Learning how to “Cut In” When Painting

Learning how to “Cut In” When Painting –

If you’ve never painted a home before, the term “cutting in” may be new to you, but to seasoned painters, it can either be your worst nightmare or your favorite part. Cutting in is a method of painting that eliminates most of the extensive prepping required when you follow all those painting instructions: remove all cover plates from light switches and power outlets; cover the floor with drop cloths, apply masking tape or painter’s tape around all the window and door trim, baseboards and crown molding!

What it requires

The one item most necessary for learning the technique of cutting in is a steady hand. In addition to that you’ll need a good eye, and a really good brush. An angle brush is best because it makes sharper edges with thinner paint so there’s less chance of it running or dripping.

What Is It?

In the simplest terms, cutting in is freehand painting the straight lines along trim and other elements not slated for that paint color. If you can master it, you eliminate the need to mask everything off, so your job is completed that much faster.

What does it look like?

If your trim around your windows and doors, chair rail and crown molding is white and your wall will be green, you carefully paint a smooth line alongside the molding in your green paint, extending it out a couple inches so that when you roll the rest of the wall, your roller doesn’t need to come too close to the paint. The positives outweigh the negatives here:• Positives: Less time prepping; less time cleaning up and removing paint; reduced cost (the good tape is really expensive); instant gratification because you can see what it will look like right away, and the knowledge that you did it yourself.• Negatives: You’ll need to buy a really good brush; if you slip up and get a splotch of colorful paint on your white trim, it may take some extra effort to – Note: To see the rest of this blog, please click here to go to my primary blog post site.