The Tool Barn


Before You Begin Painting

Before we get paint all over, you need to plan how you are going to paint.  If you are painting the entire room, do the ceiling first.  If the area is large then you will have to paint in phases.  Try not to let the paint between sections dry before continuing.  The first step is to "cut-in" the wall areas around trim and outlets.  The second step is to roll paint onto the wall and the third is to cleanup.

"Cutting-In"

When cutting-in, make sure you do not get so far along that you will not be able to roll over the cut-in areas before they dry.  Rolling over the brush marks will help hide them.

I like to use a 3" 'Sash Brush' with a combination bristle for this job.  They have an angled end that allows the painting of difficult areas.   The combination bristle provides good results with different types of paint.  If you are not using masking tape you may have to sneak up on the line between the trim and wall.  After you have cut-in, smooth the paint by holding the brush perpendicular to the surface and going over the area to smooth it out.  There are also pads that have small wheels that keep the pad away from the molding. 

Using pad brush to cut in

Using pad brush to cut in

Cut-in paint around trim

Cut-in paint around trim


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