How to repaint cracked skirting board?

Adrenaline06

Hello everyone. I am a DIY noob who recently moved into a new home.

While decorating the place a piece of artwork fell and cracked the paint on the skirting and the wall near the skirting as can be seen in the pictures. The house is fairly new so even though the damage is pretty minor it’s sticking out.

I have cans of touch up paint in the garage which were left by the builder and I am planning to use the following approach to repair this damage. If someone can kindly advise and offer clarifications on my sequence of work which will be as follows:

For Skirting:

1. Scrape cracked paint with a thin plastic paint scraper.
2. Wipe down the area after scraping with a damp cloth.
3. Apply British Paints Prep 4 in 1 using a thin paint brush.
4. Apply two coats of trim/skirting paint using the same paint brush.

For Wall:

1. Run 80 or 120 grit sandpaper over the section where the paint has cracked. Can anyone please confirm what grit sandpaper to use? And if sandpaper is sufficient or should I use a plastic paint scraper instead?
2. Wipe down the area after sanding with a damp cloth.
3. Apply painters tape to the skirting board to ensure I don’t get paint on it. I will also cover the carpet near the wall with some painters tape and a drop sheet.
4. Use a Murdoch 38mm cutting brush to apply British Paints Prep 4 in 1.
5. Apply two coats of wall paint using the same cutting brush.

JacobZ

Hi @Adrenaline06,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Your process is pretty close, but I'd make a couple of tweaks and additions to get everything perfect.

1. Scrape back the paint on both surfaces with a plastic paint scraper. You don't need to go crazy, just scrape off what is poorly adhered until you have a clean edge that is not lifting.
   
2. Sand the hard edges of the paint with a sanding sponge. These Trojan 220 Grit Angled Sanding Sponges are my go-to for this kind of work because the angled edge allows you to get into tight corners and being a sponge, they compress a little bit to conform to the shape of what you are sanding. Also, because you aren't looking to completely remove the paint, just dull the sharp edge, you'll want a finer grit, like the 220.
   
3. After sanding, wipe down the surface to remove any dust.
   
4. There will be a low spot on the surfaces where the paint was removed. You're going to want to fill this low spot with a filler such as this Sika White Filler-101 Fine Surface Filler, allow it to dry, then sand with your sanding sponge. You can use the plastic paint scraper to apply and smooth your filler.
   
5. Again, wipe down the surface to remove any dust.
   
6. Prime both surfaces with your British Paints White 4 In 1 then allow it to dry. Go wider than the patch to blend it in.
   
7. Tape off the wall and apply two coats of your skirting paint. Again, go wider than the patch to blend it in. Allow sufficient time between coats based on the recoat time on your paint. Pull the tape while the paint is still a little bit moist, usually around 30 minutes after the last application.
   
8. Tape off the skirting board and paint the wall with two coats, following the same process as with the skirting boards.

The only other thing I would consider, which is not 100% necessary, is that paint brushes will often leave brush strokes in the finish. This can be mitigated by adding a bit of Flood Acrylic Paint Conditioner to your paint, or by back rolling the paint with a mini roller. A high-density foam roller cover is good for skirting and a microfibre roller with around a 4mm nap, is good for walls.

I hope this helps to clarify the process a bit. Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob