# Baseboard caulk before or after question



## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Traditionally, painters caulk AFTER priming. Why? It helps you see cracks/holes, etc. that need caulking and it gives you a sound surface on which to apply the caulk. Of course, if you have a well-adhered paint job on there currently, it is certainly ok to apply the caulk before the primer. I'll let someone else tackle the taping question.


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## dfphoto (Jan 18, 2011)

Ok that's interesting, wondering what people do if the baseboards were not white with white walls, I never pay attention to it but now I might!


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## mikemark8808 (Aug 27, 2015)

dfphoto said:


> Ok that's interesting, wondering what people do if the baseboards were not white with white walls, I never pay attention to it but now I might!


First of all if you're doing white on white, you don't need to do anything regarding tape since the caulk you're using should be white too. What I mean is that in your situation you should caulk at the end.

Second rule is never make the mistake I did and tape before applying primer. The primer I used was Zinsser 1-2-3 and I put 2 coats of high quality Behr paint over it too. The tape was adhered to the primer, which was fully bonded to the fresh drywall paper and caulk. So trying to take the tape off was the same as ripping everything off and left huge blotches of brown on the wall (torn drywall paper). I pretty much had to cut it out with a knife and redo it all over again.

Third, to answer your question of the baseboards if the walls are not white: Tape a little bit ABOVE the center of the caulk edge (maybe 1/8-1/16") so that when people look down from above, it will never be seen that your wall paint goes onto the baseboard at all.. This is assuming you painted the trim first which is what pros usually do to save time since it is much easier to tape off trim than the wall. You would do the reverse on any corner moulding or door casings so that the trim paint doesn't show on the wall at all. 

This youtube video youtube.com/watch?v=dH-7rg2E8_I shows that cutting in trim with your hand and good technique is much better than using tape. I spent the last week using tape and I kind of believe him because after I took off the tape, no matter how hard I rubbed it in, I got bleeding everywhere. Too bad I don't have a steady hand.


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## dfphoto (Jan 18, 2011)

Thanks Mike,

My white on white question was the walls are matte the base is semi gloss, but I will caulk after primer, originally I was primer and painting before cutting the base but that was a disaster, the paint didn't dry fast enough between coats...

Paint is both easy and hard definitely more hard than it appears...


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

dfphoto said:


> Ok that's interesting, wondering what people do if the baseboards were not white with white walls, I never pay attention to it but now I might!



I don't know what others do. 

I paint the BB first and allow it to dry then I tape it off and paint the walls. It is far easier to tape the BB then to tape the walls. Removal is less risky and easier also. Only securing the tape along the top and allowing it to extend out and over the base protects the base from the roller spray.

A real painter will tell you that taping is poor workmanship. I don't claim to be a painter but what I do works for me.

And yes to priming before caulk for the reasons stated above.


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## dfphoto (Jan 18, 2011)

Thanks that makes sense to me as well but too late, did the walls already... I made some serious errors on my steps of doing certain things but there were a lot of issues to deal with that I've never had to think about.


So here I am almost done with a long remodel studs out... just a night mare but for a DIY'r not bad.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

A 12" drywall knife and a supply of damp rags to wipe it off with make a decent cut in tool for us amateurs. More than likely there will still be some minor touch up on the walls when you are done.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

OK, if you're installing the baseboard yourself, and painting both the baseboard and walls, here is how I would proceed.

First, if the baseboard is not preprimed, then prime it obviously.

Then paint it (before installing).

The finish coat of paint should go on top of caulk. Caulk discolors and gets dirty over time, and the semi-gloss paint avoids that.

Install your baseboard, and then caulk. Then paint your walls, being sloppy on top of the trim (no tape). Or of course you could paint your walls before installing the baseboard.

Finally, paint your baseboard. It's already been painted once, so this is a touch up coat. You want to cover the caulk that's on the nail holes and the seam at the wall. It's easy to paint the top of the baseboard because you can "ride" your brush along the top edge, getting a crisp line. Gravity tends to pull paint down, so you won't get any runs going up, obviously. If you painted the baseboard first and the walls second, then you would either have to tape your baseboard (not good on fresh paint) or go very slowly and carefully with a fairly dry brush to avoid getting wall paint running down and making an uneven line on the baseboard. Painting a crisp line on the baseboard is much easier. But at the same time you don't have to paint a crisp line at the bottom of the baseboard (especially helpful if you're installing on carpet) because you gave it the first coat before installing.


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