We are now on Week 4 of the One Room Challenge where I am linking up as a guest participant. The One Room Challenge is hosted by Linda from Calling it Home. Twice a year she challenges DIY home bloggers to make over one room in their home, and finish it completely within 6 weeks.
Just to recap, my plan for the ORC was to finish installing and painting all the trim and interior doors in our house, but showing you my progress via the main hallway (Spoiler alert: it’s not all going to happen). Week 2 we finished installing the shoe mold, and Week 3 was caulking and filling nail holes.
I already fell behind schedule last week, so this week I finished some more caulking. Painting all the trim is a huge undertaking. Between regular jobs, four kids, and a mountain of laundry calling my name, I know I’m not going to be able to complete my entire goal. I’m going to try to finish as much as I can, but concentrate on certain rooms and leave the rest for another time. I love this challenge because it’s been great motivation, but at the same time it’s not worth stressing over unrealistic goals.
This week I did manage to prime everything that I thought needed priming. We got the Cambridge Jeld-wen intarior doors for our whole house. They are a hollow core door with two rectangle panels. We bought these same doors in our last house. When I painted them there I didn’t prime, and it still took three coats of paint before I was happy. This time I decided to prime them so that I can hopefully get better coverage with the trim paint. If you’re in doubt about something, I have found that it’s always best to prime.
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- Not primed
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- Primed
Here are some tips for painting interior doors and trim. Before painting, clean the dust off your doors and trim (unless yours are already clean, then I’m just jealous of your cleaning skills). Use an angled brush for cutting around hinges on the doors and for painting the trim, and a small roller for painting doors. When priming these doors, I found the best way was to first paint the grooves, then inside the panels, then the horizontal planes, then finish off with the vertical planes. To avoid paint drips, it’s a good idea to take the doors off the hinges and lay them flat. I don’t have time for that, so when I’m finished painting a door I just go back and fix any paint drips or runs.
I use semi-gloss paint for trim and doors. It really makes the trim pop against the wall color, where I use an eggshell sheen.
I never tape when I do trim either. I just find it takes so much time to tape, and the paint sometimes still bleeds behind and I have to go back and do touch-ups anyways. As long as you take your time and use an angled brush, you can make a perfectly straight paint line. That’s just my preference when it comes to painting.
Over the next two weeks I will be painting trim and doors. I hope to get at least the main living areas and the bathrooms done, and of course the hallway. Next week I’m going to show you my plans for my colorful gallery wall. This gallery wall is the fun part about this makeover and I’m pretty excited about some of my pieces!
The trim and doors look great! It’s always amazing what a new paint job does for a room!
Yes I am always amazed what paint can do
What beautiful finishes! You have a real knack for painting. Love the colors, too! Can’t wait to see more. Susie from The Chelsea Project
Thanks Susie!
Freshly painted (and prepped) trim and doors always looks so amazing, but it’s so much work! Even if you don’t finish, at least you’ll have made a lot of progress. I can’t wait to see what you have planned for the gallery wall!
Thanks! It really is a lot of work, and the before and after is not very dramatic. But painted trims makes the house feel clean and finished!
I love your laid back nature Jessica. “Don’t stress over unrealistic goals”. So, so true. Everything really looks great though. I loved your tips on caulking for a finished look in a previous post and I plan to use it in a few places in my own home.
I can’t wait to see the gallery wall!
Thanks Ola! I think my sometimes laid back attitude comes from my husband. If he didn’t tell me to relax once in a while I think I’d be way more stressed.
I’ve been following your project, and I love how you are paying attention to prep work and details and really doing it right. It might not look like the splashiest decorating project, but it’s really good quality work. Your hallway is looking so nice! Also — I’m in awe of anyone who doesn’t need to tape before painting trim. (I have no sense of what a “straight line” is).
Thanks for your kind words Carol! I don’t always get a straight line, but it’s partly laziness that I skip the taping
Good attitude Jessica. I agree with you that priming is the way to go. It says having to add additional coats of the paint. Can’t wait to see you gallery wall.
Thank you!
It’s looking good! The paint really does make the doors stand out!
Thanks!
Looks awesome! Thanks so much for the tips! I have so much trim and door painting I’m going to have to do in the next year or so. 😬
I’m the same way, I never tape when I do trim. It just takes so much time to tape everything off.