“Cutting in paint” is the technique of painting a crisp straight boarder of paint between two joining surfaces e.g. a wall and a ceiling or around objects such as windows and door frames.
This has two advantages in that you get a nice crisp and neat joint between your walls and ceilings or around your windows and doors and it also allows you to quickly cover the larger wall area using a more suitable tool such as a roller. Apparently it is called “Trimming In” in North America, but the techniques are exactly the same.
There are a number of reasons that you would cut in before painting:
- When painting a wall you are going to be using a roller, more probably or possibly a paint pad. If this is the case it is impossible to paint into the corners and the joint between the wall and ceiling for example
- It is much quicker that masking up the skirting boards and ceiling to ensure that no paint get on them. It is the only practical way to make sure that the paint stays only on the wall you are painting if you have a lot to paint
- You will get a really crisp, clean line where the paint from the wall ends – if done right!
Cutting in is a technique that will save time and make the job look much better
When to Cut in Paint on a Project
You should cut in just before you paint. Ideally if there are two of you painting, the second person should follow you so that you’ve cut-in blends into the paint for the whole wall, which is much easier to achieve when the paint is not dry.
Since cutting in paint takes place just before you do the actual painting, it is important that you have prepared the walls ready for painting. For more detailed information about what you should have done have a look at our project explaining what is needed to prepare a wall or ceiling for painting.
As a a quick reminder, here are some of the more important tasks that you probably need to get done before cutting it:
- Move all the furniture and pictures that might get in the way
- Laydown all the necessary dust sheets that you need
- Clean, fill and sand the walls so that they are smooth and ready
- You might need to consider a mist coat (a watered down emulsion)
- Mask up any feature that you cannot afford to get paint on
- Remove anything from the wall that you can, including radiators, light fittings and switches
- Get a good cutting in brush – it doesn’t pay to go cheap here
You should always cut in paint before you paint the rest of the wall, because if you do it the other way around you are more likely to get a boarder effect around the edges of the walls where you have cut in. The roller will leave a slightly stippled effect, which a brush will not.
By painting on top of the cutting in you can fade into the cut in paint. Some professionals advocate using a small roller as part of your cutting in process to take the roller effect as close to the corner as you can reasonably achieve – (See more below).
The next step is to confirm where you need to cut in.
Where to Cut in Paint
You will need to cut in all around the wall (or walls) that you are painting – every edge. You will also need to cut in along the corners where one wall meets another, even if you are going to paint both walls. This is because the roller will not get in there and give a complete covering of paint.
It is important to cut in to every edge because this will give you a crisp and sharp line, which a roller will not be able to achieve. This is the case even if you have masked up the skirting boards and the switches.
Cut in along every edge of the wall being painted
Tools Needed for Cutting in Paint
The secret is to have a good quality cutting in brush. Many professionals prefer an angled sash brush as this allows them to get right into the corner, but it is really up to personal preference. We would suggest a decorators brush, ideally with synthetic bristles.
Many decorators prefer to cut in with a sash brush – get one on Amazon here
As with all things DIY and construction there is a tool for every job and this is no different. Paint edging tools or paint cutting in tools (painters George as they are also known) are readily available from pretty much all DIY stores. Due to their fine point you can push it right into any joints and paint along the edge leaving you with a crisp and clean join.
Paint edging tool or paint cutting in tool for cutting in paint
The only other bit of kit you might need (other than the paint!) is a small roller; a 4 inch roller should be about right.
The nap (woolliness of the roller) should be the same or similar to the larger roller that you are going to be painting the rest of the room with. This is so that you can “finish” the cut in area with it and age a very similar stippled effect as the larger roller will leave. This will ensure that the cut in area is not visible.
How to Cut in Paint
The concept is very easy, but in practice is it much harder and it take a great deal of concentration to cut in paint neatly and get a clean finish, however with a little time this is more than achievable.
Mix, stir or shake your paint so that it is ready to be used. Next, you will need to load your brush; this is why you need a good quality brush so that you do not over load it and it will hold it’s shape.
It is a good idea to start in a corner or somewhere is doesn’t matter too much if you don’t get a perfect line. You need to work the brush up and down the corner to work the paint into the middle of the brush so that when you come to paint your straight line between the edge of the wall and the ceiling, the brush has paint to release.
You only need to use the bottom third of the brush. Try not to get paint all over it and do not over load it.
You should hold the brush in a similar way a table tennis player holds his bat. Use your index finger against the thin side of the bristles to give you even more control – this is all about precision. Make sure you’re confortable as you shouldn’t be straining to hole the brush.
Hold your brush like a table tennis player
When your brush is loaded then you need to apply it to the wall. Start a couple of cm (approximately an inch) from the corner you are cutting into and gradually, smoothly and confidently draw the brush along the line of the corner, moving towards it until you are painting a crisp line along it.
Cutting in up to a ceiling
You will need to come back the other way, so don’t get to concerned if there are gaps or it’s not perfect. One clean, single movement is all that it required.
Then you should recharge your brush if necessary and then come back on the opposite stroke. This should fill any gaps caused by any bumps and finish with a nice clean line.
Cutting in requires two strokes in opposite directions
At this stage it is not worth worrying too much if it is not perfect. Don’t waste your time, as you ought to come back for a second coat anyway and you will pick up any gaps then.
At this point is it worth using your small (4 inch) roller to roll out the paint that you have cut in. This will make the join between the rest of the painting more seamless and prevent any “border effects” where the two join.
Use a small roller to ensure that your cutting in is seamless
You now need to work your way methodically around the room, working on about 12-18 inches at a time.
Cut in to every edge, including all ceilings, skirting’s and architraves.
If you have a narrow gap between the ceiling and the door, you might as well paint this while you are there as it will be easier that trying to wield a large roller into this gap.
You will probably need to come back for a second coat so don’t rush and don’t worry about gaps and imperfections. The second coat will pick these up.
As we have mentioned, if you can, it is a good idea to try and paint the room while your cutting in paint is not yet dry as this will allow you to taper in the two paint effects more easily.
Don’t worry if you can’t because with the techniques we have shown you this will not be a problem anyway.
Now all you need to do is clean your brush correctly so they can be used again and get painting the wall!
