Painting: how to paint the edge of the wall?

Question

I am painting a bedroom, where three walls are the same colour, and one wall is a dark brown. I am having difficulties getting the ediges to line up, and the original colour (Pink - yikes!) is coming through. I have tried using a paint brush, and an edger but neither of these are giving me decent results. Any suggestions would be great :)

We are aware of priming, but because of the colours we decided not to (they are in the same family of colours). The colour does not bleed through at all. The problem we are having is where we connect the two colours in the corner. We have tried those little edge brushes (the ones what are square sponges, with the two wheels on it - they work.. but not very well)

We will give that a shot MMM - that is actually what we were planning on trying tomorrow.. hopefully it will go well :) Thanks for the tips.

If anyone else has any suggestions incase it does not work out, let me know - thanks again :)

Answer 1

I have professionally painted and the actual way to handle this problem requires some skill and practice.

First you need to PRIME your walls to adequately cover the old paint. Kilz or Zintzer primer work well.

Second--learn how to paint properly. The place you are trying to paint is what separates a DIY homeowner from a professional. It is called "cutting in" and you use the same method at any joint on your walls---between any molding and the wall, between two walls at the corner, or between a wall and the ceiling. Always cut in the darker color to the lighter color--you get better results.

Use a good quality (I use a Purdy brush) 2 inch tapered brush for the type paint you are working with (oil or latex--it says on the package when you buy the brush). Add a small amount of Water to latex paint (or mineral spirits to oil paint) and mix well before starting. This thins the paint slightly and makes it much easier to work with during this tedious operation. Then, dip or LOAD the brush with paint, hold the paint brush at a 90 angle to the wall, press the ends of the brush lightly against the wall and feather out the tip until only a few hairs of the brush are trailing behind the brush with wet paint. Sweep these few hairs directly into the corner you are cutting into and use a steady downwards motion to draw a straight line down the center of the corner. Stop and reload with paint when it starts to run dry--always keeping those few hairs feathered and drawing paint like a wick from the rest of the loaded paint brush. Keep a damp rag and a tool called a 5-in-1 on you at all times--these two additional tools will help you correct the inevitable mistakes immediately--just wrap the dampened rag around the sharp tip of the 5--in--1 and use it to wipe away the mistake leaving a clean perfectly straight edge every time. Also use the dampened rag to wipe away drips or spatters while wet--much easier than dealing with them after they dry.

This method absolutely gives you the best edge and is what professional painters do. I was taught by a 30-year veteran. All the "short-cut" tools Home Depot sells are useless if you want a clean edge and a professional look. If you're willing to settle for a sloppy do-it-yourself look then have at it. Otherwise--try learning a little of someone else's trade for a change. Might change how you think about the people who work so hard to make beautiful homes for us to live in--the real tradesmen (and women). Working in a trade really opened my eyes--and now I can paint my own homes (and friend's) beautifully. It was worth every tedious minute to learn. Try it.

Answer 2

If the surfaces had not been primed the same then this would also cause this issue. But the fact is a roller will lay a thinner coat of paint than a brush. You may just need to roll another coat on the walls. Ok say the walls before where painted satin and the trim was painted semi-gloss the walls would soak up more of the paint requiring another coat to get the same results as the trim. It's just the result of covering a different base. The same if you would have covered different color walls and trim with one color you would have a small difference in the look .

Answer 3

They have these great things at Home Depot.
It's a rectagular piece of plastic, about 5"X4".
It has a sponge on the inside (that part goes against the wall).
And the top part has these 2 roller wheels, that go right up to the edge to make a perfect line.

They are great.

Also, don't forgot to prime first, especially over PINK.

Answer 4

Personally, I use Kilz first so that the color I paint over it goes on smooth with good coverage. I use an edger that is curved. Sometimes, walls are not straight with time. A good quality masking tape can be used but must be placed perfectly. Good luck.

Answer 5

I assume you are speaking of a corner .
You can try to use a string and plumb, attach the string to base board, making sure it is still plumb.
Then Masking tape, following the string for a straight line.
As for the old paint bleeding through, use a Kilz as a base coat..

Answer 6

Use painters tape it is blue and wont peel the underlying paint off. For hard to cover colors use Kilz you can also tint this with the paint color to get you headed in the right direction.

Answer 7

Michael L. has the best answer: painter's tape. The best pro painters all use it. Painter's tape is easy to stick on and take off, sort of like a Post-It note strip, and it's cheap. You can get it at anywhere they sell paint.

Answer 8

you should kilzs the pink paint to keep it from bleeding through They make painters tape to help you where the two colors meet try it

Answer 9

over paint slightly onto the brown wall.let dry. then cut in the edge with the lighter color. or vise-versa.

Answer 10

maskin tape?