I see fluted door trim with rossetes... no crown in this pic. sorry.

evulcain,

You do not have to strip your 'fluted casing'. However, you do need to sand or 'abraid' the surface to provide grip for the primer. Then you can apply two coats of trim paint.

Sorry I don't know the terminology . I'm getting a few quotes to do the work and I've gotten these two options from different guys. I'm wondering which of the two are correct so I can pick the right person for the job. Thanks for your advice

Is trim paint a certain kind of finish or type of paint. I was thinking white dove from Benjamin Moore egg shell??? I'm also doing baseboard.

Trim should be, IMO, semi-gloss. I use the same color on my ceilings, but in flat finish. On the walls I use BM Regal matte finish.

Is your home new?

It's my new old house :-) btw what does IMO mean?? And is BM regal a specific type of paint??

What finish would you use of baseboard?

IMO = In my opinion. I'm new to abbreviations. BTW (by the way) - took me like 2 weeks to dicipher this one

IMO is "in my opinion"

BM regal is Benjamin Moore brand, regal collection.

crown moulding is the stuff that's between a wall and a ceiling.
that's a GORGEOUS fluted casing with a rosette corner.

i don't think it needs painting, really. i think it's wonderful like that.
but if you do want to paint it, you need to wash it well, scuff up the finish with some sandpaper, wipe off the dust, then prime.

I would sand and use 2 coats of primer like Kilz just to make sure oils from wood don't bleed through and then 2 coats of any color you choose, just make sure you have decided on color scheme for whole room before choosing white, there are many whites and they don't all work with every wall color.

Thanks. I was thinking edge comb grey for walls and white dove trim for the family room which has lots of windows and light. but haven't decided on wall color for living/ dining room which does not get a lot of natural light in. Any
suggestions on a color grey with taupe undertones that is whiter/ lighter than edge comb?

do you live in Eastern PA? :)

No not in PA

Just paint with a good paint like Benjamin Moore. Most paint come with primer built in. If a gloss on wood may have to lightly sand. And dust off very well. Before painting. Most paint store can give you excellent advice .

Like your color choices. Stay with them. What are the painters telling you? There is some prework to do but not much.

evulcain, I asked only because the house I was previously in 1986-1994, in 1990, we took out all the old luan doors and clam-shell molding that must have been painted 10 times already by the previous own, we took it all out and bought wood molding and new solid wood doors, just like you have and I mixed 2 stain colors together and it looked the same color as what you posted :)

Travis. Thanks. I got the idea of edge comb from you. You had suggested i paint the family room a taupe grey. I found edge comb ( but still considering revere pewter ) for family room. Btw The bar in family room is almost complete. See picture :-)

The painter I'm leaning toward says he will prime and paint. He did not mention sanding/scuffing., but I can ask him to. The wood casing has a shine/ gloss finish to my novice eye.

Oh I remember this room. Good job. Keep all paint color same if you can see other room. Always use samples before buying. Yes have him slightly sand wood before painting. The painter should know that.

If a painter doesn't know to sand lightly so the paint has something to adhere to, you'd be smart to find a new painter.............

A light sanding will help the primer adhere better use Benjamin moores advance for the wood work

Thanks everyone for your advice on sanding before using primer and then painting. Unfortunately, the painter I was going to use refuses to sand it first. He says he has 20 plus years of experience and it'll be fine without it. I'm going to pass on him and keep looking for a painter that will sand it first. Thanks again!

what a surprise. Just a light sanding with even something like a 400 grit would take less than 10 mins or to run his hand over it with even fine steel wool just to take the sheen down. You would just have to vacuum up any dust and/or wet sponge.

Yeah I think he's having a bad day today and isn't open to suggestions .... He did an awesome job plastering a wall for me so thought to trust him
With painting the woodwork on walls. I only posted a question because someone else had mentioned stripping it. I'm glad I did because you all suggested sanding it.

So I can do it myself. No real skill needed to lightly sand??? I have baseboard all around approximately 300 square foot space and 2 woodwork encasements. I don't think it has grease or grime over it. Should I then skip tsp?? When I sand it down how will I know I've done enough??

you will just see the shine go away :) make sure it's fine sand paper so you don't leave scratches. Since the guy you were getting just seems to want to paint and not sand, he might not want to fix any scratches that will show up either.

Many painters don't do prep work beyond some basic dusting. Otherwise the time and fees go really up. If you want a quality and long-lasting job, clean and lightly sand yourself. You just need to degloss a bit really, not sand off the finish.

I must admit that I prefer wood to paint--but your new cabinets would look better with painted woodwork. Dove White and Edgecomb Grey are very popular, and have been for quite some time and may look dated fairly soon. Other less bright whites might work as well.

I have used TSP substitute with good results with a natural bristle brush and lots of towels and rags--it is hard work, even if things aren't too dirty. It is much faster and easier with a partner for both phases--one to work, the other to mop/clean up.

So do I have to use tsp even if not greasy? Can I skip and go straight to sanding??

A light sand and a light rinse with a bit of dishsoap and hot water, immediately wiped dry might be enough. All the grooves might give you some problems. Getting it smooth will have better results. It is always best to wash before painting, even if the surface is in pretty good condition.

You may be surprised at the gunk and grime that will come off with a good wash treatment.

I bought no rinse TSP, 220 grit sandpaper and tack cloth to do the work tonight. Thanks

Evulcain, I painted my daughters whole apartment with edgecomb grey BM (benjamin moore) Aura eggshell. Trim I did in a semi-gloss whtie. It's gorgeous! every one of her rooms has a different accent colors and they all go very nicely with edgecomb grey.

If your painter doesn't sand and scuff I can guarantee you it will look great at first but won't stand up wear and tear. As my husband made that error with our all wood trim in our home. He was advised at the paint store that this coat everything paint would adhere and coat. He insisted that I was wrong and now admits unfortunately that I was so so right.

Clean it good, then a light sand. Prime and paint! You don't have to go to bare wood; you just need to take the shine off like someone said. If you can't figure if you got it good, stand at a diff angle and you will see the sine on the parts you didn't do yet. In those grooves, you might have a harder time but a dremmel MIGHT help get in there. They are inexpensive at a craft store and have different size tips. Good luck and post pics when you get done!