Tips for Painting Interiors: A Scientific Approach

[Saladsamurai]

I have done enough interior/exterior painting to have a general idea of what I am doing, but I have a couple of questions?

When you are painting an interior wall and you are 'cutting in' at the ceiling, do you:

(a) use the brush vertically and paint from the ceiling downward
or
(b) use the brush horizontally...?

And in General do you:

Clean your roller covers? Or just replace them?


Use masking tape or no?


ANy "hot tips" you may have would be great too!



When I paint I generally:

1. Sand and wash surfaces

2. Paint the ceiling

3. Paint the trim

4. Cut in walls with brush

5. Roll out walls



(for walls, I prime once and paint twice)

Also:

Do you wait for the 'cutting in' of walls to dry completely before rolling the rest of the wall out? Or do you cut a section in and roll it and then repeat? The former is the way I do it.


Thanks!

 

[Moonbear]

Along edges, I work parallel to the edge (so horizontal in the case of a wall joining the ceiling). As for rollers, it depends on the roller. A good quality roller is reusable, so I wash it and keep it. If it's just a cheap disposable one, I throw it out. Though, if I just need to keep a roller long enough to put on a second coat, I wrap it in plastic wrap to keep it moist rather than spend a lot of effort cleaning it thoroughly or wasting money on more than one roller.

With most paints I've used, if you do your trim first, by the time you come back with the roller doing walls the same order you did the trim on, it's dry enough to go straight to rolling the main wall.

For masking tape, it depends on what you want to accomplish. I find it most useful around things that aren't going to get painted, while doing the trim, like around windows. Use the blue tape that doesn't stick too much or leave residue. And, I peel it up as soon as I'm done painting that area so it doesn't sit too long...if it sits, it's more likely to pull up the paint under it. On the other hand, when I'm painting both walls and ceiling, I don't use tape. The tape is too likely to pull up the paint on either the wall or ceiling (whichever you're not painting at the time), and then leave uneven holes to patch. Instead, if you want clean edges there, something as simple as a straight edge of cardboard, or one of those plastic spatula type things can be held in the corner while painting to provide a clean edge. If you do that, just keep a wet rag close by to wipe off the paint from the straight edge you're using every so often so it doesn't smear paint as you use it.

 

[edward]

An angled brush makes cutting in a lot easier. Take your time and don't overload the brush.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31XCDFC79CL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

I use masking tape a lot more since the blue type came out. I have always used masking tape along the floor.

 

[BobG]

Stuff below the paint, I tape plastic sheeting over it (only applies to bathrooms, kitchens - rooms that have non-removable tile or counter-space that I don't want to get paint on). Stuff above the paint, a straight edge is good. I paint horizontal to the edge, but then usually dab the fresh paint so there's not such an abrupt transition from fluffy roller to flat trim.

Closed spaces, like the bathroom I just painted, I use a lot of tape and a lot of plastic. There's so little floor space I could just imagine myself stepping into the paint tray. Stepping flat into it would be bad enough. Stepping on the edge and flipping paint everywhere could be a disaster. Somehow, I managed to do neither in spite of two coats of primer (it was a wall stripped of wallpaper, so was basically raw) and two coats of paint.

I wound up going with the safe, sugared almond by the way. I got rid of a lot of clutter, as well (we had a cheap shelf that fit over the toilet tank). I bought new soap dispenser, toothbrush holder, soap dish, etc with a bamboo pattern and new hand towels that almost match (technically, the towels have palm trees from an entirely different climate, but at least the color pattern matches). It looks very simple and very nice, both in natural light and artificial light.

I at least left open the option of adding a mural (one of the pre-prepared ones), but once the initial paint job was done, I didn't really want to add anything to it.

As for the roller covers, I buy cheap disposable and cheap disposable paint trays. I have a reasonably good roller with an extendable arm that's worth cleaning and keeping. It has a shield over the roller to prevent spattering. The roller covers and trays are more trouble than they're worth.

 

[Saladsamurai]

Thanks guys!I found this link. About halfway down the page is a diagram and caption on how to 'cut in'

Anyone use this method? Is this what you meant Moonbear?
http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-paint-room.htm

 

[Moonbear]

Thanks guys!


I found this link. About halfway down the page is a diagram and caption on how to 'cut in'

Anyone use this method? Is this what you meant Moonbear?
http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-paint-room.htm

I think my method fits better with what they described as "beading."

 

[rootX]

I really loved Mr Bean's method:

 

[Saladsamurai]

I really loved Mr Bean's method:

No no. . . this simply will not do

 

[hypatia]

I just tarp and tape off anything I don't want painted and use a spray gun. My husband doesn't let me paint inside anymore

 

[Saladsamurai]

I My husband doesn't let me paint inside anymore

Paint guns are EVIL!

 

[BobG]

I just tarp and tape off anything I don't want painted and use a spray gun. My husband doesn't let me paint inside anymore

Is that because he doesn't like being tarped and taped or because he doesn't like being painted?