The Perfect Paint Line

[Georgie Wood]

Before I learned of this technique here in this forum, I ran into a job that in hindsight would have been perfect for it's utilization.

The living room had a cathedral ceiling, about 18' high. but the hallway and the dining room ceilings were 8'-9'. The ceilings went white, and the walls were a mid-tone. the edge of the plaster where the dining room ceiling and the living room wall met was really rounded off, making it a challenge, in that, when standing in the dining room and looking into the living room there should be no wall paint visible. However, with the corner being so rounded it was difficult/a challenge to find the exact point to cut the line so there would not be a bit of the white from the dining ceiling on the wall...that rounded corner. I hope i'm explaining sufficiently so as not to be confusing. Anyway, with a steady hand and some patience I achieved good results.

But....if I had painted the dining ceiling, then taped the edge of the ceiling, then painted the taped edge in the living room with the white ceiling paint, then painted again over the taped edge with the wall paint..well, you get my point.

Although I have yet to try it out, I love this technique. Thanks to who ever offered it(Paintsmith?)

[Jared]

I love this technique. Thanks to who ever offered it(Paintsmith?)

Affirmative.  This little gem is quite possibly the best pro trick I've ever seen.  With a minimum of practice, this technique offers absolutely perfect results.

Just one of the many reasons we all hold PS in such high regard around here...  Not only does he know the best tricks, but he shares them with us as well!

[ElegantFowl]

I'd like to use this technique to get a good line between stair risers and treads.  The risers
are primed and ready for their Muralo waterborne, which would be very tricky to cut that
corner with.  So I need to mask.

But the treads are oil-based gloss poly, and I'm not sure what to use to seal the masking tape.
Using the same poly doesn't seem right: it's thick, takes forever to dry, and might make the tape
hard to remove cleanly.  Is there a better clear finish I can seal with, that will look OK if
it bleeds a bit onto the poly?  Water-based poly?  Sanding sealer?

[BrushJockey]

Interesting question- I might suggest using Universal Sanding Sealer( it is a shellac- denatured alcohol based) . Don't use regular shellac. This one is compatible with all finishes.
 It is thin and dries very quickly, I'd use a small brush ( maybe 1") . get a sport bottle that holds the whole brush and put a splash of denatured in the bottom and the brush will not dry out and will be ready to go for next use for a long time.

[ElegantFowl]

Thank you.  I tried two alternatives on a practice board last night.  Using 3M blue tape on cured poly,
with Muralo semi-gloss Ultra Waterborne trim:

• Sealing tape with water-based poly failed: significant bleed under tape, compromised adhesion of final coat
• Sealing tape with SealCote worked perfectly: no bleed, no problems

In fact I'm inclined to use SealCote whenever I use this technique, it seems pretty compatible with
most finishes.

[chrisn]

Gardz works well for this.

[John W in Indy]

Well, count ANOTHER one helped by this technique in my bathroom remodel. Accent wall color meets main wall color, meets the ceiling....

This first pic is terrible (it's too dark), but you get the idea:



Opposite corner and a better picture:



Oh heck, gotta show off progress on my first ever tile job too (tub surround). Just the first wall is up with no grout yet:



Thanks again rmichael for one of the BEST painting tips ever!

[rmichael]

Looks Great John!

Actually the credit for this great tip goes to Eric The Paintsmith, Eric is the Mod on the pro board.

I will take credit for posting it as a sticky though... 

[johners1964]

And i thought i invented this method lol

[the PAINTSMITH]

And i thought i invented this method lol

Heh heh, and I never thought I did...I learned from sage, wise old modelers, some of which have been using the method for many decades...One of my modeling mentors actually worked a Binks #7 in a Rolls Royce factory back in the 50s. They had finishing know-how then that I doubt many of us could compete with these days, even with the latest technology in self-application.

I learned long long ago to never take credit for a technique in an industry as old as modern man...

 

[evelien]

Ingenious.

[specialkmh]

This is all very helpful!! We just bought our first home & I need all the help I can get to redecorate. It's my first time painting the interior of a house. Ya'll can watch my progress and make fun of me if you want. I'm posting it all on my blog. I hope to start painting this weekend!! 

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Everyone stop by and take a look! I'm very proud of it.

[Chicago painter]

We use clear caulk to prevent from bleeding. It also fill the gaps between wall and trim. Works great on rough / textured surfaces/
We apply small amount of caulk, remove almost everything with finger and rub with damp rag. You don't have build up and the line is perfect. 


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[ARC Painting Toronto]

This is a very interesting technique, though seems time consuming on most typical paint jobs where free hand is king. but certainly good to know.

For my two cents, I've found a great way to free hand cut lines along ceilings is to stay back from the edge slightly on the first coat, which creates a slight ridge of exposed wall just below the ceiling. This causes a sort of "pull" on the paint into the ridge when applying the second coat, which helps control thickness and therefore makes a neat line.

Of course it does depend on the texture of the surfaces, etc. etc.

[HousePainter]

Hi all,

I see lots of taping techniques here which are very useful but I don' use it for trim or ceiling lines. taping is great for stripes and mid surface pattern work but I find it to be a an expensive method both in time, and money for painting trim work.

For cutting in trim with a perfect  line, I paint it free hand by setting my brush in the corner and with a straight arm I just pull the brush down (up) in a straight line without moving my wrist. I save hours of taping prepwork and dont have to worry about pulling up the tape to find that some areas bled through. I quit taping for most of my work about 10 years ago and I've never looked back. I found it to be totally aggravating. I demonstrate this in a video on my at LINK REMOVED