How to Cut in a Ceiling With Paint

Set up a ladder in a left-hand corner of the room. This will allow you to work from left-to-right.

Grab a roll of 2-inch low-adhesive masking tape and climb the ladder. Pull the tape from the roll with your left hand while allowing the tape to unroll in your right hand. Place the loose end in the corner so that its width hangs down and its length runs along the top edge of the wall.

Stick the top edge of the tape to the topmost corner of the wall and slide your left hand's fingers across the edge. Pull the tape away from the wall with your right hand if the line gets off track. Pull a few feet out of the roll and then climb down and move the ladder. Climb back up and repeat this process until you have masked off the corner edge between the ceiling and the wall. Keep the upper edge of the tape as straight as possible. Mask off all ceiling light fixtures.

Fill a hand-held paint holder with a few inches of paint. The holder should be large enough to accommodate a paintbrush and a mini roller.

Dip the bristles of the paintbrush up and down in the paint until they are loaded with paint. Set the ladder in a left-hand corner of the room and climb to the top.

Reach up to the corner of the ceiling and apply the bristles to the surface. Move the brush across the surface until the paint in the bristles runs out. Re-dip the brush in the paint and apply another stroke picking up where the last stroke left off. Push the paint into the corner so it barely touches the edge of the masking tape. This will keep the paint from seeping beneath the tape edge.

Run the mini roller back and forth over the paint to smooth out any brush lines. Apply enough paint with the brush to paint out from the wall and into the ceiling at least 4 inches. Feather the paint out into the ceiling with the paint roller to eliminate any hard lines. Move the ladder to the right to pick up where you left off.

Cut all the way around the ceiling and around the light fixtures. Wait three to four hours and then apply a second coat. Wait one hour and then remove all of the masking tape.