I tried masking the ceiling so as to get a nice straight line, but the paint bled under the tape and got on the ceiling. I tried a cutting brush, but I got a nice wavy line.
How the heck do you paint nice straight lines?

 

first. ya got to get real drunk.

 

Ya beat me to that tlc. you are correct.

or hire a pro painter and watch him while YOU have a few.

forget the tape try........

Longer, quicker strokes..... OF THE BRUSH!
get your minds out of the gutter..

 

It sounds like what you have is the dreaded "POPCORN" textured ceiling. About all you can do is avoid loading the brush up with too much paint.

 

I don't use tape. Not one piece.

What I do is paint the ceiling, and the moulding around the floor and ceiling white. I am reasonably careful not to get it all over the wall but it's not a big deal if it does.

Then I take a pad edger, and skim the outside perimeter of each wall with the paint for the wall. Then, I roll the paint on the rest of the wall.

The edger is a plastic shell that's flat with two wheels on one side. Slipped into that is a 1/8" thick nylon brush which holds paint very well, and doesn't drip. You run the rollers along the doorframes, ceilings, floor mouldings and the distance between the edge of the nylon brush and the rollers is completely adjustable - it's a friction fit between the brush pad and the plastic clip. Mine also has a plastic "uniball" type mount on the back which screws right on any standard painting pole.

I got mine at home depot for $12 or $15 or something like that. It wasn't very expensive at all. And here's the kicker - its VERY easy to clean. Just run it under hot water while the paint is wet and it comes right off.

If you feel obligated to use tape, always peel the tape off immediately after painting while the paint is still wet - this way you get a nice "snapped" edge and the paint doesn't dry on the tape and peel off with the tape.

 

I guess thats my problem. I was going slow and steady and wobbly.
And short because it would go dry and I would have to re-dip.

 

I hope you are refering to a brush and paint!

 

I peeled the tape off three days and three coats later.
Peeled the paint of too.
Looks like $%)t!

 

Something I have tried before, is to take a scrap piece of tin with a straight edge on one side to use as a guide for the upper wall, and brushing a stripe all the way around.

The edging tool does not stay put, it is used and re-used over and over, and wiped clean if it begins to load up with dribbles.

This way there is no tape to wick paint into an area that you don't want it to go.

The rest of the wall can be rolled.

 

You can also try painting the color of the masked off area first, let it dry, then paint the color you are applying. That way, any bleed-under is the base color and won't show.

 

Try using 3M or Scotch "Ready-Mask" tape. it is designed so the tape edge fitsd dead flat and stops paint creep. Of course, if you are painting something like gravel or popcorn ceilings then just wing it.

 

It is SO much easier to paint a non-textured surface, but dark colors don't go under light ones well at all.

Best to avoid overspread on a cieling any way you can.

 

The painters that I use on most of my buildings and houses uses a technique called back caulking. After you tape a good strait line then run a small bead of caulking on the edge of the tape. Then wipe the coulking out what you think is all the way, there will be a tiny bead left which will keep the paint from bleeding through on the other colors. Also if the paint is semi wet when you pull tape it will leave a cleaner line.

 

Sears ( and others) make various items that can help

- a plastic shield that's formed so that you can hold it easily in place
- some paint pads that have little wheels so that they roll along the other edge -- the wheels compress so that they don't leave a big gap

probably other gimmicks by now

3M's new blue masking tape advises you to take it off before 7 days.

I've tried ( and often failed) with a lot of these methods. But, if you're an amateur ( as I am), and not too good ( ditto), you need all of the help that you can get!

ford2go

 

I'm past 3 months with blue taped windows, this will be fun.