# Best way to prep and paint stained trim white



## bubbler (Oct 18, 2010)

ShelleyJ said:


> I am about to paint my stained wood trim white. I want to make sure to get it right the first time.
> What prep work do I need to do? Sand? Oil or Latex Primer? Do I need to sand again after priming? Can I use Latex paint over oil primer or is Oil paint what I need.
> TIA


I sanded flat areas and used a liquid deglosser on more intricate parts.

There are latex primers that claim to adhere to gloss, they are Ok, but not great in my experience. I used Zissner Cover Stain, but there is also a product called BIN that seems to be good. Both claim you don't need to sand or degloss first. Once you have it primed you can use standard latex over it I believe.


----------



## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

ShelleyJ said:


> I am about to paint my stained wood trim white. I want to make sure to get it right the first time.
> What prep work do I need to do? Sand? Oil or Latex Primer? Do I need to sand again after priming? Can I use Latex paint over oil primer or is Oil paint what I need.
> TIA


Lightly sand, clean dust, prime( oil or latex,Stain Blocking Primer) I would use Fresh Start or Pro Block, LIGHTLY sand . clean, paint (oil or latex)


----------



## ShelleyJ (Mar 10, 2012)

I primed the trim using the Color Stain and it looks awful. There are brush marks and the coverage is slim. I used a Purdy XL brush. I wonder what I did wrong.


----------



## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Zinsser Cover Stain should do the trick for a primer. As Chris mentioned, Fresh Start (Benjamin Moore) or Pro Block (Sherwin Williams) would be other good choices. The primer will not cover completely and it is normal to see some show through. Just be sure, brush out a bit of your finish and see if things do not look better? 

If there is something on the trim that actually bleeds up through the primer and paint, you will have to shift to a shellac based sealer/primer like Zinsser BIN. It is an alcohol solvent product so you need plenty of ventilation.


----------



## bubbler (Oct 18, 2010)

ShelleyJ said:


> I primed the trim using the Color Stain and it looks awful. There are brush marks and the coverage is slim. I used a Purdy XL brush. I wonder what I did wrong.


You mean you used "Cover Stain" right? It's the stain hiding primer... it will not give you a good white color and look perfect, you put that on... then you can lightly sand after it's very dry. Then you put a nice glossy white trim paint over that.

I had to do 2 coats of Cover Stain and then 2 coats of trim paint to handle my dark stained trim wood work.


----------



## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

bubbler said:


> You mean you used "Cover Stain" right? It's the stain hiding primer... it will not give you a good white color and look perfect, you put that on... then you can lightly sand after it's very dry. Then you put a nice glossy white trim paint over that.
> 
> I had to do 2 coats of Cover Stain and then 2 coats of trim paint to handle my dark stained trim wood work.


 
No you did not HAVE too, 1 coat of primer is all you ever need, 2 coats is a waste or time and $$:yes:


----------



## ShelleyJ (Mar 10, 2012)

Yes, I meant Cover Stain. Sorry about that.
Also, what grit of sand paper do I need to sand the primer with?


----------



## bubbler (Oct 18, 2010)

chrisn said:


> No you did not HAVE too, 1 coat of primer is all you ever need, 2 coats is a waste or time and $$:yes:


You're right...

For explanations sake--The reason I used 2 coats in certain areas (bathroom & kitchen windows) is that I found there were brush marks that were deep enough to expose very thin (think brush strand sized) darker streaks. I didn't want to risk there being darker areas.

Another area I used Cover Stain was where we removed a wall between our kitchen and dining room, in that corner there had been a corner built-in. We had layers of paint leading up to the built-in, as well as HEAVY nicotine stains where the built in touched the wall. I did two coats of the Cover Stain over that are because I was looking to build it up a bit, and also make sure that the two areas were both the same color... I didn't want any shadow/outlining.

So in my case the 2nd coat was really insurance and also issues caused by my poor application. I chose the "Cover Stain" which is oil based because we had some poor performance from latex based stain covering primers (mostly with them not blocking smell and leaching colors through). I only bought a quart sized container and it hardly looks like I've even used 10-15% of it.

For the general trim around the rest of the windows/doors/floors in the house we used Sherwin William's latest based "Adhesion Primer". It goes on and looks terrible, a mess of streaks and darker/lighter areas... but once you get the trim paint over it, it looks good. Here is was a case of not wanting to deal with the effects of the oil paint over a large amount of work, the latex is simply easier.


----------



## ShelleyJ (Mar 10, 2012)

Bubbler, How is your trim holding up using the latex SW Primer? Was the trim stained before you painted it white?


----------



## bubbler (Oct 18, 2010)

ShelleyJ said:


> Bubbler, How is your trim holding up using the latex SW Primer? Was the trim stained before you painted it white?


It's holding up well enough--though the oldest work is only a couple of months old.

Our trim was stained very dark brown, almost black... so I was worried about how it would turn out, but it looks quite nice, with no bleed through. 

My girlfriend was in charge of the areas where the latex primer was used, and I know she had become an expert at prep, so she probably did a better job on the two or three areas I did... she would spend about two to three hours per window/door between sanding, filling holes/gaps/etc, priming and then painting. I think I spent about an hour total on the two windows I did.


----------



## askjrak91810 (Jun 23, 2012)

*questions on cover stain..*

ok so ive been doing to research on this zinsser cover stain primer..or trying to! so many mixed reviews tho...i am looking for the quickest and easiest process to paint my trim throughout the living room white..without having to sand it all down! we have a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old so our hands r full as it is but its the only room without white trim and it is driving me crazy!! want to try this but i am scared to death that it is going to create a huge mess for me and i do not want to have to go back and sand it all down and what not..am i safe to buy this cover stain primer then just go over it with white paint without sanding at all??!!


----------

