Currently making the most of the winter nights by freshening up the trim (skirting boards / door frames etc) in the house.

At the moment Im doing 1 x undercoat and 2 x top coat. Is this sufficient? Overkill?
With so much to do (about to tackle the bannisters which I’m not looking forward to) and thought that if 1 top coat was sufficient then it would reduce the work by 1/3rd. But i don’t want to skimp if it’ll compromise the finish / longevity.

Paint is oil based undercoat & oil based Eggshell for the topcoat (Johnstones Trade)

If you’re rubbing down previous paintwork I wouldn’t bother with an undercoat, just two top coats.

I feel your pain. God I hate painting, especially gloss.

New timber over here will recieve 1 plus 2, ie 1 undercoat then two top. Freshening up old stuff should really only need 1 coat unless heavily rubbing down.

Echo the above. You shouldn’t need undercoat in previously painted interior wood. And you only need enough finish coats to hide the one underneath. Have a look at the first coat and if it looks OK leave it. No performance requirement on interior paint really.

Not using an undercoat could lead you to a world of misery in the future.

ot using an undercoat could lead you to a world of misery in the future.

In what way?

I wouldn’t bother with the oil based paints either.

Deluxe Trade water based is the future……..in my opinion of course.

The primer leaves a really nice satin finish that after 2 coats I am tempted to use as the finished finish. It is a brilliant white and does not fade or yellow over time.

Drying times are incredible and no odour. Painting a new post from top to bottom the top was dry by the time I had finished the bottom!

I hope the knots were treated with shellac before the painting? Knots weeping through is one thing that really bugs me as knotting solution is so quick and easy to apply.

Rub down, then remove dust with a cloth dampened with white spirit or water with a small amount of detergent.

Rightly or wrongly I’m using oil paint as I want an eggshell finish, and the only water based eggshell I know of are Farrow and Ball or Little Greene. Which are obviously expensive.
If this yellows excessively quickly then maybe next time I’ll stump up for F&B.

If they are deep section skirtings or for any surface with a large area to cover I have found that applying the paint with a mini foam roller and then finally brushing out to give the finish can save a lot of time and give very even results

[quoteWhich are obviously expensive.[/quote]Not all paints are created equally – just because it’s cheaper does not mean it’s the same quality. (and vice versa)
We’ve just started using Little Greene eggshell and found it covers really well. I’m in no hurry to go back to Dulux, etc.

Not using an undercoat with solvent based paints means it may not stick. It may seem okay, but the next time you come to paint it comes away in sheets when you get sand paper anywhere near it, this also counts for the so called one coat gloss such as Crown solo and Dulux Once.
IF you steadfastly flat the old gloss down using a wet sanding method, or use a de-glosser then you may get away with it, but the time taken is probably greater than undercoating anyway.

Eggshell paints are different (solvent) you can with some of them paint straight over old gloss after light sanding and washing down with sugarsoap. But even this is dodgy practice these days as the manufacturers are forced to meet new criteria.

I can recommend these excellent paints, water based easy to apply and clean up.