White Trim: can i get a hallelujah?

Sorry but this is a bit of a long post. It was a long job. I stuck the befores in there twice so you wouldn't have to scroll back and forth and back and forth. Hope that helps. 

This project start back in March. Yes, March. I lived with the white walls and brown trim for 9 months. This probably had a lot to do with the funk I was in. I could not take it any longer. It wasn't that they were white but that they were chalky white with lots of dings and nails painted over. Future painters out there, don't be lazy, remove the nails and screws before painting please. I had already painted the dining room. It looks a little bright but it's not. It's a blue/green color that I love. It doesn't really glow like it looks like it's doing in this picture.

These pictures were snapped right before the painting started. I remembered at the last minute. They aren't the best as I was being rushed by someone.

Here's the fireplace before I painted the brass. There is another window behind the tv and then a set of french doors on the next wall to the right. So, lots of windows and two skylights yet it always seems dark. The brown was sucking up all the light. Adding to my funk.

Above is a view in the hallway looking back at the family room. The walls in the family room and hall got painted but I still had not painted all of the trim. I filled some knot holes but then stopped. There was still so much trim to do. 

Brown was everywhere. It was bringing me down. Way down. It was time to bring out my little friend named Zinsser. It was something I wanted done but I didn't want to do. Thank you Donna for kicking me in the butt again and helping me to get it done. It was her Gitter Done project that got me moving. Well, that and company was coming.

I started with the doorways. I don't use tape. I find it just makes it worse. I use a fully loaded angled brush. It is the key. And I do not have a very steady hand so if I can do it you can too. When you mess up you just wipe it off. Just keep a damp cloth handy. You can always go back and touch up with your paint if you need to. Still, it's less time consuming then taping everything off.

After one coat of primer it was easier to see where I needed filler. I filled any nail holes, knots or gouges. Then I used paintable caulk along the joints. The trim is not the best. Caulk is your friend. It will hide a multitude of sins. Stained trim makes it hard to see crappy work. The next day I did a second coat of primer. Second coats go on much faster.

The only thing I used the tape for was the carpet going up the stairs and down the hallway. Hubby helped me out with painting the walls on the stairs and upstairs hallway because there were tall ladders involved. I would have ended up in the ER. Turns out he ended up in the ER. Not from the ladder but from tripping over the hand rail that we had taken off. He ripped open his toe. Yep, 3 stitches.Thankfully it was after the painting was done. Whew! And luckily he didn't have that stick down his pants when he tripped or that would have ended a whole other way.

Two coats of primer and two top coats later and I have a much brighter home.

family room: after

family room: before

stairs: after

stairs: before

I picked up some walnut stain today. I am going to try to darken up the hand rails and post.

fireplace: after

fireplace: before

from hallway: after

from hallway: before, well midway

see it's not glowing

I will admit, the door trim upstairs is not done. Or the kitchen. The whole kitchen needs to be done so I will do the trim then. In the near future. After I go through a gazillion more shades of white for the cabinets. Oh, and the doors. Because I really want new doors. Why waste my energy? I want them gone. Now, it sounds like I hardly did anything. But I did. I swear. It was a lot. Those spindles were a pain in the butt. 

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