make living in such close proximity to your neighbor easier and more enjoyable. However, having tradespeople in to do work in your dwelling needs extra care and attention. After all, condos and renos do go hand in hand, but keeping in mind the needs and considerations below will help make the process all the more smooth.
CAM Painters has worked in many condominium buildings across the city.
Here are our tips to make sure that your painting project goes as smooth as possible:
Toronto Condo Painting Tip #1 – Property Managers
Get to know your property manager! They will be able to tell you about any rules and regulations that trades must abide by while working in condos, here is some information you should find out:
Working hours – most condos only allow trades to work between the hours of 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Your painter needs to know this information so that they can plan their schedule.
Visitor parking – is visitor parking available for your painter? Some painters have vehicles that are too big for underground parking, if so, is there above ground parking available. If there is no visitor parking available the cost of off-site parking will be factored into the cost by your painter.
Moving elevators – Most condos will not allow contractors to take tools up to a suite without booking a moving elevator. These elevators have padded blankets installed on the walls to minimize potential damage. If this is a rule at your building or in your downtown toronto apartments please ensure that you’ve booked the elevator in advance for the painter’s start date. Also, tentatively book the elevator for the completion date of your work, so that your painter can get their tools out of your suite when the project is complete.
Toronto Condo Painting Tip #2 – Know Your Space
Many condo dwellers have to be very creative with limited space. Therefore, if your suite has an abundance of furniture in it try moving some smaller pieces into your storage locker, if possible.
Take into consideration that your painter will have to store tools in your suite over the duration of the job. Space needs to be made available for those tools. If the weather is good a spot on the balcony is ideal, otherwise, perhaps a spare bedroom or storage area could be used. Ask your painter how big of a space they need for tool storage. Some residences may have a ground area where storage like lp smartside sheds is able to be built, to help with storing important equipment/household items that can’t fit within the current home space. It is best to look around and see what you could do to support that additional storage, to help out with a myriad of things needed for the present and future.
Also, please reference my blog post about preparing for interior painting, which has helpful tips for both condo dwellers and people living in single-family dwellings as well.
If you want to Transform your condo with lasting beauty, why not book a quote? CAM Painters has worked in many condos throughout the city and would be happy to transform yours!
Years ago it was common to have varnished wood trim, or stained panelling or other natural wood features throughout the home. This was a standard in Toronto home painting and varnishing. This highlighted the natural beauty of the grain, however, it can result in a very dark look for your house.
These days many people are choosing to paint their stained or varnished wood to brighten up the interior of their home, but it’s not as simple as grabbing a brush and putting on a coat of paint. Here are some pointers if you’re thinking about painting your interior.
Natural wood can make an area look dark if you have varnished wood…
You’ll know if you have varnished wood by looking at it, this coating generally has a glossiness to it, and it sits on top of the surface and looks like a clear film.
Do not paint directly over top of varnished surfaces without the proper preperation! This coating is inherently unstable, it never fully cures, even though it is dry to the touch. If the paint is applied directly over it without proper preparation the paint will develop cracks as the coating underneath shifts.
Scuff sand the surface: We want to break open the top layer so that our primer can penetrate and grip the surface
Prime with a high adhesion primer: I like to use Sherwin Williams Extreme Bond Primer or XIM UMA. Both primers are great at sticking to difficult surfaces. Follow the directions on the can and allow it to fully cure before the next step.
Paint with a top quality paint: When painting trim I usually use Sherwin Williams ProClassic or Benjamin Moore Advance paints. These paints dry very hard and durable and also dry very smooth too.
If you have stained surfaces…
It’s a little easier to paint if the surface is currently stained. As you might guess, this coating soaks into the surface and doesn’t create a film on top, so getting paint to adhere is not a problem like it is with varnish.
Steps for painting stained wood
Prime the wood with a stain blocking primer: Any oil based primer or any shellac based primer will do. I like to test an area with Sherwin Williams Multi-Purpose Water-Based Acrylic-Alkyd Primer which has the properties of oil paint with water clean up. If that doesn’t seal properly and there is discolouration on the surface, I’ll move to a regular oil primer. Finally, if the oil primer doesn’t work I’ll use a shellac based product like Zinsser BIN which is effective on all types of staining even nicotine stains, if necessary.
Paint with a top quality paint: Once the primer has been given enough time to dry, paint with a top quality paint like I mentioned above.
Many people are interested in how much their painting project will cost, even before having a painting contractor over to give them a written proposal. Below you will find typical sized rooms for Toronto homes so that you can get an idea of how much your interior painting project will cost.
Prices include both Labour and Top-Line Sherwin Williams Paint
Small Bathroom 6 x 6
with 8’ ceilings
Wall surface 190 sq ft
Ceiling surface 36 sq ft
Door & Frame each side
Baseboard 24 lin ft
$325.00
$95.00
$65.00
$45.00
Small Room 10 x 12
with 8’ ceilings
Wall surface 350 sq ft
Ceiling surface 120 sq ft
Door & Frame each side
Baseboard 44 lin ft
$450.00
$115.00
$65.00
$65.00
Medium Room 12 x 15
with 8’ ceilings
Wall surface 430 sq ft
Ceiling surface 180 sq ft
Door & Frame each side
Baseboard 54 lin ft
$550.00
$165.00
$65.00
$85.00
Large Room 15 x 20
with 8’ ceilings
Wall surface 560 sq ft
Ceiling surface 300 sq ft
Door & Frame each side
Baseboard 70 lin ft
$675.00
$225.00
$65.00
$105.00
Additional Considerations When Interior Painting
All Wall Surfaces are figured for 8′ high flat ceilings.
If you have 10′ high ceilings then add 25% to both wall and ceiling prices.
If you have 12′ high ceilings then add 50% to both wall and ceiling prices.
If you have 14′ high ceilings then add 75% to both wall and ceiling prices. If you have previously painted popcorn ceilings then add 50% to the ceiling price.If you have unpainted popcorn ceilings then a double the ceiling price.To find out the difference between painted and unpainted popcorn ceilings click here
I can’t cover all scenarios in this post, so I thought I’d cover the most common areas in the home and the most common prep work that we come across. It would be my pleasure to give you a quote, I can be scheduled online!
