Ok so I made the mistake of not having the construction company do the paint in our new home addition in an attempt to save a few hundred bucks. Lesson learned, I will never do that again!! Anyway, I have painted other walls before and have always been able to obtain a fairly straight line with the blue tape. However, this wall is different. I am guessing because it is a brand new wall. I used an all in one paint and primer in a dark blue. The area where the wall meets the ceiling is very rough and I have tried every edging tool on the market to get a straight line with our dark blue paint and it is just not happening. It looks like a 6 year old tried to paint a line, it is that bumpy, no joke. The second problem, is that I have not yet painted the ceiling (yes I know I did it backwards), which I had planned to paint white but I cannot get the line to look good so I have put it off. I am so frustrated by painting at this point that I am ready to eat the money and call a painter. Has anyone been through this?
it would be cheaper to have a painter fix just that line and do the ceilings... since you've done the majority of the rest. I say go for it!!
cheaper solution: hang some wood trim to hide the bumpy lines! Instant upgrade to your home....& cheaper than using a painter!
This technique works well for me - and we have "textured" walls. First, I would repaint the whole seam of wall and ceiling to match the ceiling (starting over). When that is VERY dry, then put up your blue tape on the ceiling. THEN (KEY) take some painters caulk and put some in the seam. Run your finger along the seam to push the caulk in. It will fill in the places that the paint is seeping through. After that is dry - 10 minutes, then paint the wall color. You can even be a bit messy here. After the wall color dries only 5-10 minutes. pull of the tape and you have a PERFECT line! Good luck
Here's a trick I learned a long time ago from a girl who loved painting rooms and change the color about every three months (no joke). She tapes it up on the ceiling line. Then she paints the ceiling color along that seam. It will make the ceiling color bleed under first (like your blue is doing, which is making it look bumpy, but since it matches the ceiling color no one sees the bleeding). Let it dry. Then you can paint with your blue. When you peel back the tape the line on the blue will be almost perfectly straight. (since you have already painted with the blue,I'd probably prime the top area and cover up the mistake, paint the ceiling and then do my trick). Good luck!!
i hadn't seen or if i did, didnt' notice this before, but in the house we bought the blue paint only goes up to with in 4 inches of the ceiling, and there is a border just of paint, so it 's harder to tell that the wall and the ceiling line is bumby. wow that was a bad explaination. let me try again. Keep your blue wall, but make a 4 inch border of primer then paint in a neutral beige or white to complement or match your ceiling, still having trouble explaining that if you need me to i can take picture and email it to you.
Yes, yes, and YES! Call the painter... ;)
Actually, in this case it's better that you're painting the ceiling second.
Here's the trick: paint the wall blue, getting as close to the ceiling as you can. Rub the edge of the tape to make sure it's adhered well to the wall. Forget edging tools, they're a pain and don't work. Once the wall is painted, take painter's tape, and tape the wall area, leaving approx 1/2 inch BELOW the ceiling. Do NOT try to put the tape right where the wall meets the ceiling, or the line will be uneven, and when you pull off the tape, it will often pull off parts of the paint. Then paint the ceiling. If you use a good quality white paint (I assume it's white) -- you can even use the same type of primer/paint as the blue -- it will easily cover any of the blue.
This way you will have a perfectly straight line just below your ceiling, and you don't notice that the line doesn't quite meet the ceiling. The last time I painted a ceiling I did this, and it came out perfectly. I still look up and admire my straight line.
And the border idea suggested by VM is good too, it's kind of like having crown molding without the molding. I've seen this done quite nicely.
The makers of the blue tape also make other colors for different purposes, I do think I have seen one for bumpy walls on a commercial.
HAHA aww you poor thing, I've been in your shoes. I wanted to surprise my husband by painting the bathroom by myself... He came home to me in tears and had to finish it himself, LOL!!
Me personally, I'd get my hubs to do it. If you don't think you can correct it (or maybe a good time to call in a favor to your new neighbors), yes, call a painter, BUT... price around first ;)
If you're thinking about hiring painters, keep an eye on groupon and living social and other discount sites- my area just had a groupon for 63% off painters, so maybe your area will come up with something similar!
Use a sponge brush.
Yep! Been in your shoes! We just finally paid to have our interior professionally painted because we tried to paint ourselves. Some places looked ok, others, not so much. And there was a vaulted ceiling up a staircase that we just could not do ourselves. I shopped around and found a good local place to do it. They were done in two days and It's like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders! Our house is finally uniform! I would shop around and find a place that does small jobs, it will be worth the stress it saves you! Good luck!
