How To Properly Paint Your Pine Skirting Boards

Painting your pine skirting boards isn’t the most glamorous of jobs, but it makes a massive difference, especially if you have a smaller home like me. I am sharing tips on how to paint your dark, varnished, pine or pre-painted skirting boards.

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Depending on how much dark woodwork you have in your home, this can be a costly job to have outsourced. So, why not save some pennies, and have a go at painting your skirting boards and internal woodwork yourself.

I have a small house and to make it look bigger, I painted my internal woodwork white. Now, its fifty shades of white as different rooms have different shades.

You can also get creative with colour and paint your skirting boards in the same shade as your wall paint. So, whatever shade you decide to paint your skirting boards, I hope you find these tips helpful.

How To Paint Your Skirting Boards. Step By Step Guide!

Materials:

How To Paint Your Skirting Boards. Step By Step Guide!

1. Clean your skirting boards first.

   Use a degreaser to clean the surface before painting your skirting boards. The paint will not stick to dirt, so always thoroughly wash your project first. You can use sugar soap, Krud Kutter or a 50/50 mix of methylated spirits and water to clean your surface.

2. Lightly sand your wood skirting boards.

   
   You do not need to sand your skirting boards back bare. You only need to scuff the surface to create small scratches, as this will give the paint something to grip. A sanding block is perfect to scuff your skirting boards before painting. Also, remember to wipe away dust. 

3. Apply one coat of primer.

   If you have knotty pine or varnished skirting boards, you will have to use a stain-blocking primer to stop the knots from bleeding. Zinnser B-I-N is a shellac-based primer that will stop knots from bleeding. Primer gives your topcoat the perfect base to stick. If you skip this step, your paint job will not last as long and will chip. Believe me, when I say, I am speaking from experience. I have the chipped skirting boards to show for this. 

4. Apply two coats of topcoat in your chosen colour.

   When painting skirting boards, you want durable paint. You can choose a satin, eggshell or gloss finish paint for painting your skirting boards. My best advice is to avoid cheap oil-based paint as from experience, these go yellow over time and smell bad. Also, with a good surface prep, water-based paints shouldn’t chip or discolour over time.

5. Allow them to cure.

   For the first 2-3 weeks, be extra careful with your freshly painted woodwork. Although paint will be touch dry, to avoid chipping allow it time to cure. Try to avoid bashing your painted skirting boards with the hoover, at least for the first two weeks anyway. Once the paint has cured, it should be able to withstand a bit of wear and tear.

Patience and planning.

The one important thing I need to add is patience. I had a lot of wood to paint in my home. It can be overwhelming when you have a lot of skirting to paint. I also painted my internal doors.

Also, you do not have to do this in one go. I painted my woodwork one area at a time. As a result, that meant I wasn’t rushing, and I gave each area a good prep. So, take time to plan your project and allow extra time for prep and drying.

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Internal woodwork painting FAQs.

A light sanding, or scuffing, will give your paint a better grip. Also known as “keying”, sanding will prevent your paint job from peeling and chipping. Make sure to wipe away any dust from sanding before painting.

If you have pine skirting boards, I recommend a shellac-based primer like Zinnser B-I-N. A shellac-based primer will stop the oils from the knots in the wood from bleeding.
There are hundreds of paint primers on the market. Most paint brands will have a range of primers to choose from. So, do your research and ask your local paint shop for more information.

To prevent your painted skirting boards from chipping, ensure to do a good prep. Clean, lightly sand, Prime and Paint. Allow each coat of paint time to dry between applications. Also, allow time for the paint to cure after it has dried. Also, take extra care with hoovers and sweeping brushes after application.

If you used a satin, eggshell or gloss finish paint for painting your skirting boards, the answer is no. These paints are self-sealing, unlike chalky paint.

I wouldn’t recommend it, and here is why. Chalky finish paint is harder to remove compared to a satin, eggshell or gloss finish paint. You have to seal chalky paint with a wax or varnish after and this can cause discolouration. So, If you do not prime, it will allow the oils in the wood to bleed through over time. Also, it is harder to paint over, especially if sealed with wax. From experience, I would keep chalky paint for projects in low traffic areas. Chalk paint is better for creative furniture painting and smaller projects.

A good prep will give you a longer lasting paint job and stop chipping. Use a degreaser to clean the surface before painting your skirting boards. The paint will not stick to dirt, so always thoroughly wash your project first. You can use sugar soap, Krud Kutter or a 50/50 mix of methylated spirits and water to clean your surface. Then lightly sand and wipe away any dust before applying primer.

As you can see from the before and after pictures, the painted woodwork made my house look bigger and brighter. What I love about your home is that you can experiment with different colours.

Also, if you want inspiration for what colours to paint your skirting boards, check out Pinterest and create a mood board.

So, let me know if you plan to paint your skirting boards and internal woodwork, and if you found this post useful. Also, I love seeing the changes you make in your home, you can tag me over on Instagram in your pics.

Comment below if you have any further questions regarding painted woodwork. So, I can update this post with your questions.
Thanks for reading, Chat soon, Catherine.

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