There is no way out. A chemical bond is the best bond, when in combination with sanding produces the best quality adhesion. When sanding, micro voids are created in the surface to allow for new paint coatings to fill those areas which act as a sort of gripping point to increase adhesion quality. However, liquid sander performs using the same principals but in a different perhaps more abstract sense. If I remember correctly, it works by softening the existing paint using chemicals so that the new paint is being applied to a "tacky" "stickier" surface, which helps improve the adhesion quality. I would just verify if there is a liquid sander specific to both oil and acrylic latex paints or if the formula can be used universally on both. Just for your reference, it is important to sand the surface of clear coated wood trim mainly due to the fact that a finish coat is an especially smooth surface making it more challenging to achieve a durable bond without sanding. Its not that you cannot paint without sanding, its more so that you risk adhesion issues causing reduced longevity.

That all being said, if your willing to not fanatically follow professional painting protocol, the best alternative substitute if you want to avoid the extra work that is, while also achieving a good quality bond, would be to use the highest quality bonding primer (generally either a 100% acrylic latex primer or a high quality oil (solvent) based primer) My personal favorite which happens to also block things such as stains etc. from bleeding into your final paint coating, is 'Kilz Odourless sealer/primer'. The original stuff smells ghastly, and before you realize it actually performs miraculously, your thinking what did I get myself into... However, this version is mostly Odourless, especially in comparison to the original and performs similarly well. On a side note, if your trim is stained and finished with clear coat, the worst thing you can do is paint it with a water based under-performing primer, even if it is 100% acrylic latex and can be applied on oil based surfaces. In my experience, I have been witness to too many of those primers fail on oil based stain/finish coats. When I say fail I do not necessarily mean it peals off in some spots, as that may be somewhat acceptable, rather a yellowish tone will bleed through destroying the entire paint job.

In summary, clean the surface of the trim, apply the liquid sander or skip this step at your discretion, then apply the primer (Kilz preferably), then lastly apply your final coat of semi gloss (trim) paint. Ideally, you would apply 2 coats of trim paint and sand prior under normal situations, however, you can also paint 1 coat with the primer (since it is white), then apply 1 coat only of trim paint as your final coat. Make sure you apply the coat of trim paint liberally if you are capable to spread it appropriately in time otherwise 1 coat may not be enough for the final coat as the white of the primer may be different then the white of the trim paint. (that being said, Kilz primer is tintable, so make sure you have it tinted the same color as your final coat. My suggestion is to test a piece of baseboard using this process from start to finish, wait until the next day so it is 100% dry and try to scratch the paint off. If your nail drags the paint off like your scratching a lottery ticket, then you have not succeeded. If your nail more or less skates off the surface then you should have a good chance of not encountering issues down the road.

I had a pro paint my kitchen. Ask for referrals from trusted neighbors, family, friends, coworkers. Many years ago, I did paint the upstairs bathroom myself (with a little help from an elderly neighbor), but it was a pain in the rear. I had to wash the walls down first, and painted two coats. I got the color wrong because there are 90 billion whites and the one I choose had a green undertone to it. I decided the kitchen was going to be done by a pro. A former coworker of mine has a husband who is a pro house painter - so that worked out great. Get several bids but don't go by price alone.

@Jessica You are more then welcome. I believe it is possible for you to complete this job but you need to remain patient and take your time. It is a tedious process to do well, and trim requires a smooth finish to look professional. This requires brushwork to be done efficiently so the self leveling capabilities of the paint work effectively. The longer you brush, the more tacky the paint becomes and the less likely it will be for the paint to level out. In the case of rolling a wall in comparison, you have allot more "forgiveness" in a sense. That being said, this would be a perfect opportunity to mix in a tiny bit of water or solvent (depending on if it is a oil or water based paint) into the paint to help mitigate tacky paint that is interfering with your ability to smooth it amidst brushing. You can also use a "paint extender" which is more expensive, to accomplish the same feat however, the difference is that the extender will help retain the "solids" percent within the paint rather then weakening the paint through the process of thinning with the addition of water or solvents. For reference, "solids" are the main and most expensive component of a paint normally composed of titanium dioxide, which when your paint dries, is the only thing remaining on your wall -more or less. Thus, having the highest solid content paint, means the thicker generally the paint coating will be on a magnified level. Some high end Sico paints have 35% solid contents while many Benjamin Moore high end paints have between 25-30% maximum. The interesting thing is Benjamin Moore uses high end additives that make working with their products very comfortable, and the reality is you need to put 2 coats anyways in many situations so while those paints have less solids, they still retain value. I am mentioning all this for one reason. If you are trying to complete this job with one coat prime, one coat trim paint, then the importance of the quality of the paint solids becomes much more fundamental as you cannot rely on 2 coats trim coat to achieve coverage. (although if you tint the prime as previously mentioned this will help your chances) Also, if you are not skilled at "cutting" as it is called, you will need to carefully tape around your trim work for the most professional look but be careful, if you are working with stained and finished trim, you might tape over the trim slightly and upon removal of the tape, you will see a horrific line around all your hard work that will look horrendous. Make sure when you apply the tape that you offset it slightly from the edge so that this does not happen. It is better to have a slightly thicker trim appearance then a stained wood line around your painted trim.

@Elaine Doremus Resumes Written Just in response to the comment you made about a billion white shades. I agree this is a frustrating situation however, it can be easily avoided with some basic knowledge not ordinarily shared with people. If you are unsure if there is any... "color impurities".. so to speak, aka green, yellow, beige, purple etc. tint in a white paint, that you intended to be pure, you can take a look at the tint formula stuck to the paint can (or ask the salesperson what the formula is prior to mixing) to confirm what tint has actually been put in the paint. If there is anything other than gr/gy (grey) or bl/bk (black), (there may also be other black or gray tint names with different acronyms so I would double check with the paint salesperson) then your white will be impure albeit even if the other tint seems so negligible to you, so be weary. One day you may be sitting in your living room and a stream of sunlight catches on the paint in such a way that you notice purple in your trim and begin to wonder if you are going crazy... When in-fact, you will be dead on in realizing your paint had enough of that color pigment in it to notice after-all. Another point, Sherwin Williams (SW) for example uses the coveted "RGB" color spectrum system to create paint colors. This is useful - super useful - because without even knowing the pigments in the formula, you can determine if the paint has any impurities or what kind of impurity. If you go to the SW website, each paint color will have an RGB code which you can type the corresponding R,G,B values into "Microsoft paint" or even funny enough "Microsoft word" to see where the color lies on the spectrum. This has proven very convenient at times.

@jessica- I have a 2800sqft house full of orangy “pine” I was told it was. Definitely looking at getting a quote to do for starters the first floor main living areas....how much did it cost you if you don’t mind me asking?

Swilkinson1984- I have a three story townhouse. I did the first floor which has an entry with big closet , hall and a family room (doors, trim, walls) and the second floor which has an open Living, Dining, kitchen and half bath (doors, walls, trim, ceilings, cabinets, new hardware, molding added to cabinets and backsplash.) $8000. I am sorry I can’t break out just the trim and doors.

I am now pulling the red oak (natural stain) through the DR and kitchen and ripping out the builder grade 1997 white tile with gray grout. About 400 sq ft of floor - rip up tile and lay new hardwood with 4 coats- $4500

Third floor (2 BRs and 2 Baths) is next!

@Innovision - thank you again for sharing your knowledge!

@jessica that gives me a good aball park I guess. At least I know mine would
Prolly be cheaper then $8000 since I’d be only doing first floor main living areas for starters trim and prolly walls too. The kitchen cabinets are oak too and old and dated. We will just be replacing them

My cabinets were in good shape so I decided to salvage them. This isn’t my forever home - it’s my “5 more years” home :) before and after in the Lr to give you an idea:

Here’s all mine. We bought this house and moved in in November so I still got a lot of decorating and work to be updated. We still gotta reface the fireplace as well

And that’s not even the kitchen area. The kitchen is tight given the size house. We wanna remodel it white.

Those windows! That ceiling! Your wood does not look nearly as dated as mine given the other design elements in your home, IMO. My only advice - have a cohesive plan that involves all of your changes. That was my biggest regret that I did not.

Congratulations on your beautiful new home. So much potential!

My kitchen is very dated. We have floors that have a pink tint to them and my dining room has wall paper still 😂

Kitchen- again I got some major decorating to do and we got some major remodel. I gotta get an interior designer in here once we are settled on closing on our old house

We have a lot of carpet as well. Which I don’t mind for now because we have two kids so in time they be replace with hardwood. The pink floors and kitchen are my least fav of the house

We paid an arm and leg for this house so remodeling right away will be tough money wise but we’ll get there

We loved the area, yard, pool, school district

Thanks for sharing the pics. Since you have so much space to work with, if its in your budget I would absolutely hire a designer. Start gathering your inspiration pics! So much fun!

Jessica-yea I’ve been looking a lot on Pinterest actually. I have some ideas in my head but all depends if soffits can be removed etc. I’d love to see what other ideas could be done when getting a designer in here because we have so much unused space in the kitchen area

Sometimes I think we got in over our heads with this house lol

I’ve posted about it in other discussion areas and my house needs major help in the area lol