Painting straight lines in corners?

I've took on a job painting a bathroom. All went well when I viewed it, white emulsion on ceiling and 4 walls, gloss on any bits that need it.

Things then started getting worse. She wanted white ceiling, then 2 other colours for the walls. OK, it'll take more time, so cost is going up. Got there Monday to start it, it was now 4 colours for the different walls, and white on the ceiling, but she had decided that her friend was doing the walls, and I was only doing the ceiling and undercoat/gloss the doors etc. No problem for me, it'll mean two visits, so the cost will be only slightly reduced, but it gets me out of painting the walls like a rainbow.

Next day, I get a call, will you do the walls for me? I'm getting a bit wound up now, I'm not a big fan of painting, but I hadnt got any work on Wednesday morning, so agreed to do it.

Because the walls are so small, I thought I'd brush it on (this is Crown Kitchen and bathroom emulsion). Bad move. The paint is a lot thicker than std. emulsion, and brush marks showed up terribly. So, second coat with a roller, and it didnt look too bad. Onto the next colour, not too bad, but the corners are a problem. I've tried with a half inch brush, but I cannot get straight lines on the internal corners, and always overlap a little onto the adjacent corner a little in places.

Whats the best way of doing internal corners where 2 colours meets? I was thinking along the lines of a smallish artists brush to do it. Any other tips? (apart from not taking on this sort of thing again) Ta Alan.

Reply to
A.Lee
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I have a small cutting in fitch I got at B&Q. It has a flat black plastic handle and is about 1.5cm wide with the end cut at an angle. I found that if you wiped off the top of it are loading you could paint into a corner if you were careful. I used to do the tops of the walls recently, rolling the rest and it worked well, even at full stretch over the stairs (I have long arms).

Peter

Reply to
Peter Ashby

================================== I find a bigger brush is easier to control - 1/1/2" or 2". Try twisting the brush slightly as you move so that the bristles form a hard edge. It works for me.

If you can't get it perfect remind the customer that nobody sticks their nose into the corners of bathrooms to check the quality of painting.

Cic.

Reply to
Cicero

Low tack masking tape.

Reply to
EricP

Plasteres trowel

Place the flat of the blade firmly in the corner and use a small roller,wipe the blade,place firmly in corner below the first rollered paint and repeat all the way down the wall.

:-)

Reply to
George

And remove it as soon as you get the paint into the corner.

Dave

Reply to
Dave

or a wide taping knife

Reply to
John Rumm

IME there ain't no solution. If the plaster was perfect, it would be easy to get the paint straight. As it isn't, you have no straight edge, and attempting to create one with blades, tape etc doesn't work. The tape just follows the contours of the wall, and the paint gets under the blade where the surface isn't flat. Masking 5mm beyond the corner might give you a straight line, but could anyone be bothered?

Reply to
Stuart Noble

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