Preparation for Interior Painting

Before beginning to scrape, sand and repair a room for painting first cover floors with canvas drop cloths and any furniture in the room with plastic sheets. This will help contain dust and paint chips making it easier to remove debris that could otherwise get in the paint finish. Check these tips for painting a room for more about removing furniture, covering floors and how to use different paint finishes on walls, ceilings and trim molding.

Making Repairs

With everything in the room removed or covered the repairs can be done. First remove any nails or hardware that you won't be using again from walls, ceiling and trim molding. Clear all cracks along the molding of loose wall material and cracking or peeling caulk. Seal any stains on wallboard and trim molding with primer–sealer and use one of our wall repair guides to fix drywall and plaster cracks, peeling drywall tape, bubbling paint, torn drywall paper, nail pops or water damage.

After the wall and ceiling repairs are done, sand all dry joint compound patches using a medium grit sandpaper and wipe the dust away with a damp sponge or rag. Vacuum up all the dust and wall material from along window sills and baseboards and turn drop cloths back a little to get to any dust along the edge of the floor. Lay the drop cloths back against the baseboard before priming all joint compound patches. The wall or ceiling paint will work for priming if you're using flat, if you're using semi-gloss or other shiny paint use a flat paint or primer.

Fill Holes in Trim

Repair any nail or screw holes in trim molding in one of two ways. If the holes are large (more than about a quarter inch), repair them using the nail pop repair procedure and vinyl spackle. When the spackle is dry sand and reapply if necessary. Sand the final coat and prime with flat latex paint or primer.

If the holes in the trim are smaller, which is usually the case, you can use painters putty to quickly fill them. The putty requires just one application and doesn't need priming, making this a much easier solution for holes in wood trim molding. Below is a video demonstrating how to fill nail holes in trim molding.

Video 1: Filling Nail Holes Using Painters Putty

To fill holes, in trim roll a small, 1|2 inch ball of putty back and forth in your hand until it is soft and no longer sticky. With your thumb, press the ball into a nail hole and hold it there. Slide a putty knife blade, in an upward motion, between your thumb and the molding to cut the putty off flush. Press hard to get the best finish.

If the filler edges curl up, gently rub the putty in an outward direction away from the hole to even it out. Be careful not to press on the putty over the hole to avoid creating an unwanted depression. If you mess up the putty in the hole or if it doesn't fill the space evenly, press the ball into the hole again and cut it off with the putty knife. Repeat this until you get the fill you want.

Caulking the Trim

When the wall, ceiling and trim repairs have been sanded and primed, the caulking between wallboard and trim molding can be done. If cracks are wider than about 3|8 inch, fill them with spray foam insulation first. Fill other cracks along baseboards, door and window casings, chair rails or crown molding with acrylic latex caulk as demonstrated in the video below.

Video 2: Caulking a Baseboard

Some cracks may require two applications of caulk to completely fill them. With wide gaps like this, build up the caulk on the wall surface behind the molding. Spread the caulk working the tube back and forth to apply a thick coat on the wall. When the caulk starts to sag and slide down, stop and let it harden. Caulk the remaining gap when the first coat has set enough to support a second application. Let this thick caulk set overnight before trying to paint over it.

Cleaning Up

After all caulking has been done, the drop cloths on the floor should be removed and the floor vacuumed. Ball up each drop cloth starting at one end to fold the debris into the center. Carry it outside to shake off the debris and dust. If going outside isn't possible, gently open the cloth inside a large plastic trash bag and shake the debris off, then shake it out a window to get rid of the dust. Vacuum the floor and lay the drop cloths back in place to do the painting.