Cutting In When Painting Trim On Walls

Position the paint guard at the side of the trim. Position the paint guard at the bottom edge of the ceiling molding, at the top of the baseboard, or on the wall adjacent to window and doorframes. Hold the guard in your nondominant hand, using firm pressure to hold it in place.

Cutting in when painting trim on walls. If you don’t paint every day, “cutting-in” a room can be frustrating. The Accubrush edge-painting tool is one of the best we’ve tried. It makes cutting-in quick and easy. With just a little practice, you can paint perfectly straight lines along ceilings and moldings. This means painting both sides of each corner starting about two brush lengths away and painting in to the corner. Use a 2- or 3-inch brush for paints. You can cut-in around the trim either before or after rolling. Because the drying time of flat and eggshell latex paint is so short, you can cut-in an entire room before filling in the walls. Note that a potential downside to cutting-in is that mistakes can be costly because they can be difficult to cover up. For instance, it’s tough to hide it when colored paint gets onto white trim. Steps for the Cutting-In Painting Technique. The reality is that cutting in is far from easy. In fact, mastering the technique is very difficult. Need to paint a wall, trim and ceilings? In the video above, Monica Mangin shares techniques for cutting in, rolling the walls and more. We also have tips below on planning for a paint project, buying paint, preparing to paint, using paint tools and cleaning up afterward.

First, you paint the trim. Then, when you paint the walls you're faced with the challenge of bringing the darker paint right up to the edge of the trim. You could mask off the trim with tape, but if you have a steady hand, you can simply "draw" the line of colored paint, freestyle. This is the technique of cutting in. Trim First If: you're using tape. Most amateurs like to tape off the areas where they don't want to get paint. With its smooth, sharp edges, trim is easier to apply tape to than walls, especially when the walls are textured. you're not using tape. No, this is not a trick. Trim is not only easier to tape off, but it's also easier to follow when "cutting in." Before you begin painting walls, cut in the edges with a paint brush. Cutting in means that you use a paint brush to paint areas that are too tight for rollers (such as at the ceiling line, corners, and along baseboards and trim). Loading your brush and applying paint the proper way will prevent drips […] How To: Cut In Paint While a fresh coat of color can quickly update any room, the crisp lines where your walls meet trim or ceiling are really what set apart a stand-out paint job.

One of the benchmarks of a good paint job is crisp, straight transitions of color where trim meets a wall or a wall meets a ceiling. I’ve found that cutting in these areas is as much about having the right tools as it is about having the right technique. It all starts with the right brush. My favorite is a Corona 2-1/2-in. Excalibur angled sash brush. Painting trim is among the most common painting tasks that homeowners undertake, right along with walls and cabinets. Painting your trim can completely change the look and feel of a room, it can brighten the space or make it more elegant. I’ve painted a lot of trim over my 15-year painting career. Yet painting wall, ceiling, and trim edges without tape is more than just an artistic flourish. It is a common practice, particularly among time-starved professional painters. Do-it-yourselfers, too, can enjoy many of the benefits that cutting-in paint can offer. Most professional painters paint the walls first and then the trim. When using painter’s tape, paint the trim first, then applying tape to the trim before painting the walls. If you plan on using a sprayer, paint the trim first, then cover the painted trim and spray the walls last. Watch this video to find out more.

Next, tape off the trim and prep the walls for paint. We have covered both of these topics already on DIY, the best painters tape and an entire post dedicated to preparing walls for paint. Cutting In The Ceiling. Cutting in the ceiling is the hardest step when painting high walls. Breathe out or hold your breath while cutting along trim or where walls meet—"It'll help you keep a straight line." Up high, be sure to stand squarely on your ladder instead of overreaching. When cutting in on textured walls or ceilings, vibrate your hand a little to get bristle tips into uneven surfaces. To prepare your trim, you’re going to need fine-grit sandpaper (80-grit, 100-grit, and 120-grit), spackle, a putty knife, paint primer, caulk with a caulking gun, and painters tape. For painting, you will need a few high quality paintbrushes proportionate in size to the trim you are painting, foam rollers, and a durable paint. Brush the paint on the wall, about 1/2 in. from the trim. Then make a second pass, cutting in all the way to the trim. Avoid 'pushing' the paint with your bristles or you'll leave a ridge where you're cutting in. Apply just enough pressure to let the bristle ends glide next to the trim.