Northern Virginia Home Improvement

Design Pro Home Improvement Information

Prepping, Priming, and Painting Trim For Your Northern Virginia Home

With the recent downturn of the nation's economy, many homeowners are turning to DIY solutions in order to solve their home remodeling and renovation issues. For such DIY projects, Design Pro Exteriors stands by their customers and residents of Northern Virginia. Design Pro has proudly been serving the residents of Northern Virginia for over 30 years. Design Pro works hard to satisfy our clients while providing honest and sound advise for all home remodeling and painting projects, large or small. With February well on its way, many homeowners have begun to work toward preparing their homes for spring. Such projects as adding or refinishing wood trim not only will provide your home's exterior with a fresh new look it won't drain your bank account. Design Pro has put together an article to assist you in these simple DIY projects.

Whether you are looking to paint your trim or apply a polyurethane finish it is important to remember that such a project can put a strain on your knees and back. This is especially the case if your trim runs the length and width of your door as well as the base of your wall. Your first step should be to set up adjustable sawhorses. Set them to an appropriate height that is comfortable for you. Lay out your trim. If painting, make sure to sand any defects. Your trim must be as smooth as possible. Once sanded to the ideal smoothness, apply a quality wood primer to your trim. Whether its spray-on or brush-on primer, the grain of the wood may raise once applied to the surface. Before applying any sort of paint, you may want to sand the raised grain with a fine grade sandpaper. If you have decided to stain your trim, follow closely the directions that accompany your wood stain. Again, before staining wood be sure the surface is smooth and all defects such as holes, bumps, or chips are tended to.

All cuts made to your trim should be done with a miter box and saw or cutoff saw. If you decide to use a cutoff saw, make sure you use some scrap pieces of wood to practice on before taking a blade to the real thing. Utilize proper eye and ear protection throughout this whole process. In order to make precise cuts and guarantee proper installation, equip a tri-square, measuring tape, hand sander, hammer, and a set of small finishing nails (6d or 8d).

Measure the length of the area of installation. Transfer the measurement to your trim. For angled ends, utilize your tri-square. After trim has been cut, adjust the piece to fit the desire area by making minor adjustments such as sanding rough edges. Secure to wall using construction adhesive and finishing nails. In order to avoid mistakes, always take into account the thickness of the blade you are using to cut the trim. Install each piece of trim as you go to avoid any mistakes or mix-ups. Finish all nail holes with a small amount of no-shrink spackle. Touch up with a bit of paint or stain to complete your DIY project.

Whether you are a resident of Arlington, Virginia, Manassas, Virginia, or Leesburg, Virginia, Design Pro Exteriors is here to serve all of Northern Virginia. We work hard to satisfy our clients and provide honest and sound advice to our customers. Our extensive experience allows us the ability to provide suggestions and ideas while advising you on how accomplish all of your painting, remodeling or renovation goals and how to save you money. For all projects, large or small, contact Design Pro Exteriors today!

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Northern Virginia Home Improvement: Replacement Window and Siding Services

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