I want to do a good job painting the interior of my home. I need some tips on painting the baseboards without ruining the carpeting.
I also want to paint the ceiling and have a nice STRAIGHT line of where the walls meet the ceiling.
Please share your tips of what materials you use etc. etc etc.
Thanks
Mango
Any paint store should carry what I used for this exact situation. It is a paint edger aprox. 12" long, plastic, with a very thin stainless steel edge on one side. The way I used it was to push down,or hold down on the edger with one hand tight to the bottom of the baseboard, keeping the carpet out of the way. I painted with the other hand, with a good quality brush. Now, as you paint, just slowly slide the edger along as you continue to paint. The key is to go slowly, and do not spill. It will look great! Now a straight line is more difficult. I have tried tape, but what works for me is a very light pencil line with a long straight edge, and a good quality brush (3-4 inch), and use a good slow stroke. Try to use your legs, as I found it gave a nice even stroke instead of just your wrist or arm. I found I was less tired. Do not forget to take a break, and relax. :-)
My best suggestion is this:
If there are two people (like the wife-husband) involved, make sure the one that is most concerned with the outcome does all the work as they will be upset until you repaint. Nothing like something you look at every day to really get to you.
Let me add my second suggestion, a single word.
Practice.
Lots of it.
Nice rationalization for lazy folks.
I do a lot of interior painting, and it's a lot about simply slowing down and taking care. And doing the prep. Like a lot of jobs. Which is why some folks don't like work. It's this sniggling thing about needing to do things right that they think is just other people's problem. Or they wish it were... Banty
Yep. and taking it slow.
Although I do use some masking tape...
Cheers, Banty
Very true. You can help yourself with your ceiling painting by doing two things:
1) accept that where your walls meet your ceiling is probably not a perfect 90-degree angle and also is likely not perfectly straight in and of itself, and 2) try using those wheeled edging paint pad products (I can't find the brand name on mine, but it's red), and carefully follow the directions. I use these for ALL edges except horizontal ones, which I tape with 3M blue tape.
Make that painter's tape not cheap masking tape. :-)
My wife and I work as a team.
We move the furniture, remove switch and outlet plates.
She's GREAT at doiing trim work. She uses masking tape where needed, but mainly uses an edging tool for trim and edging.
I follow along with a roller, covering the large expanses of wall.
We can do a large room in less than an hour....start to finish
We've found that the cheapest/easiest renovation is a $20 gallon of paint.
The blue stuff.
Banty
For straight lines, if you use painters tape,:
*Do a first coat of the color that is under the tape. The idea is to get a film that seals any place where the tape is not sticking to the wall perfectly. *Paint with your "unmasked" color. *Score the line with a knife. *Remove tape. *Have a beer (or imbibement of your choice):)
The other route is to paint close, and install pre painted/stained crown molding.
good luck!
For the baseboards, just wedge something under them to protect the carpet. Old venetian blind slats work great. You can also use heavy kraft paper.
If your ceiling is fairly smooth, I've found that Sherline roller pads work great for the wall to ceiling intersection. You can also do it by hand with a good brush. Follow up immediately by painting the wall to maintain a wet edge.
It's always better to bring the white ceiling paint a tad down from the absolute corner. (approx. 1/16 - 1/8" down) Wall paint that gets extended past the corner and onto the ceiling usually looks very noticable.
I rarely use masking tape for interior painting.
Also buy the best quality brushes, rollers, paint.
"Mango" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@uni-berlin.de:
Remove the baseboards, sand and paint them, and then re-install. This is a pain in the tuckus, but it worked faster and better than any attempt of mine to paint them in place.
This is tough if you have popcorn finished ceilings. Paint the wall without worrying about the edge where it meets the ceiling. Then put up some masking tape on the wall, and re-paint the ceiling edges where it meets the wall. I actually bring the ceiling colour down onto the wall by about 1/8 inch -- it allow me to get a very straight line, even with popcorn "chunks" right at the edges of the ceiling.
Buy the best paint brushes that money can buy. For latex paints, look for brushes that use a blend of Tynex and Orel fibers (tapered fibers manufactured and trademarked by DuPont).
Hire someone.
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