[Wickedgood!]

I'm OK with cutting but I want to be more consistent.. I know, practice practice practice.. I am getting better, some times I get a whole room pin straight and then go to the next room and just can't get it..

If it is a repaint I can find the crease and move right along due to the contrasting colors that are there. BUT, if it's new construction where the ceiling (white) meets the plaster or drywall wall (kinda white).. I can't get my eyes to keep focus on that crease.. Is there a trick? I find myself looking to far forward, ahead of my brush trying to keep my eye on it and all the while I'm making a wavy line or falling to far below the crease.. I'm right handed so should I be moving left to right or right to left or does that not matter? Don't know if this makes sense..

Thanks
Wg

 

[paulingrad]

Hi,wg !

If ya right handed work round the room right to left. But don't work from where you left-off, work back to where you left off, looking an inch or two ahead of the brush.

and have the paint (whatever it is) 'eased' enough to aid fluency.

paul.

 

[Housepainter]

Paul mentioned the fact to focus on the brush or just ahead of it. I have also found it a smoother line if I keep my focus at the leading edge of the paint line.

 

[Kelly Painting]

I never practiced, just did it allot....and I think i'm about as good as I'll ever get..right now I can cut a ceiling line perfect with ease.

One hint:
Being over 6ft tall is a great advantage for me as a painter,
My reach on exteriors is enough to save me at least one ladder move.
But with cutting....I always use a ladder even when the ceiling is 7 or 8 ft.
I find my cuts perfect when I'm at eye level with the cut...weather it's baseboard or ceilings.....hope we helped!

 

[NuView Painting]

i just glance... let the brush find the groove...just feel it

 

[vermontpainter]

I get right up to eye level with the line, and just stare at it for several minutes until I see three lines, then I draw the one in the middle as fast as I can. The faster I go, the straighter the line.

 

[Wickedgood!]

thank you all.. most likely just trying to hard and messing it up...

 

[Joewho]

I posted this in CT a while back.



"Some of what I learned about cutting in the top of a wall to the ceiling.

When you look up, there shouldn't be any paint on the ceiling. If it can't be cut perfectly, then the paint should stay off the ceiling.

Not all corners are square, matter of fact, 2x mud and a pole sander doesn't leave a really sharp corner to cut.

A stifffer bristle brush helps with popcorn or texture, if it's really tough, use a sash brush and flip the brush around to go against the angle. This gives great control.

Use the pointy end of a 5 in 1 to draw a line by placing the tip straight up into the corner and drag lightly. If you drag too hard it will leave a little tiny valley that has to be filled with paint. Then it gets time consuming.

Get a good line of site on the corner. Looking from too low or too high makes it harder."

 

[Capella]

I'm on the wagon with Kellypainting and vermontpainter, combine their two posts. Fast and eye level. I tend to look much further ahead of the brush than most others I know. It works for me for some reason, but I don't suggest it to others. I think it is because of the speed and level. Its quirky, but we're all different.

If you tend to look too far ahead of the brush, then (sorry, I forgot who posted this) work back to your last point, not forward FROM your last stopping point.

For example:
get an 8x10 sheet of paper.
Put two dots about 4-6 inches apart with a pencil/pen.
Place a pencil on one of the dots.
Keep your eye on the pencil tip and quickly draw a straight line to the other dot.

NOW:

do the same with two dots again but this time look at the dot you are moving towards and fix your eye on it (instead of looking at the pencil tip).

The line that you drew while you were looking at the destination dot is probably straighter than the the line you drew while looking at the pencil tip. Same concept on working toward your last starting point. You see where you are going and quickly get there in a straighter line than you would if you were looking at the brush.

Of course, the point where wall meets ceiling is rarely a perfect 90 degrees so you can only look so far ahead and make a good cut.

I'm not sure if this works for you, but hopefully it at least gave some insight into how to help.

 

[chipster]

It’s like driving, when you look down at the road in front of the hood you swerve, when you look ahead you drive straight.

Hangovers, high on pot, drunk, and large amounts of coffee do not help!

 

[Capella]

It’s like driving, when you look down at the road in front of the hood you swerve, when you look ahead you drive straight.

Hangovers, high on pot, drunk, and large amounts of coffee do not help!

Hangovers are bad? The only time I'm not drinking is when I have a hangover. So... I assumed that hangovers were GOOD!:laughing:

 

[ProWallGuy]

I'm the opposite of Joe. I wrap my cut up onto the ceiling just a hair. We all discussed this in this thread.

 

[cole191919]

That is kind of cool ProWall. And I think if you can preform your theory properly it would look great. I think the key is to make sure it is only a hair because too much on the ceiling could look sloppy.

 

[Capella]

Break out the ole fandeck (which hopefully you got for free) and its off to the store for a quart of brand new paint. So long margins! :blink:

 

[Housepainter]

Yep
Amazing how ceiling white come in so many shades.. Or it seems the one in the truck just does not quite match :no:

 

[painterman]

Try cutting in to about 1/16 or so to the ceiling for about three feet.then go back and cut in tight to the ceiling just touching it. Try using a box knife and gently scoring the wall/ceiling intersection. The brush will tend to fall into this crease.Perfact lines every time:yes:

 

[vermontpainter]

Or you rummage through the basement of the house hoping that the previous painter was kind enough to leave a nice clean labeled ceiling paint can for you but you find, if anything, a very old can that when opened reveals something that looks like oatmeal with rust fragments in it and smells like a public restroom. Chances are, your screwed. So you go get some ceiling paint and find that its even harder to cut the ceiling back into your now finished walls and get a decent looking line. You chase this thing back and forth to the point that you are losing money so fast that you just want to go home. Moral of the story, be a good cutter. It's critical. And honestly, this really doesnt happen very often to good painters.

 

[Kelly Painting]

Also, my first line (coat) is my reference point, from there I make my second even straighter.

 

[CobraCDN]

Situation:

You are hired to paint the walls but not the ceiling. You hand slips cutting in and you get paint on the ceiling. You wipe it off with a wet rag but it just soaks into the flat finish and you can not remove it completely. Since you do not have paint that matches the ceiling for touch up what have you done to save your bacon? I know even the best have a bad day and slip once in awhile.

I never wipe it. move on finish cutting in, then go back to the mistake after it has dried. Use the pick end of a 5 in 1 and gently scrape away the paint, if it's splatter or Cal-knoch-down you should be able to scrape it and leave it. With Snow tex (popcorn) sometimes we'll use a dusting brush to retrieve some of it off another part of the ceiling, then apply a little bit of thin flat paint over the mistake and stick up the popcorn into it. Usually the only time we have to do that is when the roller has mysteriously hit the ceiling lol. If the snow tex has been painted over, you should be able to just touch up the mistake with paint.

I cut in ceilings working off of stilts, I position my height so I am looking up at about a 25 degree angle.. too high you lose the perspective of looking up... remember everyone views that line from standing on the floor.. the line may not look as good when you cut in at eye level once you get down and look up at it. I notice novices look at their brush.. I always look ahead as others have mentioned here. I also probably load my brush more then most allowing much longer draws.. to short of draws and your line can look uneven . I also back stoke the material off the Tip of the brush to keep it from beading to much at the line.

I notice from reading posts on this site a lot of you use Flotrol.... I have never used it.. never read the label lol. what do you folks use it in.. wall paints and trim?? How much are you folks adding? I may give it a try
Cheers