# Advice on painting edge next to tile



## stuvwxyz99 (Aug 12, 2012)

I'm looking for advice on how to get a good edge between my bathroom tiles and the painted wall. We are going to change the color of the existing wall. This was painted in the summer when we did a bathroom remodel, but we have decided to change the color. The tile is a crackled glaze, and pencil tile was used as an edge. I have attached some photos to show how it currently looks. The glass tiles in the border are 1 inch square, to give you an idea of scale. 

As a complete newbie, I'd like to know how to get a nice edge between the painted wall and the pencil tile. As you will see from the pictures, the previous attempt (not by me, btw) was not too good.


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## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

This is a tricky spot- because it is not even, an it is rough.
One way is to tape the line, finger and blade tape down hard, then take caulk or a clear primer like Gardz or Peel Bond and seal the edge of the tape. paint and then you might have to carefully score the edge of the tape so it doesn't pull up paint, and remove at a 45% angle. 
Sounds harder than it is.


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## stuvwxyz99 (Aug 12, 2012)

Brushjockey said:


> This is a tricky spot- because it is not even, an it is rough.
> One way is to tape the line, finger and blade tape down hard, then take caulk or a clear primer like Gardz or Peel Bond and seal the edge of the tape. paint and then you might have to carefully score the edge of the tape so it doesn't pull up paint, and remove at a 45% angle.
> Sounds harder than it is.


Thanks. Can I go over that slowly, just to make sure I completely understand. 



> tape the line, finger and blade tape down hard


 So the tape would cover the pencil edge, with the inner edge of the tape along where the existing paint edge is, and then press the tape down hard with a finger, and then with a blade (e.g. a putty knife?)



> then take caulk or a clear primer like Gardz or Peel Bond and seal the edge of the tape.


 So a thin strip of caulk or clear primer, so that the edge of the tape is covered by this strip. How wide would the strip be? I'm guessing as thin as possible while still covering both sides of the tape edge? Also, which product would be better, and how is it applied (sorry, I am a real newbie). 



> paint and then you might have to carefully score the edge of the tape


 How long should i wait before removing the tape? Would the score be very faint, or would it go through the depth of the paint? Should I use a rule to ensure the score is straight?


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## toastandjam (Aug 4, 2012)

I'd go the old Earl Scheib route. Cover what you don'r want painted with Vaseline and then paint away. Once the painted surface completely dry. Wipe away.


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## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

stuvwxyz99 said:


> Thanks. Can I go over that slowly, just to make sure I completely understand.
> 
> So the tape would cover the pencil edge, with the inner edge of the tape along where the existing paint edge is, and then press the tape down hard with a finger, and then with a blade (e.g. a putty knife?)
> 
> ...


Scoring should be right on that edge, cutting the paint but not the tape. This is insurance that the paint doesn't peel up on that edge when you pull tape.
I wait until the paint is set- hour or two after painting- then remove.
This gets clearer once you've done it a couple of times.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Not going to try and fix that messed up plaster looking material first before painting?


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## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

Good point. I'd run a putty knife straight down along that edge and clean it up before any of the prior info.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

And prime that area before painting.


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## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

And so then how would you prime that and have a clean line, joe?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

How would you and I do it or how would a DIY do it?
I would just use a 2-1/2 sash brush and use a putty kinfe with a rag over over the end of it to wipe any messed up spots.
Using painters tape will also work, just one more step I try to skip.

But I also would have removed that messed up tri that looks like it was split and patched up before doing anything.


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## stuvwxyz99 (Aug 12, 2012)

I got lost in that discussion 

Should I get someone in to help with this, or can a DIYer make a decent patch-up?

Edited to add:

Is it just the area in the second pic that has problems? There is just a small area (maybe a linear foot, or less) that looks like that, while most of it looks like the first pic.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

We only have the pictures you posted to go by, but it almost looks like at one time there was a a window there, someone filled it in, added the tile, then made the big mistake of painting the grout.
I'm seeing a patched up piece of trim, and a recess that has no reason for being there. All it's doing is causing mold to grow in the corner.
If it was mine I would rip it all out and do it right.


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

This is starting to sound a bit Keystone Cops. 
OP, take a razor knife and run it parallel with the wall. Position some finger between it and the wall for spacing with one hand and use the other hand on the blade, now you have a support and guide to run the blade around the grout/tile edge and clean that line up. 

Run a bead of thin caulk in that grout area and wipe it with a wet rag. 
Let that dry then paint right up to the tile edge and cover the grout/caulk area. You can prime it prior if you wish but I don't think that's necessary.

To clean the edge up and straighten the line, you can use a wet rag on a putty knife, but I don't think you get quite the control that you would get using a rag over your thumb. With the rag over your thumb, pull the pad of your thumb back and press down on the edge and now between the pad and the nail you have a wiper and a guide in one and it locks in and slides right along creating a perfect line everytime. Your hands and fingers are perfect tools themselves, for more than holding tools.


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## stuvwxyz99 (Aug 12, 2012)

joecaption said:


> We only have the pictures you posted to go by, but it almost looks like at one time there was a a window there, someone filled it in, added the tile, then made the big mistake of painting the grout.
> I'm seeing a patched up piece of trim, and a recess that has no reason for being there. All it's doing is causing mold to grow in the corner.
> If it was mine I would rip it all out and do it right.


No windows in this bathroom (it's an apartment building - there is a pretty strong vent that sucks air out and vents to the roof of the building). Here are some longer shots to set the scene. These correspond to the areas in the close-ups in the first post. 

When you say "rip it all out" do you mean the all of the tiling? Or just the trim pieces? 

There is no recess (hopefully that is clear from the newer pictures). What is the concern about mold?


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## stuvwxyz99 (Aug 12, 2012)

jsheridan said:


> This is starting to sound a bit Keystone Cops.
> OP, take a razor knife and run it parallel with the wall. Position some finger between it and the wall for spacing with one hand and use the other hand on the blade, now you have a support and guide to run the blade around the grout/tile edge and clean that line up.


Thanks for the post. I have some questions so as to understand better what to do, and why I am doing it. Should the line be along the border of the tile and the grout? How deep and what is the purpose of this line? 



jsheridan said:


> Run a bead of thin caulk in that grout area and wipe it with a wet rag.


Do I lay the bead along the middle of the grout, between the wall and the tile? And the wiping is intended to spread it out to cover the entire surface of the grout, is that right?



jsheridan said:


> Let that dry then paint right up to the tile edge and cover the grout/caulk area. You can prime it prior if you wish but I don't think that's necessary.


 So, the paint meets the tile and the (caulk-covered) grout is "invisible", correct?


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

You can go either way, either cut the paint line where the grout meets the wall, which skips the steps with the razor knife and caulk, or where the grout meets the bull nose tile. If you take the paint edge to the tile, you could also skip the knife and caulk. It would just look better and cleaner if you cleaned up the messy look of the grout, what I'm seeing in the top pics.

The knifing is to make the "line" where the grout meets the bull nose look straight and crisp, like they taped the top edge of the bull nose prior to grouting. The caulking is to fill in some of the pitting and cracking to make it look smoother. Just run a thin bead of caulk right in the center of it and then smooth it with a wet rag, nothing fancy. Then yes, the current grouted area between the wall and the bull nose will be painted, "invisible".

As I said, this can go either way. Some paint that grouted join, some don't. I do it both ways depending on how the grout job is or which way I think it will look better. I just did a bathroom the other day where I left that grout edge exposed around the vanity top backsplash. It's a judgment call.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

jsheridan said:


> You can go either way, either cut the paint line where the grout meets the wall, which skips the steps with the razor knife and caulk, or where the grout meets the bull nose tile. If you take the paint edge to the tile, you could also skip the knife and caulk. It would just look better and cleaner if you cleaned up the messy look of the grout, what I'm seeing in the top pics.
> 
> The knifing is to make the "line" where the grout meets the bull nose look straight and crisp, like they taped the top edge of the bull nose prior to grouting. The caulking is to fill in some of the pitting and cracking to make it look smoother. Just run a thin bead of caulk right in the center of it and then smooth it with a wet rage, nothing fancy. Then yes, the current grouted area between the wall and the bull nose will be painted, "invisible".
> 
> As I said, this can go either way. Some paint that grouted join, some don't. I do it both ways depending on how the grout job is or which way I think it will look better. I just did a bathroom the other day where I left that grout edge exposed around the vanity top backsplash. It's a judgment call.


wet rage is always better than dry:laughing:


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