Me=Bad Painting; Please advise

eurobelle

Okay, frog tape, check. Careful alignment, check.  Ceiling meets wall....oh, gosh.  How do you get it straight?  What am I missing?  Tips?  It so is not perfect!  I am ready to go out and buy crown molding!

MommyLiberty5013

This is really tedious, but DH uses a tiny brush...like craft size (1 inch) to do his ceiling lines and along trim. It's obsessive, but he has the straightest lines I've ever seen.

Sisugal

An illusion trick.  Bring the ceiling paint down onto the wall about an inch or so.  Then place your painter's tape on the ceiling paint (after it is dry for a few days) .  Paint the wall - pull off tape and you have a nice straight line. No one notices that the ceiling paint does not actually end in the spot where wall meets ceiling.

 

sratsey

BUY A GOOD BRUSH , one with an angle and stiff bristles, and then learn how to cut in instead of taping.  I cannot stress this enough.  I personally hate taping and find a get a much cleaner line from cutting paint in. It probably took me painting 4 rooms to learn how to properly cut, but it was worth learning and I can probably cut an entire room in less time than it would take to tape it all.

It takes a bit of patience and practice, but the more you do it, the better you will get.  

The line is already there.  If you get up close to the ceiling, you'll see where the ceiling and wall meet.  It really is just a matter of dragging a line of paint.

This gives good tips on cutting

http://www.thepaintedsurface.com/how-to-cut-in.php

shesthetoast

sratsey:

BUY A GOOD BRUSH , one with an angle and stiff bristles, and then learn how to cut in instead of taping.  I cannot stress this enough.  I personally hate taping and find a get a much cleaner line from cutting paint in. It probably took me painting 4 rooms to learn how to properly cut, but it was worth learning and I can probably cut an entire room in less time than it would take to tape it all.

It takes a bit of patience and practice, but the more you do it, the better you will get.  

The line is already there.  If you get up close to the ceiling, you'll see where the ceiling and wall meet.  It really is just a matter of dragging a line of paint.

This gives good tips on cutting

http://www.thepaintedsurface.com/how-to-cut-in.php

Ditto.

Purdy brushes are really good. They're around $12 - $15, but well worth it.

My hand shakes sometimes, so I don't usually cut in, but my H is a pro at cutting in without taping first.  

Monica D

sratsey:

BUY A GOOD BRUSH , one with an angle and stiff bristles, and then learn how to cut in instead of taping.  I cannot stress this enough.  I personally hate taping and find a get a much cleaner line from cutting paint in. It probably took me painting 4 rooms to learn how to properly cut, but it was worth learning and I can probably cut an entire room in less time than it would take to tape it all.

It takes a bit of patience and practice, but the more you do it, the better you will get.  

The line is already there.  If you get up close to the ceiling, you'll see where the ceiling and wall meet.  It really is just a matter of dragging a line of paint.

This gives good tips on cutting

http://www.thepaintedsurface.com/how-to-cut-in.php

 

This. I never tape, and haven't in years. I always use Purdy brushes, and have found a 1.5" works best for cutting in. For ceilings I usually pour some paint in a disposable plastic cup, so it's easy to hold while I'm up on the ladder and I can throw it away when I'm done. I've painted three houses, and this has never failed me.

sratsey

Monica

This. I never tape, and haven't in years. I always use Purdy brushes, and have found a 1.5" works best for cutting in. For ceilings I usually pour some paint in a disposable plastic cup, so it's easy to hold while I'm up on the ladder and I can throw it away when I'm done. I've painted three houses, and this has never failed me.

I have this cup, which I feel almost a sentimental attachment to at this point LOL.

 

It's comfortable to hold and there's a magnet against the back so when you need to put it down you can stick the brush against the side without having it drop into the paint.

eurobelle

Thanks, ladies.  You are telling me what I don't want to hear, though, lol.  Apparently, we don't have steady hands.  We tried no tape and tape.  Both just don't look professional.  Ugh.  Yes, we have a Purdy brush.  I guess practice??

 

*blue*flower*

sratsey:

Monica

This. I never tape, and haven't in years. I always use Purdy brushes, and have found a 1.5" works best for cutting in. For ceilings I usually pour some paint in a disposable plastic cup, so it's easy to hold while I'm up on the ladder and I can throw it away when I'm done. I've painted three houses, and this has never failed me.

I have this cup, which I feel almost a sentimental attachment to at this point LOL.

 

It's comfortable to hold and there's a magnet against the back so when you need to put it down you can stick the brush against the side without having it drop into the paint.

I have a similar cup and have the same attachment to it!  I think it is because I am practically hugging it for ours while cutting in and doing trim! lol 

I taped our Master bedroom and laundry room until I finally started doing the cutting in method and it is soooooo much easier, faster and looks way better!  I do not hold my brush handle when cutting in.  I hold it at the metal band on the brush to keep it as steady as possible and just take my time.  I frequently reload my brush with paint, but don't overload it which helps keep the lines moving smooth and looking good. 

Passanie

eurobelle:

Thanks, ladies.  You are telling me what I don't want to hear, though, lol.  Apparently, we don't have steady hands.  We tried no tape and tape.  Both just don't look professional.  Ugh.  Yes, we have a Purdy brush.  I guess practice??

 

I'm right there with you. Do you have bumpy walls? Ours are hideously bumpy so when the line goes over a big bump, it's going to look funny no matter what. Even my interior design friend is stumped. The brush is the best way I have found, but it's still nowhere near perfect.

sratsey

eurobelle:

Thanks, ladies.  You are telling me what I don't want to hear, though, lol.  Apparently, we don't have steady hands.  We tried no tape and tape.  Both just don't look professional.  Ugh.  Yes, we have a Purdy brush.  I guess practice??

 

LOL. Yes, it really is just practice.  In my last home when I just started cutting, it didn't look professional, by any shot...a little bit wavy here and there...I guess once you get used to how to handle the brush and a feel for how much paint to use, it's all smooth sailing from there.  I'm still not perfect when it comes to baseboards.  I have to REALLY concentrate and if I get bored and start rushing you can always see the bump on the line...or the spot where I pushed too much paint off the brush and onto the board instead of the wall