How to paint architraves and door trims?

annieerbs

We recently bought a house and now that we are in it I've noticed all the architraves and door trims have been painted with flat paint. The paint scratches off very easily. Is it possible to paint over the flat paint with gloss? What preparation would I need to do to ensure the gloss paint adheres?

Thank you

Annie

EricL

Hello @annieerbs 

Thanks for sharing your question about your architraves and door trims. Due to the paint's brittle nature, I suggest sanding it off to make sure that the new paint will not be compromised by the weak paint cover. I suggest investing in an electric sander to cut your sanding time in half.

Please note that this will generate a great deal of sanding dust so you might want to look into getting an Ozito 1250W 12L Stainless Wet And Dry Vacuum to attach to the sander.

Once the weak paint has been sanded off, you'll need to wipe all the sanding dust away and make sure that the trims are all clean. I suggest priming the surface with Dulux 1Step Prep Primer, Sealer & Undercoat 1L and for the topcoat I recommend Dulux 1L White Aquanamel High Gloss Enamel Paint.

I also suggest having a look at this discussion - How to sand back paint on trims @amy2 

Here is a link to a handy guide: How to paint like a professional by @Peggers 

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric