Cutting Ceiling Lines | 2 Pass Method

In this painting video I demonstrate a simple 2 pass pre-cut method for cutting-in ceiling lines over a 4’ area using the new Wooster Alpha 3” Flat brush #4234. My paint brush was loaded using the wipe method, only a small amount of paint was placed on the bottom of the brush to cut-in.

The ceiling in this room was at an awkward height. I cut-in off a 2’ Werner step ladder on the middle step, normally I like to be on the top step. For this particular cut, I was too high on the ladder to see the ceiling line nicely which can drastically reduce the effectiveness of your cut-in time.

Productivity can also be maximized cutting-in ceiling lines painting off a 3’ wide Werner step ladder allowing you to cut about 7’ or so depending on your arms reach. For the 2 pass pre-cut method to be effective, a few things need to happen that are not so obvious in the video and I will discuss what they are in the next week or so.

Wipe Method | Cut-in Ceiling Lines

Here is another short painting video using the pre-cut method cutting-in a ceiling line. Often regardless of the paint used — I will make two passes on a ceiling line when cutting-in and a final feathering-off pass. This allows me to move a large amount of paint across a 6 or 7’ span during the 1st pass and realign the brush for the second pass. This is the method I use to cut 11 to 14’ per minute although I do it with a 7/8” x 3” flat brush. I will discuss the mechanics behind the precut method in more detail in the weeks ahead because there is so much more happening in this video that meets the eye. Also, I will show an alternative two pass method for cutting-in ceiling lines that’s more efficient than the one in the painting video below. Note: The angle of the video camera somewhat makes the width of cut look less than it was.

In this short video I show what my brush often looks like when cutting-in and painting pretty much anything. I load the inside of the brush with the amount of paint I need and wipe most of the paint off the outer portion of the brush because I only paint with the bottom edge of the brush, not the side of it and I do not want any paint on the side of my brush interfering with a clean cut.

Wipe Method for Loading a Brush

This painting video is one example of load balancing for cutting-in or painting in general. This is just one of many brush loading methods I use for cutting-in walls to casings but all of them involve wiping paint from the brush. I will go into greater detail in the weeks ahead for my Complete Guide to Paint Brushes on various load balancing methods and when and why I use them and demonstrate their effectiveness for efficiency and productivity in specific situations.

As mentioned in the painting video, the portion of the brush that comes in contact with the surface or wall is the only place I want paint on my brush.

For this particular cut I use a precut method and often it’s the same method used for cutting in ceiling lines with paint.

I used a precut method only because the existing first coat of flat paint on the walls is very absorbent. I would typically use a single pass method for cutting-in if the existing coat of paint on the walls was an eggshell paint or a flat paint that did not absorb my cut such as styrene acrylics.

Wooster Alpha 4231 in Action

This is a short 4 second clip I shot on a repaint cutting-in a casing with the Wooster Alpha paint brush. Be sure to check out the brush review for more info on the Wooster Alpha brush. For this video I used the 2½” or 65mm angular brush.

One thing worth mentioning is the brushes ability to accurately maintain a solid wet edge for a great distance effortlessly without repositioning the brush. Although the video only shows a distance of 3½ feet (half a casing), my brush had enough paint to keep going.

In the video, watch the distance between the right side edge of my cut and the tape measure (white space). The brush stays solid on both edges but only the right side was loaded with paint. I was spreading 100% acrylic low sheen eggshell wall paint. It may help if you set your video player to loop or repeat due to its short length.

Complete Guide to Paint Brushes - Delayed

This is just a quick post to mention the scheduled Complete Guide To Paint Brushes project expected to start today is delayed until the 15^th due to a number of unforeseen circumstances.

I probably could launch it today but it wouldn’t be at the standard I wanted to achieve. I’d rather launch it late, my apologies. Starting April 15^th I will publish at least one article of a series on brushes each day for 15 days.

A few people wrote asking about one of the videos on cutting inside corners and the initial dab or placement of paint I put in the corner before I cut a corner. I must say, you guys have a keen eye! Good catch!

When I approach coming out of an inside corner like the photo above I almost always place a preset amount of paint in the upper corner before I make my cut based on how far I want to cut. This is part of a load balancing strategy I use to carry to the wall a predetermined amount of paint  an area will need, in this case the same cutting distance you see cut on the left wall in upper photo. At this point in the photo above the tightest portion of the corner is already cut. The dab of paint indicated by the blue arrow is for coming out of the corner and nothing more.

The goal here on the ceiling is to achieve maximum length-of-run to minimize loading time on and off a step ladder. I carry the amount of paint the corner will need but I don't need all of the paint immediately at the ceiling line so I place it there until I need to use it. In this case, the dab of paint is used for the final pass down the corner of the wall. Based on the painters I’ve studied cutting, we all tend to have some consistent styles of cut that we do repeatedly and instinctively. It’s always interesting to watch other painters cutting styles and habits.

18” Rollers - Your Friend and Foe

I will be referring to the Wooster SHERLOCK® WIDE BOY™ HULK™ for this article because of the advantages it has over similar frames. 18” rollers can work to your advantage or work against you and knowing when to use them is ‘key’ to discovering when they benefit you most and when they don’t. I personally use an 18” roller more than any other size roller but I also use it with assistance of a 9” roller and sometimes a 6” using the appropriate roller for the size of surface being coated. For the ultimate in productivity, the rule of thumb when using an 18” is this: If the area being rolled is less than 18” wide, use something smaller. You will be more productive keeping the 18 on wider areas and leave those shorter width areas for a 9” or a 6” and it’s good to have both ready at any time on larger jobs or have a second guy running the smaller frames just ahead of you — in a way — cutting in with a roller for the 18”. TIP on Loading an 18” Roller: I’m not a big fan of the VVVV grooves on the ramp of the pan shown so I load the ramp with paint, put a final spin on the roller and at the same time raising the cover off the ramp which will produce the shot you see in the photo. At this split second, I lower the cover into the hanging stream of paint and while the cover is still spinning mid air, I collect as much of that paint hanging as the cover makes one full turn in the air. Carefully select when to use the 18” roller horizontally, in some situations it can benefit you to roll under a 6’ wide window horizontally once you drop to your knees but on the other hand turning the rig horizontally to roll tighter to something or to roll a 12” wide area next to a door can be very counterproductive and leave you going home sore. I prefer to roll out of a pan to avoid the downward dunking or loading inherent with the use of buckets. Pan rolling is particularly helpful when rolling with a 16’ pole with the pan placed across the room instead of positioning the pole downward into a bucket of paint. The combined weight of a 6’ Purdy Pro Extra Extension pole, the 18” frame and loaded roller cover can easily be 6 lbs. and will take some getting use to. PROS: Can cut your rolling time in half compared to 9” rollers Provides a more uniform consistent finish, fewer passes ¹Capable of covering up to 96 square feet of wall board in 60 seconds or less the equivalent to an 8’x12’ wall or you can buy a Speed Roller which was also field-tested to cover 100 square feet per minute if you don’t like loading. ¹Capable of rolling up to 8’ x 42” wide or more with a single load ¹100 sq ft of drywall can be covered in as little as 5-6 loads. Better for back rolling with someone spraying vs a 9” roller CONS: Often not worth getting an 18” out for less than 2 gallons of paint Say goodbye to small tight places Cannot roll tight into corners due to dual side arm design Can be cumbersome or awkward to use at first Becomes heavy after prolonged use but becomes easier with regular use.

¹Dependent on roller nap size, pan use, loading method, surface and type of paint

Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac & SealCoat

A full review of this product was not performed, however, we show the two products side by side on pine and oak samples. Both products are very watery, the first coat of both products virtually disappeared into both samples only leaving a darkened color to the bare wood.

The SealCoat product guarantees the product can be applied under any other clear top coat. See label for details.

Both products dried within 15 minutes at 47% humidity @ 70 degrees. We sanded both products easily with a Glit fine sanding pad and re-coated both in 1 hour.

The second coat left a glossy semi-smooth surface but needs another coat to complete a finer finish. A third coat of the shellac would finish our samples to a nice smooth finish. The photos only reflect two coats of the clear.