Painting and the evil Blue Tape

[Matt]

Great advice. So how should I paint my doors and trim? I have always rolled the walls and come back in and painted the trim last.

Matt

[Norminn]

I can paint just about anything but a straight line - I use good brushes, have practiced a good deal but it always looks bad. That is why God made masking tape :o)

[Doug Miller]

Paint the trim first. When painting the walls, cut in around the trim just like you do at the ceiling. It's *much* easier to get a straight, steady edge when painting a wall next to the trim, than when painting the trim next to the wall.

[Banty]

Good advice. And ignore the macho stuff about not needing the tape and just learning how to cut in perfectly - they either 1) are painting pros or 2) are satisfied with results you probably wouldn't be. Pro painters often can't wait for the ceiling or trim paint to dry, and get LOTS of practice at it. And I've seen many DIY cut-in jobs folks have pointed to proudly, that make me wince. So I use the blue tape and take my time about it. Go with what works for *you*.

When applying, make sure the bond is good on the very edge toward to new painting, but don't push the whole tape down more than needed to apply it as a shield. Remove blue tape slooowly.

If you waited 24 hours, you must have either applied the ceiling paint too thickly, or it's really humid where you are. But, yes, the key is to let the paint cure some, not just dry.

Banty

[Steve Barker]

What Doug said.

[hallerb]

Trouble like this is why all white cielings walls and trim all the same save tons of trouble:)

[Dan Espen]

Already been mentioned but just to reinforce the point:

PAINT SHIELD

I use a piece of formica.

I can paint a straight line but prefer to get the job done quicker.

[Goedjn]

Note that, for a high ceiling, you can paint the top edge of the wall the same color as the ceiling, and only bring the wall color up to about 1/4" of the corner. Your eyes won't let you see that the edge isn't where the color-change is.

[Kyle]

Agreed. Having done an entire house as well as the dining room and kitchen in my own house, I can tell you the blue tape is more headache than it's worth, except in one, small case: painting windows. Then it's been a great help to me, better than traditional masking tape, and good as long as I remove it within minutes of painting around the glass.

On the other hand, it's always been far easier for me to paint the seam between wall and ceiling or wall and wall-mounted object (such as cabinets) free hand, or with a paint shield.

[Norminn]

The old advice used to be to do doors and trim last so's splatter doesn't get on them, but I haven't listened to anyone's advice for about

30 years :o) I do doors and trim first, and always use alkyd semigloss. By letting it cure before I do the walls, it is safe to tape and easy to wipe off any splatters. Always sand gunk and piled up paint out of the joint, caulk cracks, so when I tape the tape will lie flat. I hate the prep work but I am fanatic about doing it because I want it to last. I loathe latex paint on trim and doors because it is impossible to sand when it is time to paint again, it dings easily and stains easily.

Just got back from a trip to daughter's; removed wallpaper in bathroom in my spare time whilst kids work. This bath had border all around, border on the outside of the glass shower door, and cut-out wallpaper flowers on the tile!!!!!! I'm surprised they didn't cover the windows.

[jeffc]

Tape jobs make ME wince. They always result in crappy looking lines (there is one way to get tape to work, but it's a lot of trouble and not applicable here.)

It's not that big a deal. If you can't learn to paint without tape, you're just ignorant and lazy. It's about the right brush and the right technique. Anyone can learn to do it in about 10 minutes. Practice on a piece of cardboard box. Or, if you'd rather. practice above a door against the trim. No one can see the line up there.

If you don't know the technique, just ask. But don't call it "macho" just because you're clueless.

[jeffc]

Wrong brush. You want a straight 3.5" to 4" brush, and use it sideways.

[jeffc]

Of course the same color looks pretty much like crap, and the sheen is different (flat or eggshell on the wall and semi-gloss on the trim), but other than that it works fine.

[jeffc]

Yeah, except a straight line away from a corner is about impossible to paint.

[<h>]

The really simple option is wallpaper. Paint the ceiling, stain the trim, then put up the paper. No cut in necessary :)

[jJim McLaughlin]

SNIPS

Thats good,