# how to paint a straight line on uneven ceiling and walls?



## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Stop taping the walls and get a really good brush, along with keeping it wet with paint. It is more of going a little on the edge of the ceiling near the wall, to make it look straight. Or just trip it out and hide the mistake.


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## dannieboiz (Jul 21, 2015)

I just tried to cut into it with a brush it does help but still looks crappy. What do you mean by trip it out?


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

It takes practice and a steady hand. You have to take the brush and do one long sweep, instead of small ones.


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## blackjack (Oct 21, 2015)

Run a clean, tight bead of caulk at the transition between wall and ceiling.. You'll get a better transition line on an uneven surface. I use white or clear depending on what colors I'm painting...


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

dannieboiz said:


> Is there a way to paint the walls to make the line appears straight without having to float the ceiling?
> 
> 
> 
> Thinking perhaps tape a straight line along the wall and paint the ceiling to follow the straight wall this way looking at the vertical wall the paint will appear straight?



This can work. If there is not a straight line to be had at the inside corner, back it down on the wall just enough to make it strait. 

The caulking and free hand method described above can work well too, but is perhaps more difficult for DIY.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

If the ceiling is wavy, there is only one way to physically draw a straight line, and that is to make the line below the ceiling. To try, paint the top edge of the wall white, the same color as the ceiling. When that dries, you could use a laser level to give you a straight line to paint against. Tape won't be of any use to you here. Learn to use the bruch correctly, then paint across using the laser line as your guide. If the ceiling slopes from one end of the wall to the other, in addition to being wavy, you'll have to lock your laser and tilt it slightly to match the slope. In other words, you're looking for a straight line that overall matches the ceiling line minus the waves, not necessarily a level line.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Depends on how wavy the ceiling is, to just try and draw a 15' straight line with a brush would be interesting since most of us can't do it with a ruler. I really don't like using tape this is one instance where it would probably work. Make the tape even with the bottom of the wave. And of course there is always crown and caulk.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Yeah on second though tape could help you here if you use toolseeker's idea. Tape a straight line as even as possible across the top of the walls, paint the top edge of the tape white to match the ceiling. Remove the tape and now cut in the top edge of the wall to match that straight white line.

The problem is going to be getting that tape straight across the wall to begin with.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Filling the corner with caulk will help hide the wavy corner. You might try snapping a
chalk line on the wall to cut in along or set tape to. Not sure how well a laser is going work. Between getting it set in the exact location and then keeping your self out of the way from blocking it while trying to paint seams like it would be a challenge.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Paint them the same color. It works every time.


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