Faster, Neater Home Painting with a Paint Edging Tool

Painting a room is a notoriously slow process, but there are quite a few things that you can do speed it up. Use a paint edging tool as a quicker and more efficient alternative to using painter’s tape or cutting in your edges by hand.

A paint edging tool, also called a paint edger, makes it pretty easy to get clean lines around your ceiling and trim. Make sure that you use it correctly so that you don’t end up accidentally creating more work for yourself. Here’s what you need to know about how to use a paint edging tool and tips for selecting the best paint edger for the job.

What is a paint edging tool?

A paint edger is a small, inexpensive, and easy-to-use device, designed to help you paint clean edges around the borders of a room. Use it to paint around trim, baseboards, and the area where the wall meets the ceiling. You can also use it to quickly paint window frames and other narrow places in a room.

While you may find some variations in style, a standard paint edging tool features a square pad attached to a small set of wheels for easy gliding, as well as a handle. With a little bit of practice, it can become one of the most useful devices in your painting toolbox, saving time and stress as you tackle a room’s trickiest spots.

How to use a paint edging tool

A paint edger is easy to use once you get the hang of it. If you’re ready to ditch the painter’s tape once and for all, follow these simple steps.

What you need:

    • Paint edger with attached pad
    • Paint
    • Small painting tray (a durable paper plate would work too)

    How to use the paint edger:

    1. Pour some paint onto a tray or paper plate. Be careful not to add too much, since you’ll want to leave enough room to wipe excess paint off of the edger pad as you go.
    2. Dip the paint edging tool into the paint. A shallow dip is all you’ll need to do here—just enough to lightly saturate the pad. Make sure not to get any paint on the wheels, since those will be gliding along the wall.
    3. Remove any excess. Gently run the paint edger back and forth along the edge of the painting tray or plate to wipe off any excess. You want to have just enough paint on the edger for even coverage but not so much that it drips off when you apply it to the wall. As a general rule of thumb, it’s better to underdo it and have to go back over the area with additional coats than to lay your paint on too thick from the get-go.
    4. Run the edger along the wall. Position the paint edging tool flat against the area that you want to paint, with the wheels along the adjacent part of the wall that you’re trying to keep paint off of, be that the ceiling, the top of the baseboard, or whatever other area you’re working on. Work slowly and evenly, applying paint in the same direction from one end to the other. Reapply more paint to the edger pad as needed, wiping off excess every time.
    5. Let the first coat dry and then apply a second coat. Most interior painting projects require two coats of paint for full coverage, so plan to go over all of the same areas with the edger a second time. Use warm water to clean the paint off of the edger pad in between uses, or toss the first pad and put on a replacement. The average drying time for paint is between one and eight hours depending on the type of paint that you use and various factors within the room. For best results, give your first coat a full 24 hours to cure, and then apply your second coat.
    6. Do touch-ups as needed. Working with a paint edging tool does take some practice, so don’t be surprised if you need to do some touch-ups. Use a small paintbrush to go over any smudges on the area of the wall or ceiling that you didn’t want to paint to cover up imperfections. You could also keep a clean, damp rag with you and clean up paint smudges as you go.

    Choosing a paint edger

    So how do you decide which edger tool is right for your needs? Here are some tips to help guide your purchase.

      • Costs for paint edgers vary from cheap options that run less than $10 to pricier options that run $100 or more. As you might expect, cost and quality are closely aligned; however, a cheap paint edging tool can still provide you with great results. Ultimately, how much you should spend comes down to what your budget is and how often you intend to use the tool.
      • Make sure that you can easily buy replacement pads for whichever paint edging tool you’re interested in purchasing. If they’re not readily available—or if they’re expensive—you’ll want to know that in advance.
      • Consider whether you want a paint edger that can be attached to an extension pole. This could be handy for edging up by the ceiling or for extending further down the wall without having to constantly get up and move. If you do go this route, just keep in mind that the learning curve might be a little bit steeper for figuring out how to keep the edger steady on the pole.

      You can also choose between standard paint edging tools like the ones described in the how-to above or a paint edger that has a special handle to hold the paint so that you don’t have to dip as you go. Both will work just fine, so it comes down to personal preferences.

      Other tips for painting a room quickly

      The biggest benefit of using a paint edging tool is that it can save you a ton of time when it comes to painting the borders of a room. It can also help you achieve clean lines without the need to bother with painter’s tape.

      If you’re really on a time crunch—or if you (understandably) just want to get your painting project done sooner rather than later—you can also use these additional tips to get the job done fast:

        • Do all your prep first. Before you ever open a paint can, prep the entire room by removing all furniture and laying down tarps as needed. Be sure to remove any fixtures and/or outlet covers as well.
        • Start with the ceiling. Painting the ceiling is one of the toughest parts of the whole process. By doing this first, you can afford to work quickly since you’ll be able to easily cover up any splatter that ends up on the walls.
        • Keep the air flowing. Minimize the time in between coats of paint by opening up windows (if the weather allows) and running some fans. Other ways to cut down on drying time include using thinner coats instead of thicker ones and not painting on days when humidity is high.

        Painting is one of the easiest and most effective DIY projects that you can take on as a homeowner, and using a paint edging tool will only make it easier. Don’t worry if your results aren’t perfect on your first try—with practice you’ll be able to use a paint edger to get clean lines around the room in half the time it would take you with other methods. Combined with the other tips above, you could get entire rooms painted in a weekend instead of dragging the project out over the course of several days.

        In need of more painting advice? We’ve got you covered. Check out our tips for painting over a dark color, or the nine colors that can make a room look bigger. If you’re heading outside with your painting project, you can also take a look at our list of top trending exterior colors, which includes tips on choosing the best exterior paint for your home.