Tips for Cutting in When Painting a 14′ Wall

Whether you’re following along with a Bob Ross tutorial or discovering The Joy of Painting on your own, there is something incredibly cathartic and satisfying about painting. One of the most rewarding parts of owning a space of your own is being able to invoke that sense of exact neatness in your home.

Unfortunately, that can be easier said than done. Rollers and paint sprayers are great for quickly covering large surfaces with paint. Unfortunately, what you gain in expediency you lose in accuracy, and you can’t get the same degree of crisp neatness and evenness in the swaths of paint that you can with a nice, smooth stroke.

That’s why cutting in around tall walls is so critical for painting in a home.

What Does “Cutting in a Wall” Mean?

First, what do we mean by “cutting in a wall?” You’d be forgiven for thinking it might have something to do with, well, cutting into a wall, but the reality is quite different. For those not in the know, when talking about painting, “cutting in” means painting smooth, sharp, neat, even lines up and down large walls.

Gathering Supplies

To cut in the right way, you’ll need the proper painting tools. These should include the following:

• A paint tray
• Angled sash paint brushes of varying sizes and widths
• A ladder
• Painting tape
• A painting knife

How to “Cut Corners” the Right Way

Most of the time, “cutting corners” is all about taking easier measures to complete a task more quickly and easily but with a lower standard of quality. Throw out that last part, and you can “cut corners” with the best of them while painting.

So, how can you cut corners the right way when cutting in a wall? Simple – don’t try so hard! That may seem like a recipe for the kind of laziness that influences the bad kind of “cutting corners,” but the reality is the harder you press your bush, the faster you’ll likely tire yourself out, to say nothing of the paint splattering and dribbling you may induce from pressing too hard. Smooth, effortless strokes is the easiest way to cut corners without looking like you’ve “cut corners.”

Additional Painting Tips

To get the cleanest brush strokes while cutting in across corners and ceilings, you’ll also want to follow these steps:

• Tape off the area you’re going to paint before doing so
• Avoid soaking or wiping the brush with paint
• Gently pat and load the brush to avoid splatter
• Wiggle the brush slightly while painting corners to “cut in” around the areas more easily
• When trying to cut in at especially steep angles or along tight corners, paint wide of the mark and taper inward on the second and third passes
• Use a painting knife for cutting in along especially sharp edges, creating a natural seam for you to paint around
• Gently taper and feather your paint out from the middle of your cut in line
• Take it one wall at a time
• For especially large walls, such as those of those around 14 feet tall consider getting extension rods for your paint brushes

With these tips in mind and sharp angled paint brushes in hand, you can cut in and create clean, crisp, satisfying lines all along your walls and ceilings.