Painting skirting boards

[Gem83]

Can anyone advise if I will need to sand down the skirting boards and other woodwork before painting them?
Also, should i leave this till after the walls are painted?
Cheers

 

[madder]

Are the skirting boards new or unpainted? If they are unpainted/raw, then you can put a coat of undercoat on first, before sanding. Then, you can sand that down, put a second coat of under coat(if needed) and give that a light sanding before you gloss it, or Satinwood it.
If it's been painted before then yes, you will need to sand it down well before you coat it at all.

Just one more thing.....if it's raw/uncoated, then why not consider a stain or even a clear varnish? Just a personal opinion here, but it looks better, in my opinion, and it's less work/maintenance for the win!

EDIT: you don't need to leave the undercoating until after the walls are painted if you're coating it with oil paint. Only thing you'll need to leave til after the walls are painted is your Glossing/Satinwood. Or if you're using varnish or a wood stain, then yes, leave it til after the walls are done. [/u]

 

[TheDec]

If the skirts are unpainted dont forget to apply a knotting solution or stain blocker to counteract any resinous bleed.

Dec

 

[Gem83]

Thanks, the skirting boards have been painted before so I am just wanting to brighten them up. Sounds like a lot of sanding

 

[Gem83]

Can I also ask how much I need to sand back?
Will I need a primer before I repaint?
Should I finish the walls before or after I do this?

Thanks very much

 

[Nige F]

Thanks, the skirting boards have been painted before so I am just wanting to brighten them up. Sounds like a lot of sanding

Not a lot of sanding all you are doing is taking the gloss off the old paint - not the gloss paint off ( as my old dad used to say ) Do use an undercoat before glossing -Finish the walls then skirting . Probably loads of info on the site - have a look round

 

[madder]

Thanks, the skirting boards have been painted before so I am just wanting to brighten them up. Sounds like a lot of sanding

Not a lot of sanding all you are doing is taking the gloss off the old paint - not the gloss paint off ( as my old dad used to say ) Do use an undercoat before glossing -Finish the walls then skirting . Probably loads of info on the site - have a look round

Agree with this. Not really a lot of sanding. It depends on the condition of the skirtings. Nobody likes sanding but it makes for a better paint job. You just wanna give it a scratched looking and yet smooth feeling surface. You can undercoat the skirtings before the walls are finished but for glossing, do the skirtings last.

 

[TheDec]

All you need to acheive with the intital sanding is remove any nibs and flat back the shine on your gloss, once you have done this bring your walls to a finish and when all is dry your ready to apply your undercoat. The only time you should first bring your woodwork to a finish is when you intend to hang wallpaper.

Dec