Painting - the line between wall and ceiling

I'm only a novice painter, how do I get a straight line between the white ceiling and the wall? Is there a special brush for this purpose? Very frustrating!

masking tape!

I wouldn't go down the masking tape route - we tried it on our lovingly painted front room and pulled off half the new paint on the ceiling.

I used a 1/2 inch (bog standard) brush to cut in at the top when we were painting the wall. I then used the same brush to touch up the ceiling paint afterward if some blobs were made (and trust me, we're novices too and we made LOADS of blobs!!!).

All I would say is that you shouldn't be too fussy either. I kept going up really close and noticing bits that weren't quite straight. When I left it for a day or two and went back and looked at a normal distance (i.e. didn't have my nose up against the wall examining it!), it all looked fine. Not perfect maybe, but absolutely grand. And NOBODY is going to be examining my walls that closely!!!

I'll probably have experts arguing with me, but that's my thoughts.

Won't masking tape peel away the new paint?

I was only thinking about this the other day. I though masking tape was the solution. I guess not.

I think the masking tape is best when trying to protect skirting board when painting a wall - don't think it would be much use to protect a ceiling as I would expect paint would peel off the ceiling when taking it off when finished

You could always try a piece of cardboard wedged in at an angle between ceiling and wall - you just slide it (carefully) along with you as you go along the wall.

ooh good idea westsider - i could see how that would work.

(And yes, it is very very annoying to have your beautiful fresh white paint peeling off the ceiling in giant clumps!!!)

A good synthetic bristle brush with long bristles and a bit of practice is all you need to cut in the wall or ceiling. Buy yourself a 2" Signature Pro polyester bristle brush (about €7) and make sure the brush is sufficiently charged with paint, hold it at an angle, applying pressure to the brush so that the bristles curl slightly and draw back slowly. It's a simple technique that's worth mastering as you'll finish your painting in half the time and to be honest masking tape or painting shields are not used by professional painters because they just won't give you a professional looking result.

I'd second that - masking tape can back fire. A steady hand and practice with a good quality brush can work out better.

The painter we use uses painters mate for cutting in. It's like a silicone stuff that you pipe along the edge of the wall while you're painting and then just pull it off when you're done. Haven't tried it myself but he swears by it.

Carpenter, does this mean that the strokes here are vertical rather than horizontal? I was told that all strokes had to be horizontal and all go in the same direction at the final stroke?

have just done this - best thing to use is plumber's tape! it won't pull off any paint at all - just put it on lightly. Brush-wise - use a lipstick brush - about 5€ in chemist.. the bristles are short, as is the handle, therefore easy to control..

20 euro or so will buy you a 2.5 inch Purdy sash brush in MRCB. The brush is cut on an angle and you can 'cut' very straight lines very easily. Look after it and it will last years.

I second Carpenter's comments - learning to cut in yourself will save time and you'll get a perfect finish when you get the hang of it. Figure out which way your hand is stronger - either working from your body outwards or back towards your body (when doing horizontal cutting in) and plan your work to suit that.

A good synthetic brush won't leave any noticeable brush marks. Purdy brushes are the bees knees and worth the investment, though I did pick up a set of mid-price Harris no-loss synthetic brushes that are excellent. I cut in with either a 4 inch or 3 inch brush and would recommend a novice use a 2.5 inch brush - this might get you out far enough from the edge to finish up to with the roller. Make sure the brush is fully loaded - dip it, brush off the excess on the side of your tub so its not dripping, and you should be fine.

hennypenny - I think you might have gotten confused with what your painter is doing: painter's mate is an arcylic filler that is used for joints between two different surfaces where there may be movement - hence it is flexible. You apply this with a gun, run a finger over it to smooth off, sponge it if necessary, and leave to dry. Then you paint over it - it helps to create a sharp edge between the two surfaces making it easier to get a good cut in line. For me use of painters mate (I know it as caulk) is what separates an amateur job from a professional looking job.

As suggested Purdy is the Rolls Royce of paintbrushes and to be recommended if you have a lot of painting to be done. However a Signature Pro is good enough for me especially as I'm not great on cleaning brushes straight after use.

If you have an older house, or just want a more period type look, you can paint the top of the wall where it joins the ceiling, creating a coving (spelling?) effect. Means you paint a straight line below the ceiling joint making it quite easy.

Downunder said:

If you have an older house, or just want a more period type look, you can paint the top of the wall where it joins the ceiling, creating a coving (spelling?) effect. Means you paint a straight line below the ceiling joint making it quite easy.

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Don't think so! It's much easier to cut into the corner where wall meets ceiling than to try and paint a straight line across the wall.

But it could depends on the workmanship of the finish, if the plastering is finished poorly it would a good paint job to camouflage the joint

millertime said:

Won't masking tape peel away the new paint?

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You can buy a low tack masking tape for decorating it's not sticky enough to pull away paint when removed....I only discovered this a few years back when I peeled away normal masking tape and made a right mess

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Also see how this pro masters cutting in...he makes it look effortless

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Good Luck