Do you tape/mask the borders and ceiling edges before you paint a room inside your house?

Question

It can be a very tidious job to do the masking. Do you do it or you have better way to do without masking. please help.

Answer 1

After applying thousands of gallons of paint, I agree, it would be tedious. That said however, if you don't have a steady hand and have good eye coordination, I have a suggestion.

Many will scoff, but you can use a "pad"

Sold with an applicator handle, and often with a wheel type device, they can "CUT" a line, as long as you don't overload the pad. The cost is minimal and the job can then be "rolled into"

Now,,,, Preparation is as important as any amount of paint you apply, and the cost to prep a room, etc. will be well worth the cost,,,especially for a DIY.

Here is another tip.

I never paint right into a corner where a ceiling meets a wall. I apply ceiling paint,,,if needed,,,first. Then I "Cut" my wall color to within 1/16th inch,,,approximately, from the ceiling, down. I use a 4 inch brush but The pad would allow that,,,and the rational is,,, Our eye will definitely see a wall color on a ceiling, if painted in a sloppy manner, but having the ceiling color,,,IE: White,,, come onto the wall at 1/16th,,,as long as the line is straight,,,will never be noticed.

Rev. Steven

Answer 2

Wow! All of these ppl willing to let you make a mess, in your house. Hmmmm..... Do you think they would say the same if you were doing their homes?

The fact that you asked the question tells me that yes, you should do the prep work.

With any job, there is important prep work, with painting it is especially key because you can have a heck of a mess. There are areas where you don't have to prep, the ceiling is probably one of them, assuming that you cover and protect properly. Go slow until you get the hang of it. You will "spread" the brush out, and only use about 1/5th of the bristle surface. To put a neat line between rooms (example is the transition between a wet/semi-gloss area to a dry/flat area) you put your tape in a straight line where you want it, then on the appropriate side you finger paint caulk in along the tape edge. This will fill the variations in the texture (if not a flat wall), and will leave a very crisp, professional line. You will need to play with this a little, don't use too much caulk, but it will be worth it.

Answer 3

Try a steady hand in a corner of the room, if you don't like how that goes, use the tape around the borders..depends on if the walls are going to be a different color that the ceiling..usually not.
So you really don't need tape every where. I just use it to keep paint off the borders and the floor. Good Luck !!

Answer 4

There is a million dollar question. We have done it several ways. One is free hand it, which works well but that is tedius. The other is a tool called an edger, taping has never worked for me when doing the walls and ceiling two different colors. The edger I had the most luck with had a pad, not roller, the pad had a wheel on the edge, and was red handled, Home Depot carried it. Maybe three dollars.

Answer 5

After a little practice,cutting in the edges is easy. Like someone else said, be sure to use the right brush. A 2 1/2" brush works good for me.

If you really want to use tape, us the blue painters' tape. It's a little more expensive but it comes off better.

Answer 6

lets say the ceiling is white and the walls are a color.take a pencil and draw a line in the corners and take a good quality brush and cut into the line.the only thing i mask off,is the base boards and the carpet.a real painter cuts in free hand.remember,use a really good brush.use a nylon for latex water base paint and a china bristle brush for oil base paint.if you want to know what kind of product you are using, read on the can to see what they want you to clean with,either water or paint thinner.also hold your brush between your thumb and pointing finger and hold your breath to steady your hand.also women cut in great,i guess because they put on make up.Lowe's and depot both sell excellent decorating and painting books.

Answer 7

I don't use tape. I think using a steady hand and the PROPER brush will do a much nicer job. Paint always seeps under the tape and makes a mess when you remove it. Investing a few extra dollars for the brush will be your best bet. Ask help at the paint store for choosing paint supplies to be sure. Good luck and have fun!

Answer 8

It is usually a good idea to do so. However, if u have a steady hand with the paint-brush, you can save your-self the effort of taping up.

Answer 9

If you have a steady hand, you don't need to tape, especially the ceiling. There is a little grove between the wall and ceiling and it is fairly easy to follow it.

Answer 10

If you don't feel confidant to cut in the paint freehand here's a tip to try. Find something disposable to use as a straitedge (I use a mini blind) and hold it against the corner as a guard. Wipe it off as you go so you dont smear paint in the wrong places.