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Execute the Cut-in Strokes

9:51
14:52
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At 9:51 in

HOW TO CUT IN CEILINGS. DIY home improvement cut-in hacks and tips

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What happens here

When applying paint to the ceiling line, start by positioning your brush approximately half an inch away from the actual line. Begin painting, then gradually work your way up until the bristles meet the scored groove or caulk bead you created. Drag the brush in one direction for about a foot. Then, immediately drag the brush back over the same section in the opposite direction. This back-and-forth motion helps the paint settle into any wall textures, ensuring thorough coverage and eliminating missed spots. Continue this process, section by section, dragging the paint one way and then the other. It's also recommended to hold your breath for short intervals while making precise brush strokes to maintain a steadier hand.

Goal: Apply paint along the ceiling line to create a sharp, well-covered edge.

Tools and materials

  • 2-gallon Bucket — Holding paint
  • Ladder Werner — Reaching the ceiling line
  • Purdy ClearCut Brush Purdy — Applying paint for cutting in
  • Paint — Applying to the ceiling line

What they say

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professional. But I'm going to get it up here. Put my brush there. And I actually get it away like a half an inch away from my cutting area. And then I begin to work up to it. And then I drag my paint one way. And typically it's going to go about, you know, over a foot or so. And then I'll come back the opposite direction and drag it back the opposite direction cuz typically your wall is going to have texture in it. And as you're dragging your paint one way, it's going to go over the top of the textures and leave some miss spots. So you drag it one way, drag it back the next way. And after I drag it back the next way, then I take and I back roll it. But I'll take and do a full a section. I'm going to do this whole section. I'm going to drag it one way. I'm going to come back and drag it another way. Now I'm going to do a little bit more. Drag it one way. Come back and drag it another way. Do this section over here. I'm gonna drag it one way. And then drag it another way. And then I'm going to come back and back roll cuz this now is brushed. And if I roll my walls now up to here, you're going to see a different texture left by the paint from rolling it versus brushing it. So I always go back and back roll it just like this. And I try to get as close as I can to the ceiling. And then I move on and do my next section. Just like that. You're going to come up. Turn your brush as you're coming just like that. And then you're going to back roll it. And just like that. That's how you do your ceiling cut ends. And I typically

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