Matt
How to gloss skirting boards
It sounds like a simple process, and generally painting skirting boards is. However, there are a number of things to do and bear in mind which can make your job much easier and ultimately run much smoother. Here we give you some tips on how to gloss those skirting boards.
The first recommended step would be to ensure you are happy with the skirting board i.e. wish to make no further alterations, changes or repair. Then, a wise move is to sand down the skirting board so it is ready for painting. We have already explored sanding skirting in a previous article, and we invite you to follow the link for further description.
Before you start painting, remember to cover up any areas which are liable to spillages and obviously pay particular attention to floors and carpets. Some paints are water based while others are not (typically the gloss paints) – these are often much harder to remove if an accident occurs.
Many ranges of paint and paint brush exist and your next decision is what to choose. We advise you to use a good quality paint and have decent brushes to apply it with. It will make your life so much easier and you will be thankful you did.
The next decision is whether to use an undercoat then gloss, or buy a tin that does both in one go. Whilst the former is more time consuming, it can often bring much better results and experience would favour this method. Bear in mind that if you are gloss painting on top of gloss painting, there is reasonably only so many times you can do this before you need to go back to the bare skirting (or at least undercoating first.)
If undercoating first, follow the instructions on the tin and allow to dry thoroughly – you will know when this point has been reached as the paint dries a matt / dull colour. Typically if you are painting a large area, undercoat and leave it a day before glossing. Some undercoats dry much quicker and ambient conditions are always a factor.
When glossing, apply the gloss in small strokes remembering to put ample on your brush.
* Paint all in the same direction (i.e horizontally or vertically) to avoid the piece showing streaks of the different directions.
* Avoid putting too much paint on your brush and remember to ‘flicker’ the area with your brush after application. This will stop the paint running, which if unnoticed, can spoil your work when it dries.
Gloss takes longer to dry than undercoat so be prepared for this and avoid coming into contact with painted surfaces. During drying, the skirting will dry ‘tacky’ first. Remember that it is still wet at this stage.
Once dry and complete, with any look your skirting should look something like the above picture – glossy, beaming and bright.
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