If you haven't painted a room before, there is one thing that intimidates DIY painters more than anything else, cutting in! In this article we'll show you how to cut in like a pro when painting your home and how to get nice straight ceiling lines!
Tools and paint to help you cut in like a pro!
Let's start with what you need to have organised first. We'll run through a list of tools and paint to get you started. These are items we've used and we like and it's a great place for you to start with.
Brushes. Here we have two options. One more budget and one high end. The budget brushes being Axus brushes. Look for a 2" or 2.5". Stay clear of smaller brushes as they won't hold enough paint for emulsion and this will make your job even harder. The higher end option and our favourite are Arroworthy 2.5" brushes. We'll go into the technique of painting and cutting in shortly, but these are great brushes if you like to use them.
A problem people have when cutting in is people not being at the right angle and not being at eye level to see what they are doing properly. For this you don't need a fancy "step up" like most decorators will have. A simple plastic stool like this will be enough in most occasions. Then when you're finished decorating you can use it for getting in the top cabinets in the kitchen.
The last key ingredient is paint. We always recommend DIY painters to use a trade paint. They're far superior in quality to what you can buy in a DIY store. Go to a Dulux or Johnstones trade centre and pick up 5 litres of vinyl matt paint, mixed into any colour you desire. This will make the painting process easier and will ensure your finish looks that of a pro painter!
Now notice we haven't mentioned tape. As a painter and decorator we use tape in all kinds of ways. One place we wouldn't use tape is on a ceiling. It's hard to get a good straight line. Paint always bleeds underneath the paint, unless you take precautions and the worst always happens which is it pulls off the paint when you take off the tape ruining you hard work. Leave the tape in the drawer for now!
How to cut in a ceiling
You have the paint. You have the brushes. What now? Well the first mistake beginner painters make is cutting in the ceiling. There is no need to be careful when painting the ceiling. We actually recommend you to paint the top 1-2cm of the walls as well as the ceiling. This way it gives a better edge for when you come to paint the walls. brush the edges first and then roller the ceiling before the paint has chance to dry from the brushing. Make sure you add plenty of paint with the brush.
Cutting in walls
Here's the difficult part. Follow closely for best results. First of all get your stool and get your head close to the ceiling so you can closely see what your doing. Now take your 2 inch or 2.5 inch brush and add plenty of paint. Now put a line of paint around 2cm from the ceiling. Now you have a line of paint near the top of the wall add a little more paint to the brush and again start 2cm away from the ceiling but work your way to the corner of the wall and the ceiling. Work slowly and you'll find the bristles lightly press into the corner giving you a great edge. Another tip is to hold you brush at a 45 degree angle so you have more bristles closer to the ceiling holding more paint (see below).
The main part is to take your time and don't be scared. Also BE PATIENT and you'll be amazed at the results. Go on and give it a go and show us your results. Happy Decorating!
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