How to Cut in Paint

If you’re wondering how to cut in paint with no errors, then it’s essential to prepare and protect the room correctly. All successful DIY projects begin by removing all furniture, including artwork, from the room to remove the risk of damage. The next step is to lay down a Seriously Good Dust Sheet to suitably protect your flooring from spillages.

As with any DIY task, we recommend securing our Seriously Good Dust Sheet in place with the Essentials Masking Tape to provide peace of mind. Then use some sugar soap and a cloth to clean any greasy marks off the wall. There is no need to clean the entire wall, instead focus on area where dirt is visible or around light switches, plug sockets and other edges where people may come into contact with the wall.

Our first and simplest method to cut in will use masking tape. For reliable defence against damage to your skirting and light switches, line the edges of both with the Seriously Good UV Tape  and your paint mixing can begin.

Start by shaking a new un-opened tin of paint, then open and stir the paint to ensure consistency. If a ladder is required for your cut-in paint job, gently dispense some paint into a Small Ultimate Handy Hold. Take the Large Ultimate Handy Hold if you don’t need a ladder and make sure that your paintbrush isn’t overly saturated to avoid unnecessary dripping that could impede your progress. Simply apply the paint in 1m segments using the Ultimate Walls and Ceilings 2″ Flat Brush for a speedy finish. In this method accurate painting is not a requirement as the tape will provide the protection and give you neat lines. Remove the tape as soon as you are finished with your top coat, before the paint dries.

Our second cutting in method dose not require tape.  Instead make use of our precision brush, take the unrivalled Ultimate Blade Brush that features a very fine wide tip that’s perfect for cutting in and delivering flawless results. Place the tip with the long side against the edge you’d like to paint and begin to pull the paint across that area. Once the precision painting is complete, you can begin painting a little higher using the brush as normal. You should aim to paint a 5-10 cm area around the skirting or light switch edge you are cutting in to achieve optimal results, this will give you plenty of room to blend the brushed edge into the roller finish you will have on the wall. Doing this will remove something called the framing effect, where you can see the brushed line around the detail area you have painted.

Using the Blade brush is a great way to build confidence with these more advanced techniques. Once you’ve mastered the Blade brush and can confidently cut in without tape it’s time to head to our step 5 and try cutting in without tape and at high speed.

If you have mastered the first two cutting in methods then you are ready to learn the final tricks needed to cut in like a real professional. Cutting in at this level needs a steady hand but our brushes will help you make quick work of any corner or detailed area you need to paint. For this section we recommend using an angled brush but the Ultimate flat brush can also be used in this way if you are very experienced.

Load the brush with paint carefully, make sure the brush is holding a lot of paint but wipe away the excess. Next take the brush and place it on the wall a few cm’s away from the edge you want to paint. Remember you want the thin edge of the brush to paint along the edge, this will give you the most control. Smoothly bring the brush to the edge at an angle and start to paint down the edge. This will allow you to see how the brush is spreading the paint and will give you more control as you bring it to the edge. Finally smoothly paint down the edge, when you sense the brush is running our of paint brush away the remaining excess paint on the wall ready for reloading.

Try to work in smaller 1m sections, when you have finished your first section complete step 6 and then return to this step to do another meter.

Once a 1m segment has been cut in, pick up the Ultimate 4-inch Walls and Ceilings Roller to begin painting the larger areas of your walls. Ensure your roller is loaded with paint and press it to the wall about a foot away from the edges you have previously cut in. Begin rolling in a light W motion towards the painted area, ensuring the new paintwork Is connected to the cut in paint as much as possible without hitting the edges. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until your room has all the edges painted and a nice thick rolled boarder has been made. You can now finish painting quickly with a 9 inch roller.

This technique will deliver a smooth finish to the edge of your wall that is sure to be the envy of your house guests. Browse our extensive range of expert-led DIY guides today and complete each aspect of your project to perfection.