# Painting a wall that butts up against a popcorn ceiling...



## DannyT (Mar 23, 2011)

what helped me was instead of trying to paint up against the ceiling i try to paint parallel to the ceiling about 1/16 away from it. if its 12 feet high no one is gonna notice anyway. that has worked for me for years.


----------



## Ole34 (Jan 31, 2011)

DannyT said:


> what helped me was instead of trying to paint up against the ceiling i try to paint parallel to the ceiling about 1/16 away from it. if its 12 feet high no one is gonna notice anyway. that has worked for me for years.


 
wow !!! .............you should be arrested lol ................ummmm just push the bristles up into the popcorn then brush out the line and youll be fine


----------



## m1951mm (Apr 16, 2011)

With a bit of practice you can cut in a straight line. I never use masking tape unless I am doing a faux finish. Most ceiling lines are not straight anyway. You are better off following your eye for where the paint needs to go. Since the popcorn has a texture, Dan T was totally right in saying stay off the exact line a 1/16" . Will look wonderful.


----------



## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

So this is really about learning brush technique. 
First- use a good one. 
Then take a fair load and brush a long straight line about an inch below the ceiling line. 
Go back and rebrush without reloading and push the paint to the edge of the bristles, and those to the edge of the wall in a long smooth action.
If the texture is uneven- first go down the edge with a putty knife to make a smoother corner.
Takes practice.


----------



## stoner529 (Nov 12, 2010)

you can always caulk in the popcorn and that will leave a straight line, but then you will see the caulking line where it is white, or you can run masking tape very carefully on the popcorn ceiling. and hope it doesnt rip down huge chunks. i do this quite a bit.


----------



## hikerguy (Aug 6, 2011)

Thanks for the tips. 

Brushjockey, I have a couple of questions about what you said. I'm not clear when you say "...push the paint to the edge of the bristles". Can
you explain a bit more what you mean by that comment? Also, what did you mean when you said "..first go down the edge with a putty knife to
make a smoother corner."?

Thanks

Andy


----------



## mustangmike3789 (Apr 10, 2011)

hikerguy said:


> Thanks for the tips.
> 
> Brushjockey, I have a couple of questions about what you said. I'm not clear when you say "...push the paint to the edge of the bristles". Can
> you explain a bit more what you mean by that comment? Also, what did you mean when you said "..first go down the edge with a putty knife to
> ...


i may be able to help. load your brush and put a heavy line of paint just below where you will be cutting in at the ceiling, without reloading the brush you can now work back through your heavy paint line and work it/push it toward the ceiling. do not try to load the brush and stick it right in the corner. 
going down the corner with a putty knife can cut some of the jagged and uneven textue out of the corner and give you a straight line to work agaist. i do this with a phillips screwdriver by passing it down the corner with just enough pressure to make a small groove less than 1/8". sometimes it may take a few light passes to get your line cut but dont try to force it and damage the drywall tape.


----------



## hikerguy (Aug 6, 2011)

That first part makes sense now Mustangmike. Concerning the putty knife. When you're mentioning the putty knife, are you talking about holding it at a 45 degree angle between the wall and ceiling and just running it along the seem between the two of them? Guess this is one of those "visual things" and I'm having a hard time understanding where you're putting the knife (and at what angle it should be held). 

Thanks,

Andy


----------



## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

Basically you're just knocking off any stuff that is directly in the corner to make a good line.
Once you try it, you'll understand


----------

