Understanding Painting Rules

3 Tips For Painting Crisp, Straight Lines Along Your Baseboards

23 February 2018

Constance Cunningham

While painting the rooms in your home, you may dread trying to paint around your baseboards, afraid that you may create a messy, uneven line. If so, use the following tips for keeping your lines straight and crisp as you paint the walls along your baseboards.

Apply Painter's Tape with a Putty Knife

Before you start cutting in your walls, apply blue painter's tape to the top ridge of your baseboards. However, instead of using your fingertips to press the tape onto the wood, use a putty knife instead.

As you roll the tape on, smooth it down with the knife. Using the knife will keep the surface of the tape even and remove air bubbles from underneath. This will then give you a straighter base on which to paint.

Use an Angled Brush to Cut in the Border

After applying the painter's tape, you are ready to start cutting in the borders of the walls. However, do not use a roller for this task, even if it is a small one. The outer edges of the roller tend to collect excess paint and could splatter.

Instead, use a small angled brush to cut in the border. The thin end of the brush will fit snugly in the crevice between the wall and tape, giving you better coverage and control than you would have with a bulky roller.

While cutting in along the baseboard, use small, straight brush strokes that overlap slightly. Using smaller, overlapping strokes ensures that you do not miss any spots that would leave noticeable gaps in your paint job.

Remove the Tape Before the Paint Fully Dries

After you have finished cutting in the border, remove the painter's tape before the paint has a chance to fully dry. If you wait until the paint has dried, you may pull small chunks off along with the tape.

As you remove the tape, pull the end of it straight up, then slightly towards you. As you pull the tape off of the baseboard, keep the motion fluid and even to ensure that the tape's removal does not create waves in the paint 

Using the above tips can help you create clean edges around your baseboards without a lot of mess or hassle. For more tips or product recommendations for making your painting job easier, ask a representative at the paint store from which you purchase your supplies for more information.

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