repainting skirting

[Lieutenant Columbo]

The skirting boards and door frames in my house were painted 13 years ago with Dulux one coat gloss. They yellowed after a few years.
Now I need to repaint then again. I have hardwood floors and obviously don't want to get any paint on them. Inevitably I expect I will, and I imagine a water based paint would be easier to clean. Is there any truth to that assumption? That brings me to my next question: Can I apply water-based paint over on-coat gloss or will it require a full sand down to the bare wood again?

Ideally I'm looking for a one-coat WB paint that covers just about anything. Does such a product exist?

Also, any ideas on how to keep the paint off the floors? Other than masking tape of course. My grandad said he used to use a thing strip copper...

 

[misterhelpful]

You can apply water based paint over oil based, but there is no one-coat system that anyone here would recommend. I would lightly sand with fine sandpaper (180/240 grit) to de-nib the existing paint and also provide a good key.

A high grip primer like Zinsser BullsEye, Zinsser Coverstain, Dulux SuperGrip, etc., should then be used to provide a good base for your water based topcoat. These types of primer can theoretically be used without sanding first, but sanding between any, and all, coats of paint will always provide a more professional finish.

If you have any knots bleeding through the existing paint, spot prime those with Zinsser B-I-N first, but don't use that as a primer all over because it dries extremely quickly, making it hard to use if you are a slow painter.

Other than masking tape, which can still allow paint to bleed, you could use a paint guard like the one pictured below. This can often be slid under the skirting, allowing you to paint a nice straight edge. As you move the guard along, wipe excess paint off so that you don't smear it on the floor.

Any spills/runs onto the floor should be wiped away immediately - with a plain old wet rag for water based paints or rag and white spirit for oil based. If you use B-I-N and spill any, you will need to use methylated spirits to remove it. Successful removal of the spill will depend on the floor finish, i.e. gloss varnish will be easier to wipe than satin or matt, but either can be cleaned successfully, if done immediately.

 

[Lieutenant Columbo]

Thanks, ive don't think I can get anything uver the skirting. These is zero gapsince the floor had self leveling compound applied to it a few years back.

 

[Tigercubrider]

having just done what mr helpful suggested, …..he's spot on.

i have parquet flooring recently refinished, and 1950's skirting with an mdf scotia added to gap seal.
i did some quite aggressive skirting sanding as it was in the heck of a state but then used cover stain as a primer/undercoat.
i then used a water based (armstead) satin with two coats. I wet sanded between coats.

I now swear by FROG tape. I used yellow ( low tack) right up to the skirting, with a second layer close up of green.
I then use a cotton dust sheet green taped to the second tape layer - sometimes newspaper but paper can be a pain.

if you use your finger tip to press down the masking it will be fine, and not pull the surface.
I very carefully slid a knife along the join as I removed the tape.

no issues.
Armstead is Dulux in a different tin BTW

 

[Lieutenant Columbo]

Frog tape. Might be worth a try.

 

[Tigercubrider]

It isn't cheap but imho worth it
Do a trial

 

[chappers]

I would sand back with something coarser than that maybe 80 grit, then undercoat until the colour is flat then top coat. You shouldn't need to go to the expense of using Zinsser.

 

[misterhelpful]

I would sand back with something coarser than that maybe 80 grit, then undercoat until the colour is flat then top coat. You shouldn't need to go to the expense of using Zinsser.

Wow, 80 grit on a presumably sound surface? That seems like overkill to me, and likely to leave a lot of scratches in the surface.
Zinsser can be expensive, but one tin will go a long way on skirting and architrave.

 

[chappers]

yeah 80 grit is may be a bit over the top just noticed it's only 13 years old, zinsser wont cover any better than undercoat.
I just don't get the obsession with reaching straight for the Zinsser, don't get me wrong it is great stuff for problem substrates and I do use it, but its not always necessary.

 

[Robbie uk]

having just done what mr helpful suggested, …..he's spot on.

i have parquet flooring recently refinished, and 1950's skirting with an mdf scotia added to gap seal.
i did some quite aggressive skirting sanding as it was in the heck of a state but then used cover stain as a primer/undercoat.
i then used a water based (armstead) satin with two coats. I wet sanded between coats.

I now swear by FROG tape. I used yellow ( low tack) right up to the skirting, with a second layer close up of green.
I then use a cotton dust sheet green taped to the second tape layer - sometimes newspaper but paper can be a pain.

if you use your finger tip to press down the masking it will be fine, and not pull the surface.
I very carefully slid a knife along the join as I removed the tape.

no issues.
Armstead is Dulux in a different tin BTW

Armstead is made by Dulux but isn't the same formula. Its much better than the Dulux Satin.

 

[misterhelpful]

yeah 80 grit is may be a bit over the top just noticed it's only 13 years old, zinsser wont cover any better than undercoat.
I just don't get the obsession with reaching straight for the Zinsser, don't get me wrong it is great stuff for problem substrates and I do use it, but its not always necessary.

Yes, don't get me wrong, Zinsser doesn't have the covering power and opacity of a traditional oil based undercoat, but it does give you the benefit of not needing to sand back so hard in order to guarantee adhesion when over-coating an existing oil based paint with water based. This can save a lot of time and work for a DIYer, as well as professionals - as within any industry, time is money.
Another reason I like to recommend the method above is that it still guarantees a very high quality job, with a reliable finish, which is extremely important when changing from one paint system to another. Many inferior products claim to allow oil to water conversion but come up miserably short.

 

[chappers]

I suppose time will tell in the long run, but it can only adhere as well as the layer it is painted over. I know too many painters now, who reach straight for the Zinsser rather than bothering with traditional prep such as sanding back first. It's going through the traditional prep stages that allows you to assess the condition of the substrate.