# Paint edgers



## handypilot (Jul 18, 2006)

Bernarm said:


> Can someone recommend a paint edger or other product to cut straight lines between ceiling and wall that works well.
> 
> Thanks


Do you have any texture on the ceiling? If so, you can't use any type of edger or painters tape to cut in the walls.

Regardless os the type of ceiling you have, I would just use a high quality brush (I recommend Purdy) to cut in. When I first started DIY painting I used edgers, then I went to taping everything off, but now it's just a waist of time IMHO. With a good guality brush and a steady hand, you'll whip through painting tasks. Still, I do tape some things off, but for the most part I do it by hand.


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## slickshift (Aug 25, 2005)

I've got a box full of gizmos
None work well
Really, the best way is by brush


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## ChrisF79 (Jun 18, 2006)

I'm still a big fan of taping. I just helped some friends paint their first home last weekend and we taped the ceilings and the baseboards and it ended up looking fantastic. Where it was difficult taping, we erred on the side of the wall so we could take a very small brush and touch up where we missed.


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## Kennedy (Jan 1, 2006)

Buy a top quality brush like Purdy and half of your cut-in problems will be solved. A stiffer bristled, angled sash brush is the tool to get your lines under control for a weekend painter.


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## SgtBaldy (Jul 18, 2006)

Load that good brush up with paint. Don't scrape off the excess on the side of the pale.

Go fast. If you go slow your lines will be all wobbly. You will be suprised how straight you can make a line by speeding it up.


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## J187 (May 19, 2006)

Also, if there are some areas that you are unsure of, you can use a 10" taping knife and lay it flat against the ceiling - not perfect but it helps in areas where you think you may slip or are hard to reach. Also, in the hand I hold my cut in paint pan, I also keep a wet rag. In case of a splatter or I accidentally touch the ceiling or something, you've got a minute or so to wipe it up.


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## BPP (Jul 31, 2006)

I have just finished painting the majority of my house and I was thinking of cutting in the bedroom with just a brush. Any tips for a first timer? The rooms with taping came out pretty good except for a little amount of bleed through. I think I could speed up the job dramatically if I didnt tape though. 

Also, call me weird but I started hating painting but now I love it. I wouldnt mind doing it as a part-time job on the weekends.


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## billinak (Mar 16, 2005)

I would also recommend the angled brush, especially for the wall/ceiling corner. I've found that if I apply the paint to the wall an inch or two below the ceiling, then work the paint up into the joint slowly, you can get a good line between the wall and ceiling without any drip or globs in the corner. I've also found that, one really good first coat is good enough for the corner, with additional coats applied to within a centimeter or so of the ceiling. That way you don't have to be quite as careful with the second coat.


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## paintergal (Oct 5, 2007)

*The Accubrush Paint Edger seems to work well!*

We have our own box of edging gizmos in the garage, none of which really worked. But we did run across the Accubrush Paint Edger online and tried it out and it actually did a very nice job. :thumbup: You can check them out at www.painthelpers.com. It is a slick little paint edger that has a brush and roller combined together. One of the versions can even go up on a pole so that you can paint along the top edge of the wall against the ceiling. 

Probably better for you to see the video demos on the website than for me to try to explain it myself. Shipping was fast and the customer service was quite good. 

Some time I'll post some pics of my painting project up here so y'all can see what I did. Big red accent wall against white trim, so I really did need good paint edging! 

Paintergal


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## Workaholic (Apr 1, 2007)

paintergal said:


> We have our own box of edging gizmos in the garage, none of which really worked. But we did run across the Accubrush Paint Edger online and tried it out and it actually did a very nice job. :thumbup: You can check them out at www.painthelpers.com. It is a slick little paint edger that has a brush and roller combined together. One of the versions can even go up on a pole so that you can paint along the top edge of the wall against the ceiling.
> 
> Probably better for you to see the video demos on the website than for me to try to explain it myself. Shipping was fast and the customer service was quite good.
> 
> ...


I seen that on another forum. Still seems gimicky.

I reccomend a quality brush and a quality roller set up.


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

Check the online tutorial for painting without using painter's tape @ http://www.diypaintingguide.org/painting-without-using-painters-tape/


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## xraypaint (Feb 17, 2011)

I have never had success with paint edgers. Purchase a high quality name brand brush. A paint edger cant get into detail areas.


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## xraypaint (Feb 17, 2011)

Sometimes you just can see the corner you are painting. Use a pencil or a colored pencil to draw a line to visually guide your brush along. I wrote a small article about it here: http://khakipantpainting.blogspot.com/2011/01/imag0398jpg.html


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## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

see the other thread that says the same question.


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## MikeDoesIt (Sep 7, 2012)

In ascending order of cost: 

1) Cut in by hand. No masking tape cost, but can look bad if you're not experienced. And trust me, getting good at cutting lines freehand takes a while. 

2) Masking tape with caulk. Apply the caulk to the edge of the tape that will be painted over so that that paint doesn't bleed under, and be sure to remove the tape BEFORE the paint can dry and form a solid bond between the wall and the tape, otherwise you'll pull the paint off the wall if you haven't prepped properly. If properly done, masking tape will give the novice painter much better lines than doing it freehand. It just takes a long time.

3) Paint Pads. They're cheap but I don't personally like them because of the picture framing effect (paint is thicker around the edge of the wall). However, many people do like them. 

4) Accubrush Paint Edger. You can find it mentioned in other threads. We've used them and they're great, and over the long haul, much cheaper than masking tape. I get a cut-in line about as good as I can freehanding it, but much faster. You still have to cut in some parts of the room by hand, as the Accubrush doesn't get into small nooks and crannies. 

Other than that, there's not much else out there that's worked for me. Good luck!


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## DannyT (Mar 23, 2011)

like a few have said , get a good brush. those packs of brushes with 4 for 6 dollars are crap. a good brush will make your job a lot easier and enjoyable and if you clean it right it will last for years and years.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

MikeDoesIt said:


> In ascending order of cost:
> 
> 1) Cut in by hand. No masking tape cost, but can look bad if you're not experienced. And trust me, getting good at cutting lines freehand takes a while.
> 
> ...


 
Are you actually a painter? Besides this thread being 5 years old,the accubrush you support is hardly a tool for a painter. Get a good brush and learn how to use it, no need for masking tape( especially the brown stuff) or all the other gimmicks out there.Masking tape AND chalk? Wow


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## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

Chris..this is the DIY forum....


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

DannyT said:


> like a few have said , get a good brush. those packs of brushes with 4 for 6 dollars are crap. a good brush will make your job a lot easier and enjoyable and if you clean it right it will last for years and years.


Absolutely!:thumbsup: And with a little practice you can practically pinstripe with the edge of a nice angled sash brush. The long handle will balance nicely and the learning curve will be shorter than you imagine. 

If you use crappy, cheap brushes they will not hold and flow paint the same and you will be in for a constant battle with them. And you will have the added thrill of having to pluck bristles out of your work as you go. 

Using good brushes every day they lasted me quite awhile. If the typical homeowner buys a few good ones appropriate to the type of paint, they will last the life of the home if not the owner's lifetime.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

Brushjockey said:


> Chris..this is the DIY forum....


 
yea, but ,but,but :surrender:


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Sorry but wow! When an army of posters, mostly newbies, show up on the same day pushing a product in multiple post in an obvious and calculated PR driven SPAM fashion we are to be reminded this is potentially a site for unsuspecting diyers and not the contractor site?:furious:We should say nothing and let them spend small fortunes on plastic crap? 

Only misguided idiocy would suggest applying caulk to tape. You caulk, let it dry and then use tape only if you feel you have to do so. 

I am sorry but diy or pro? I can teach or relearn anyone to use one of these in a day. Send me airfare, take me sailing, and buy a decent one for $15-20 with no need to ever add parts? Drawing pinstripe like edges without tape just takes some practice. And if you take care of the brush, it will last a typical homeowner the life of the property or if you pack and move it with you, your lifetime.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

MikeDoesIt said:


> In ascending order of cost:
> 
> 1) Cut in by hand. No masking tape cost, but can look bad if you're not experienced. And trust me, getting good at cutting lines freehand takes a while.
> 
> ...


Guessing the last highlighted sentence phrase is especially true. Stick with PR and stop trying to suggest you know how to paint. You almost make me miss Joe's comments.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

sdsester said:


> Guessing the last highlighted sentence phrase is especially true. Stick with PR and stop trying to suggest you know how to paint. You almost make me miss Joe's comments.


 
Well, now I actually can be nice, I might have come across a little stronger than you did, but that was essentially what I was gonna say.:thumbsup:


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Never said I was nice, although some fools think I am. I was really, really good at PR and paid accordingly before I burned out and re-entered the trades---where I really belonged all along. When I see such obvious stuff I feel I have to nail it to a nearby cross. And the PR people trying to spam us find great amusement value in this. So you know, this is the kind of work assigned a junior account executive who is not making what the apron fools at box stores are. 

And for the records, as I age, I want to be one of those crusty old mean bastards that is endeared by the one kid and a dog that sees through him actors fight to portray in movies. :thumbup:

Of course to pull off the image I will need a pet again. Something border line rabid and not as smart and full of humor value as pets I have had in the past would be nice. And I no longer believe pets will find me appropriate women. Truth be known, I turned my last cat into fine art (not really but I love this photo).


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