Painting living room - Edging on fittings

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Birroc

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Hi,

I am about to start painting the living room. Its a fairly complex paint job with doors, lights, windows, fireplaces etc and other fittings to paint around. I am reluctant to use masking tape because it takes so long and doesn't always work out. Is there another technique (maybe a very small paint brush) that I could use for doing the edges and corners along fittings?
 
You could try a paint guard (see the link below for an example).

[broken link removed]
 
I bought a mini roller edger six years ago the shop swore was brilliant for edging. found it rubbish.

Iv only ever used masking tape once and found it a pain to get on and then to get off.

I always use a good quality artist paintbrush (ie looks like a pencil), its a very slow painful job but ull be glad you did it along the ceiling or coving edge. Around the plugs/switches I just paint with smallest normal DIY paintbrush and later scrape off the paint when dried.

I find if you'v no feature walls the job is quicker and if you paint the room the same colour as the ceiling even quicker (I did this is a kids bedroom, bottom half teal, top white, divided by dado)
 
I was painting the skirting and doors yesterday, tried a paint guard, but ended up with a artists brush and a small micro fiber roller. Just wiped any errors with a cloth as I went along. It was slow but kept the new floor splash free.

Have a few different roller and brush sizes. I'd recommend colortrend paint (no connection) I found them excellent and the people in celbridge factory shop were exceptionally helpful.
 
use masking tape, but like anything else there is crap tape and the proper stuff,only use 3m masking tape its about 2.50 a roll it will say 3m on the insert of the roll,any other masking tape with the insert being blank is total crap.it will leave the glue behind after a day or less..get 2" tape and away you go..
 
Paint guards, masking tape & the like don't really work, you'll be much better using your paint brush for cutting in.

Masking tape is good for tucking around the edge of carpet and keeping your drop cloths in place but that's about it.

Get the best quality brush you can afford; wash and dry it really well before you use it.

It does take some practice all right, but you can do that using your ceiling paint and then just paint over with the wall colour when you're happy you know what you're doing.

This video isn't bad
http://youtu.be/pSaLGigxvYA
 
You should get a brush used by signwriters called a fitch. Any paint shop which caters for the trade will have one.
It is a small stiff brush with an angled cut so as to allow for painting designs accurately. Great for close work. Available in various sizes for a few euro.
See the Dulux version - all 4 sizes [broken link removed]
 
Make sure if you are using masking tape that you use low tack tape. Ordinary masking tape can take the paint off walls.

You can purchase this in most paint stores.
 
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