5 Tips for Painting Perfect Edges

Some of us dread painting. In most cases, we don’t actually dread painting as much as we dread trying to paint a straight edge. Even pros sometimes struggle to create clear, defined edges against surfaces like trim and floors. Today, we will discuss five strategies for painting perfect edges every time.

Using an Edger

Edgers are neat tools that function as both paintbrushes and paint guards. These tools are designed to ride against another straight edge, like window and door casing while applying paint. Edgers are often made from plastic and contain short bristles for holding paint. To use an edger, paint is applied to the bristles and it is simply pulled across the surface while maintaining contact with the casing. This method keeps the paint consistent and prevents runs.

Using Painter’s Tape

Most of us are familiar with the method of using regular masking tape to define straight edges and prevent overpainting. However, regular masking tape often contains too much adhesive for this task, making it difficult to remove without damage. Painter’s tape is very similar to masking tape, but the release point is much lower. This allows painter’s tape to define crisp edges without damaging the adjacent surface.

Using Paint Guards

Paint guards are often long, narrow strips of thin metal or plastic used to define a straightedge. Paint guards do a good job of lying flat, which is critical to painting perfect edges. However, care should be taken with these tools as they are easily bent, rendering them unusable. Most pro painters that use paint guards treat them extremely well, just as they do their brushes. Cleaning paint guards is a breeze too, even if the paint has dried.

Using Specialty Brushes

What is a specialty brush? Specialty brushes, as the name implies, are used for specific purposes. One of these specialty brush designs includes a built-in straight edge that serves the same function as an edger, but with long bristles that hold more paint. Another specialty brush designed for perfect edges is fine bristled, tapered trim brushes. These brushes form a crisp edge near the tip, which allows for much greater control of the leading edge.

Work From a Pail, Not the Paint Bucket

Lastly, work from a paint pail or cup to prevent contamination of the paint. When painting perfect edges the last thing we want is debris in the paint. Even the smallest fleck of dried paint for dirt can be virtually invisible until it ruins a perfect edge. The pros always use a paint pail or cup instead of painting from the paint bucket. Doing so prevents debris from the surface being transferred to the bucket via the brush, contaminating the paint. If your paint does become contaminated, most paint and big box stores sell one-gallon strainers that can be used to filter out these contaminants.