Painting question - taping crown molding

[Chester11]

I'm painting some crown molding a different color, and need to prime it. My plan is to run tape on the ceiling for the primer. For the color coat, I will probably tape both the wall and ceiling. Crown will be white (it's now a puke brown), wall will be a darker color.

Question is how do I do this? Do I prime, pull the tape before it dries, and then retape for paint?

I know everyone says just cut a line, but if I free hand it, I guarantee I will screw it up.

Thanks.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Why not just prime it while it’s taped at the ceiling, then add a piece of tape at the wall when it’s time to paint?

 

[burbguy82]

I'm painting some crown molding a different color, and need to prime it. My plan is to run tape on the ceiling for the primer. For the color coat, I will probably tape both the wall and ceiling. Crown will be white (it's now a puke brown), wall will be a darker color.

Question is how do I do this? Do I prime, pull the tape before it dries, and then retape for paint?

I know everyone says just cut a line, but if I free hand it, I guarantee I will screw it up.

Thanks.

Sand some just to make it rough......
Tape well......use a credit card to apply
caulk your joints well before paint if need be
use a premium paint (sherwin williams emerald comes to mind or Behr)...... that is paint and primer in one

also brush choice is key.......fine bristle, angled, Purdy brand.........dont use a cheap brush.

 

[burbguy82]

Why not just prime it while it’s taped at the ceiling, then add a piece of tape at the wall when it’s time to paint?

because dried paint will come off with the tape......wait too long to remove the tape, and there is your issue.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Score the tape with a knife? I’d take my chances at some touch ups to avoid re-taping stuff over my head.

 

[ecotourist]

Yellow or orange frog tape comes off relatively well. You can probably get away with leaving yellow tape on for a couple of days. But it's probably better to remove the tape while the paint is wet. Be sure to press the edge of the tape down really well and not overlap because a brown strip between a white ceiling and a white or light coloured crown molding will look awful. Our ceiling and crown molding are essentially the same colour and that helps too. (The reason I say essentially is because there is some variation in the ceiling texture.)

Be sure to wipe off any drips on the walls. A drip or run that is left may be raised enough to show through the final wall finish.

One trick we learned from a professional painter is that there is no reason to worry about rolling the walls before the cut-in dries. You can even let it dry.

We always use a separate primer and paint. If you're doing a colour you can have the primer tinted too. Use good paint. Your time is worth something.

 

[spasm3]

@demarpaint

 

[demarpaint]

If you're not painting the walls or ceiling. I'm assuming then there is no caulking needed where the molding meets the ceiling or wall, otherwise touch up to those areas or repainting will be required. Having said that if only the molding is being done, tape it first with a high quality painters tape and make certain it is close to the molding and tight to the wall and ceiling. Carefully prep making certain you don't tear or damage the tape. Once the prep is done, prime and paint it, and when dry remove the tape pulling it at an angle away from the trim, not toward it.

 

[RooflessVW]

Cut the ceiling edge, don't worry about the wall edge since you're painting the wall.

Then cut the wall edge to the trim when you paint the wall.

 

[Chester11]

Thanks all - appreciate the help.

 

[Donald]

The pros typically use a tapered brush and don't tape most of the time. The really good pros use a 4" non tapered brush and are just good at it.

Dermapaint can comment.

DIY use painters tape. Taping requires the tape to be very straight and 100% pressed to the wall or moulding. Not just stuck to the wall or moulding.

 

[Chester11]

Update here - it's been a slow motion project. Painting the trim went really well, I didn't need much tape. I ended up adding some caulk, and it looked pretty good. Until I starting painting with a red color below.

Short version: I'm really struggling with the line between the wall and molding (both ceiling and chair rail).

Paint I am using is Ben Moore (Ben), but I just can't cut a straight line. For the paint above the chair rail it keeps dripping or sagging down, so the line looks awful. Any less paint and there is no coverage. (I actually started with Regal Select, I'll save my rant on that, I think I just got a bad mix, or bad can). I'm going to have a bunch of touch ups.

I'm on coat number 4 (plus the primer coat). I didn't use tinted primer, which probably was my downfall. For some reason, I assumed that going from light to dark would be easy, as long as I hit it with a primer coat.

What I learned - red is impossible, and anything dark I'm hiring out.

The light color (Ben) I used for the trim and lower third of the wall under the chair rail was super easy - a couple drips, but those were on me. I figured the wall was worth an upgrade to regal select, but for some reason the dark color is hard to work with. (After two coats of Select, I switched back to Ben, which worked a little better).

Is red just a difficult color to work with? Should I switch to a Chinex brush? Any help would be appreciated.