Most pro painters create the illusion of a straight line. This is done by painting your line about an 1/8 of an inch into the ceiling area. You won't get a wavy appearance
b/c you are not dealing with the imperfections of the Spackle in the corners.

 

Paint the ceiling and walls the same color
or Practice, Practice, Practice. lol

There is alot of differance between paint brushes, a good one is well worth the price i uses Purdy 2 1/2 angle cut for trim work about 14 bucks

 

That little guy works GREAT!

The wife and I (mostly her) have been painting the inside of our house and this little gem was recommended to her by the paint dude at Lowes.

The replacement pads are dirt cheap and will last long enough to get a rather large living room done in short order.

One word of caution, though. The replacement pads do have a leading edge and a trailing edge and can be inserted in the tool 180* out. You will have a nice 1/8" strip of the old paint peaking out at all the borders. My wife discovered this the hard way.

 

I tried the sponge with the roller edges, didn't work because I was using red, another big mistake. Apparently thats one of the hardest colors. It needs several coats.
I will be re-priming and using brown.

 

My wife tried the edging tool with no luck, so she gave it to me. I tried it and just about punted it. I have no problem with masking other than the time it takes. My wife hates it, she masks 6 inches at a time, real fun when it comes time to take it down.

As much as I hate painting, I've gotten pretty good at it. I helped my brother paint his apartment, and while he, his fiancee, and my wife got to roll the wall, I had to edge. Baseboards, ceilings, door and window frames, believe it or not, I was done before they were. My cutting in technique was the longer, quicker strokes, with lots of paint. One coat.

 

I love cutting in, the roling part you can keep. Just try and stay relaxed when cutting in, and keep a damp rag handy. One quick wipe, and you are on your way again.

 

If you watch any pro painter, you will see they use a high quality brush and a very steady hand. Tape works well when you have real smooth walls, but if you have medium texture then the paint usually gets under tape. Get a nice 3" Purdy brush and you can steady you hand and go at it real slowly. I did remodeling for years and I got to the point where my clients assumed I used tape to mask off. You can cut in nicely with a bigger brush than you would think to use. Sometimes the big brush gives you a kind of ballast that steadies itself. Just don't get in a hurry. Also, remember that the line doesn't have to be perfectly straight to have the appearance of being straight. A little waviness in the paint won't be seen against a bad tape and float job.

I have Purdy brushes that have lasted 5 or more years. Clean them out real well and store them in the original pouch. If you have stray bristles, trim them off.

Good luck.

 

You're a sick man.
I hate painting the edges!

 

steve I'm a cut in man myself, although I'm pretty handy with a pole also. The trick to cutting in is'nt in the brush or how much it cost. It's the tecnic. What you want to do it fan your bristles out so that you have a thin straight edge then "cut into" area your painting. To fan your brush you simple put pressure down on it. You dont want to use super slow strokes cause this will cause you to over lap. Just starting out dont over extend your arm cause as your elbow and shoulder start to roll to allow you to exten on out it will change the caint of your hand. As you master fanning out your brush and get grips on how to control it youll make what ever adjustments needed to extend out.
Dont get me wrong I use Purdy and wooster brushes and roller naps. Thats cause they are built pretty good and last over several jobs. They however are not a must. I have used the rubbermaid brushes from wal-mart in a pinch. The key is really getting the right bristle for the type paint you are using. Even Purdy has a "for all paints" type brushes but I dont agree. These brushes does'nt work well "for me" in acrilic paint. Well the do the first time used. It seems like the paint sticks tio the bristle and doesnt clean all the way out. So then the bristles start harding at the handle and slowing working down. Mind you it doesnt take much harding of the bristles to agravate the snot out of you. So I say get the brush type for the paint your using. Sure any kind will work just some better than others.

 

I agree with exiled. I had never thought about it that in depth, but that's the way I brush when I'm cutting in. I tend to disagree with his take on the quality of the brush. I have used several brushed that were a little cheaper that just would not hold the paint as well as my Purdy. I think they feather out to a better chiseled edge. I definitely agree with his "for all paints" opinion. Good call.

Exiled, I think even if Steve were to use your technique, he would still start off slow. It's just human nature when learning something new.

 

This is true. There has to be a point where its to slow. Your hand will follow your mind which is following your eyes. If your eyes is following the edge and your mind is on the other side your going to paint on the other side. Forget about painting a straight line just do it. If you messup no big deal you can fix. If you paint like your walking on eggshells then its going to look like eggshells. Oh hell there is eggshell paint. No pun was intended.

 

Just hit the whoile thing with some good old cheap dollar store spray paint like the kid that owned my BII did. Sure makes it al ot easier to user the hood as a work bench!

 

If you'll take a cheap brush and slightly press it against a flat surface (as though you're cutting in) and see what the bristles do, and then do the same with a quality brush, you'll see what the difference is. Just go to Home Depot and try it in the asile before you buy anything. Once you figure this part out, you'll appreciate the difference.

If the cheap brushes worked as good as the expensive ones they'd never sell any $15 brushes. A big part of cut in is the skill & patience, but an equal part like most everything else in life is the quality of the tools you're using.

 

To cut against a popcorn ceiling, hold a flat 1/4 inch screwdriver at 90 degrees to the wall and drag it along the ceiling. This will give you a 1/4" gap between the ceiling and the wall and allow you cut right to the ceiling.
Second the Purdy brush statement. By far the best on the market and well worth the extra money.

 

Paint it like Mr. Bean painted his kitchen- can of paint; stick of explosives. Everything one color- EVERYthing!