Expert: Greg Scholl - 7/31/2009

Question
QUESTION: I just finished repainting my living room. The window trim had MANY layers of old paint (my house was built in 1913, and I'm pretty sure they were original.) A lot of the paint was chipped and the painted over the next time. So instead of trying to strip, or sand all the trim, I chose to replace it. I bought, cut, primered, then painted all the new trim. Here's where my problem / question comes in. I put the trim up, and a lot of it is bowed or warped. Seeing my house is so old, the walls are plaster, not drywall. So the only thing I have to nail to is the small piece right next to the window, leaving a LARGE gap 6 inches over on the wall side of the trim. Is there a way to unbow the wood, OR secure it well enough not try just pull through the plaster?

ANSWER: Hey Adam, there's wood under the plaster, especially next to door jambs and windows. There are always framing members there. But I'm a bit confused as to the question.I don't understand how you could have a 6" gap anywhere......could you post a picture? Or try to elaborate further?

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QUESTION: Sorry, the gap isn't 6 inches, the piece of trim is. I tried nailing one piece on the outside with the gap and it just pulled right back out. I've attached a picture of one of the worst pieces, this is the piece I tried nailing and it pulled right back out.

Answer
What size nails are you using? You may need something 2 1/2" or longer,and with a 6" wide piece of trim, you'll want to keep the nails around 2" from the edge of the inside trim piece because that's where the stud will be. but with a mismatch like this, nailing it flat is going to leave a gap somewhere. You'll likely need to add an extension to the interior edge piece, if the edge of the interior trim isn't slightly "proud" of the plaster.That's what it looks like from the picture. There was probably a gap before, but it was filled with caulk,plaster, wood filler, or all of the above over the many years and multiple paint jobs.You can't force a piece of wood to conform if there is such a gap.Usually all the trim, moldings, etc. are applied and nail holes filled, gaps caulked, etc., before priming and painting. That assures a good fit and finish to the trim, and identifies any issues before final finishing takes place.