The Best-Kept Secrets for Professional Painters

Paint the Trim First, Then the Ceilings and Walls

Finally, the answer we’ve all been waiting for. Professional painters usually follow a certain order when painting a room. They paint the trim first (the Bucket Edge is a must-have tool that leaves trim and other surfaces untouched while painting), then the ceiling, then the walls. That’s because it’s easier (and faster) to tape off the trim than to tape off the walls. And you certainly don’t want to tape them both off.

When painting the trim, you don’t have to be neat. Just concentrate on getting a smooth finish on the wood. Don’t worry if the door and trim paint gets slopped onto the walls. You’ll cover it later when painting walls. Once the trim is completely painted and dry (at least 24 hours), tape it off (using an “easy release” painter’s tape), then paint the ceiling, then continue on to wall painting.

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