Paintycait's Brilliant Tip on 'Cutting In'.

[DNS]

Might not be technically correct, but personally I find that thining the paint slightly helps looooads, especially if using some of the thicker DIY paints.

[paintycait]

I think thinning the paint is acceptable up to 10% anyway..all depends on the site circumstances; very hot dry day and I would defo thin. What I hate to see is oil eggshell overly thinned and then ....although it is easier to apply and get a brushmark free finish, all it does is mark a lot.

[Have Brush Will Travel]

I think its better to have a can of paint conditioner on hand for thinning oil based stuff...white spirit is ok and fine most of the time but it can break down the structure of the paint...thats where paint conditioner has the edge.

[paintycait]

totally agree.....

[Have Brush Will Travel]

All ready for the nightshift Cait? lol

[paintycait]

Yeh...looking like it doesn't it. I have finally got my computer back, working and loaded with all the shizzle I need to blog, tweet and all that jazz. I am back in business :)

[charltonkeston]

Can I just add to Caits great advice...

If you are able...on door frames...vertical edges etc..cut in the left hand edges with your left hand and right hand one with your right..its a far more natural, easier and comfortable way to do it and you will have better control over a brush..

For those painters here....look at the contorted way you have to hold a brush if your right handed cutting in a left hand architrave to a wall..in many case the brush blocks your line of vision as well..it can also put strain on your wrist and you have to move your arm up and down as opposed to the brush...

Easy for me to say this as im left handed..and most left handed (or 'cack' handed as my father used to say!) people are able to do more with their right hand than right handers are able to do with their left...I do nearly everything with my right hand except write (no jokes please...its Easter!!!) but for newbie painters its a good habit to get into..I tell my trainees when they say they cant paint with well their left..'you cant paint that good with your right yet either...so why not learn to use both?'

Oh and...when cutting in a wall to a ceiling a lot of people will say 'if your left handed start on the right...right handed start on the left'...I dont agree...if you do that youl find you have to keep sweeping your hand across the front of you and its like laying off backwards...far easier to work away from yourself with either hand imo

Just a thought...

No one told me of your method (above) but that is the way I "paint" (not a pro).
I'm right handed but it seams perfectly natural for me to be able to use both hands.

2 of my grand parents, mother and father and my wife are/were left handers.
I was also two footed at football. Must be in me jeans

[Leif]

I've figured out another method that I find works, which I shall call the numpty method, cos I is a numpty.

Basically I am a beginner and I could not figure out how to consistently cut in without paint running. This method assumes an angled 1" cutting in brush. I found a cheap one from Wilkinson works best for me as the bristles are very stiff. The method is to roughly paint a length of the cutting in, say 6", but not all the way to the edge. I leave ~1/4" near the edge unpainted. Then I smooth out the paint, which makes sure not much paint remains on the brush. That bit is quick and easy. Next I hold the brush near the head (a bit like post 1), press it onto the wall so that it splays out, and then drag it along the edge, so that the edge of the splayed bristles are dragged along the edge. This bit is also fairly quick and easy once you get used to it. The point about the second part is that because there is already paint on the wall, that paint loads the brush as it is dragged down, and small drops are then carried to the ends of the bristles and to the edge. This ensures a steady flow of paint to the edge, whilst avoiding the danger of overloading a brush. I get pretty damn good edges, certainly up to the standard of pro jobs I've seen. My main problem is the ceiling, as it is hard to discern the line between wall and coving, but that is another issue.

I'm not saying this method is better than others, it probably isn't when a pro is doing the work, but it does work for a novice i.e. me. Obviously a pro has years of experience, and their hand eye coordination will be better than mine.

[fordy]

Far easier to cut in with a bigger brush believe it or not, a 1inch will make your life harder and take longer!

Its paint dont be afraid of it, you can always redo it!

Have a bit more confidence and patience and it wil come.

[paintycait]

Absolutely!!! I always think of the fact that if you have a 3" brush and I lay it on the surface correctly, I have cut in all but 3" of wall, and to do that with a 1" takes three times that and all the while a chance of a wiggle if you are not sure of your technique