Cleaning Wood Trim Before Painting

Wash the trim clean and rinse one section before moving onto the next section.

Cleaning wood trim before painting.

Mist a lint free cleaning rag with the spray. If the trim is rough and worn start by sanding with coarse 80 grit sandpaper. You ll likely remove a thin layer of varnish or shellac too because the grime has melded. Scrub with soap and warm water.

Wipe the solution away with a rag to clear the dirt. If your house has mildew you can speed up the cleaning process with a dedicated mildewcide. These are the supplies you ll need. Tri sodium phosphate is one of those great little secrets hiding in your hardware store.

If you start at the top the cleaner can run down the wood and create hard to remove. Wash wood from the bottom upward with slow easy up and down strokes so the solution has time to soften the grime. Mix up equal parts of paint thinner and a mild soap such as murphy oil soap and apply with a sponge or paintbrush. If the trim is new or already smooth lightly sand using 120 grit sandpaper until all shine disappears from the trim.

Sometimes a good cleaning is all it takes to bring it back to life says wood finisher john thomas. Step 3 rub the damp cloth over the unfinished wood rubbing with the direction of the wood grain to prevent splintering. An annual clean with water and a mild liquid detergent is good enough for most doors including those wood doors that have been stained or painted. Clean the wood surface thoroughly.

To prepare previously painted wood strip off cracking flaking or chipping paint sand the surface with 180 grit sandpaper remove the dust and wipe with a damp sponge. Give the surface a full day to dry before moving on. Use a long handled scrubber brush and a mild detergent to gently scrub away accumulated dirt grime mold and other residue. Dip a sponge into a mixture of warm water and dish soap vinegar works well too then go about scrubbing any marks that you can find.

Then remove the sanding dust and apply a suitable primer. It is a powder though can. Shield the door surface around the lock with a cloth as you turn the key both ways to remove any excess lubricant. Then move to less coarse sandpaper such as 100 or 120 grit to smooth the surface.

Be sure to rinse off the solution then dry thoroughly. Note that if the baseboards in the room you are cleaning are. Don t use paper towels as this will leave behind paper particles that may affect the staining of the wood in the future. Apply wood patch image zoom apply stainable wood patch whose color matches the surface closely.

Here are his recommendations for cleaning woodwork properly. Before painting new wood sand all surfaces and edges lightly to smooth the grain. Clean and sand surface image zoom clean varnished surfaces with a soft cloth and odorless mineral spirits.