Changing up the colour of your walls can shift the entire mood of the room. It is also the perfect at-home DIY project you can do with your family.

However, many people run into problems when trying to cut in along edges. Seepage and uneven lines can look messy and even ruin the aesthetics of the room!

Here are some tips from professionals to make sure you get the perfect lines every time.

Prep For Success

The work begins before you pick up a paintbrush. Here are some steps you should take to make sure the paint adheres as smoothly as possible.

  • Clean the walls with a soapy cloth to remove any smudges and dust
  • Go over bumps on the surface with a sanding sponge

Time To Tape

A good quality painter’s tape is 100% worth the price, it’ll prevent leakage and peel off cleanly to leave you with a sharp line.

Here’s how you can use painters tape to achieve those straight lines and edges:

Step 1- Use a tape measure and a pencil to mark the desired height for the tape.

Step 2- Press the tape down with a finger or a putty knife as you go along the wall from one mark to the next while making sure you’re not bending the tape.

Step 3- This is a critical step to prevent any leakage. Brush the tape’s edge with the base wall colour and wait for it to dry before painting on the new colour. For example, if your current wall is white, but you want to paint it pink, paint it on a bit of white on the tape edges first!

Step 4- Use a brush or roller to paint the wall, then remove the tape while the paint is still wet!

Wall To Ceiling

Painting the edge between wall and ceiling may be the trickiest part of the process, especially if you have an uneven-textured ceiling, which makes sealing with painter’s tape impossible. But don’t worry! Here are some tried and tested ways you can create perfect edges:

  • Knock off some of the texture at the ceiling’s edge with a putty knife and clean out the groove with a duster. The groove gives space for the paintbrush bristles to slide into without touching the ceiling.
  • Work up to it! – Start by sweeping a line at the top of the wall. Don’t worry about making it perfect or close to the edge; just load on some paint. Without reloading the brush, make a second pass but this time closer to the edge. You can fan the bristles, so you’re using the edge of a tapered brush to paint in a straight line.
  • Feather it out – Drag the bristles lightly over the outside edge, so there isn’t a stripe at the top after you roll paint onto the wall.

If you don’t want to risk imperfect edges, call We Do It Painters and leave your home painting project to our experienced team of painters! You can rely on us to give you the results you want. Call us now to get a free quote and colour consultation.