Best Overall
Pro Grade Supplies 2-Inch Angled Sash Paint Brush
Best Bang for The Buck
Luigi’s The World’s Best Paint Pad Set
Best Professional
Shur-Line Edger Pro
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Crisp , clean edges are the trademark of a gravid paint task . To get professional - tone results when paint a room , first fair , while , backbone , andprime the wall — only then should painting set out . For neat results around the ceiling and trim , consider using a rouge edger . These ready to hand tools are used as an option to the painter ’s mag tape that would otherwise be placed along the bound of the ceiling , baseboard , and windowpane / door trim down to keep these areas free of paint .
Using a blusher edger saves time and money because it eliminates the need to record off roof and baseboards . But not all paint edgers are suited for all projects ; some , for instance , may be good for spraying - painting . I spoke to a general contractor to get additional expert advice .
To help DIYers achieve flawless answer , I decide to plain - test some of the most popular products design for the task of key edging . I researched and employed dozens of paint - edging tools to find excellent options for coarse family labor . My top passport is thePro Grade Supplies 2 - in Angled Sash Paint Brushthanks to its unrivaled versatility , ability to be used with both oil- and water - based paint , and suitableness for multiple case of border task . Read on to learn about shopping considerations , how each peter performed in tests , and why I consider those listed below to be the dependable paint edger around .
How I Tested the Best Paint Edgers
Ben Illig , a general contractor with decade of experience and owner ofIllig Propertiesin Ebensburg , Pennsylvania , says the great thing about paint edger is that “ for a DIY painter , they ’re a way to achieve sharp lines with piffling experience . ” In regard to preferred features , he allege , “ I count for how easily the edger can be cleaned . If you have to take the instrument apart to wash out it , that slows down the production . ” This , in addition to being easy to insert the paint in the first place , were my top considerations when choosing my recommend product .
I converted an mediocre sleeping accommodation into a blusher - edger testing lab to find out where each of the chosen mathematical product would stand out . I spent 8 minute testing the edgers in this guide by using them to cut in along 10 foot lengths of wall - ceiling lines , inner - wall nook , window and door trimness , and baseboard clipping .
I prepare the way by get rid of window covering , trade and socket plate cover , and any ironware that may intrude . Test comparisons include freehand brushed , taped and brush , and harbour and sprayed segments , along with edge - rolled and edge - padded sections . In general , brushes with or without tape were the most versatile . Pads typically delivered dissolute applications but with less precision . The hair curler was fast and exact but did not touch into corners .
My Top Picks
The blusher edger reviewed below are made for speed , comfort , and convenience . Anyone pitch up to start a big blusher job may chance one of them idealistic for wee fast piece of work of the project without sacrifice nappy , clean results . understand on to find out how they do in examination .
My rating : simpleness of Use5/5 ; Performance4.5/5 ; Comfort5/5 ; Value5/5
The 2 - in angled sash brush is often a professional panther ’s first alternative for flawlessly cutting in trim , whether working freehand or with a guide . The angled border fits easily into corners and tear a cleaner , true line than a square - edge brushwood can provide . The 2 - in width is ideal for ecumenical usage : cutting in nook , painting trim , eat up article of furniture , and similar item work .
This brushing features proprietary Trylon synthetic bristles that are designed to pick up and release an ample amount of paint , and to work well even in hot , humid out-of-door conditions . It is compatible with all sheens of water- and oil - based key and stains . The 7.5 - inch wood handle is slip - resistant and comfortable to hold , and it bid excellent ambit .
My tests revealed the 2 - inch Trylon slant brush to be a useful option for most rouge edging and trim projection . Although working without a usher require a steady hand , the form , sizing , and bristle textile of this brush enhanced straight lines and minimized the occurrence and effect of mistakes . It allowed me to apply crisp edges at the recess between the wall and ceiling freehanded , without tap or other edging tool , but the physical process go jolly slowly as I was cautious to avoid error . It was also soft to use around tight curves , like the base of a doorhandle . The handle was well-situated to use in different grip positions for added range or increase ascendency .
Get the Pro Grade Supplies paint edger atThe Home Depot .
Photo: Debbie Wolfe for Bob Vila
Best Bang For The Buck
My military rating : Ease of Use4.8/5 ; Performance5/5 ; Comfort5/5 ; Value5/5
Luigi ’s The World ’s Best Paint Pad set is a beneficial outset - up set for a form of task . It include three paint edgers of dissimilar sizes plus a rouge tray . The pads measure 9.5 inches tenacious by 2.5 inches wide of the mark , 5 inch prospicient by 3.5 inches wide , and 9 inches long by 6 in wide to accommodate tight and not - so - close spaces .
The edger are suited for use indoors and out , with both water- and oil - based key . The pads hold enough pigment to brood larger areas in a single angle of dip with fewer drips , spills , and smear liken with similarly sized competitors ’ pad . The freehanded pad can be used instead of a roll to paint turgid paries space .
Photo: amazon
In my tests , the Luigi ’s rouge pad set essay well-heeled to load and use . The short bristle - pad surface is backed with a thin sponge that acts as a blusher reservoir and helps smooth out out uneven surfaces . With three pad sizes to pluck from , I always had one that was just right for the labor at handwriting .
These edgers besmirch pigment on , which requires getting used to for kinfolk more habitual to brushes or roller . Going was ho-hum at first , as I calculate out how much rouge the pads could hold without dripping and how much pressure to apply for a nice finis . After I became acquainted with the equipment , the work became quicker and easier , and I was pleased with the neat results .
Get the Luigi ’s paint edger kit atWalmart .
Photo: home depot
My Ratings : simpleness of Use5/5 ; Performance4/5 ; Comfort5/5 ; Value4.5/5
professional who paint a horde of different areas and use a potpourri of products may apprize the Shur - Line Edger Pro , a compact launchpad - elan edger that creates crisp lines on baseboard and ceiling edges . The conciliatory swivel handle is easy to maneuver and helps painter work well in blind drunk spaces . Its built - in extender receiver can be attached to a pigment perch for secure , less exhausting work .
The two include framework paint pad are well suited to gloss , semi - gloss , satin , shell , and insipid paint . Retractable guides stay clean when paint is loaded onto the pad , and user can eject wet pads in a cracking for agile and gentle cleanup .
Photo: amazon
In testing , the Shur - Line Edger Pro proved to be a versatile , quality production . The pliant caparison feel durable , and the changeable pads lasted a long fourth dimension . The edger was prosperous to throw and easy to control . Two wheels along the front border play as spacers to keep the creature in just the right position along inside corners .
With no sponge backing , however , the pad bristles held less paint than some of the other pad I tested . For this rationality , the Shur - Line edger seemed best suited for matte , mostly placid surfaces , not deep textured surfaces or molded trim .
Get the Shur - Line paint edger atAmazon .
Photo: amazon
Best For Spraying
Warner Tool 36-Inch Spray Shield
My Ratings : Ease of Use4/5 ; Performance4/5 ; Comfort5/5 ; Value4/5
The Warner Tool Spray Shield helps achieve unbowed , clean edges while rolling , smearing , and brushing paint . But it ’s particularly become to spray because its 36 - inch - long by 9 - inch - all-inclusive blade provide rich insurance coverage for paint wide swaths . Though sizable , the cuticle is lightweight to minimize user fatigue . The 18 - column inch handle allow for a longer reach and then folds by for storage and ecstasy .
In examination , the Warner spray shield saved hours of taping and covering in grooming for atomizer - painting . I apprise that the shield was lightweight and easy to use in bicycle-built-for-two with an airless atomiser gun . The aluminum carapace allowed overspray to dry chop-chop and made it easy to just peel off off for make clean . While the adjustable handle was helpful , I did find that once a position was fixed , readapt took longer than look to . I also found the thin aluminum material to be soft and that the corners bend easily , so I recommend cover and storing this tool with forethought .
Photo: lowes
Get the Warner paint edger atLowe’sorAmazon .
Best Edger Kit
Accubrush 11-Piece MX Jumbo Kit
My Ratings : Ease of Use5/5 ; Performance4/5 ; Comfort4/5 ; Value4/5
Working with a standard rouge tray ( not included ) , the Accubrush MX painting puppet charter the time and hassle out of paint edging . The unique equipment coalesce a 4 - inch roller with a hinged edge guide and miniature following brush . The kit let in five replaceable crimper and five replaceable stick to brushes for quick and gentle changes with less cleanup between change .
I found the Accubrush MX edge roll easy to use and especially effective for cutting in walls around windowpane and door trim , mopboard , and crown molding . It also worked along the roof melody , but my textured ceiling do the wind up bound to be slightly less precise . at times , blusher accumulated on the inner edge of the guide , so I made sure to pass over it off each time I charge rouge .
Photo: amazon
I estimate that this peter boil down edging time by at least half compared to brushing . However , it can not edge fully into corners because of the roller ’s conformation . Some final touch - up brushwork was always necessary .
Get the Accubrush key edger kit atAmazon .
Best Edging Brush
Wooster Brush Shortcut Q3211
Wooster Brush ’s Shortcut trimming brush offer excellent mastery and quilt for precision brushing and extend use . The grip is unique , thanks to a rubberlike hold designed to rest in the space between the painter ’s ovolo and index , pencil - like , while the finger and thumb guide the brush by the ferrule . The 2 - inch angled mind offers excellent blusher pickup and precise app for most clipping - paint work .
I love the straight bank line that angled brushes apply almost effortlessly , and the Wooster Brush Shortcut made it even soft to do this work . Its short , cushioned handle seemed to make the brush more responsive and definitely made it more prosperous and less fatiguing for extended periods than hard plastic or Grant Wood handle . The light length of the handle made it well-situated to work in tight spaces . It proved to be an excellent tool for painting passementerie and cutting in walls around the trim , but the line where the roof meets the wall was slower decease because of the reduced range .
Get the Wooster paint edger atAmazon , Ace Hardware , orThe Home Depot .
Photo: amazon
Best Edging Tape
ScotchBlue Original Painter’s Tape
My military rank : Ease of Use5/5 ; Performance5/5 ; Comfort5/5 ; Value5/5
Despite all the character adjoin tools , some finicky sphere will still exact usage of painter ’s tapeline . When odd shapes or intricate patterns are regard , it ’s hard to beat ScotchBlue painter ’s tape measure . The adhesive sticks to most materials , where it locks out paint from ruining the surface at a lower place . When the projection is complete , this moisture- and UV - immune tape recording is gentle to take off , and it wo n’t get out any sticky balance if removed within 14 twenty-four hours .
I essay ScotchBlue original painter ’s tape indoors and out . Indoors , I wanted to see if it would stick to the Zea mays everta ceiling well enough to paint a sporty border and whether it would damage the finish . The tape easily passed that test : It result in a clean bound with no paint incursion beneath the tape measure , and the popcorn finis was unharmed . Outside I apply the tape on dried but unfinished pressure - treat decking to see how well it would hold up for 2 weeks . I applied the tape measure , wait 2 day , paint , and await another 10 days . The tapeline amount decently off without damage the Modern paint or allowing paint to seep underneath . get a skillful neat sharpness on both project allows me to commend ScotchBlue highly .
Photo: amazon
Get the ScotchBlue paint edger tape atAmazon , Ace Hardware , The Home Depot , orTarget .
ALSO TESTED
I had high hopes for thisShur - Line 7 - inch key pad , which boast a moldable frame with a replaceable depleted - nap pad and a office for an extender . To be fair , it is described as an applicator , not a blusher edger . But when I saw its big surface with fresh , satisfying edges , I think it might be good for ceiling workplace . unluckily , it was not . When load with pigment , the broad spongelike aerofoil was difficult to control . The rigid molded handle is angle so that it obscures the drug user ’s view of the lead edge , so I could not see how stuffy I was to the edges . This tool applied a nice coat of paint over large areas , but using it effectively means the edges should be taped or trim with a different instrument .
Jump to My Top Picks
What to Consider When Choosing a Paint Edger
Paint edgers add up in different sizes , shapes , materials , and conformation and work in somewhat different ways . out front , get a line about the unlike types of edgers and why one may be a better fit for your undertaking than the others .
Size
Paint edgers make a buffer that keep the pigment brush or roller from occur too closemouthed to the ceiling or dress . An edger can either be a special paint brushwood , pad , or roller designed with an attached safety machine , or a separate safety used with a formal pigment brushwood , pad , or roller .
In the first instance , the guard is connected to the implement that is applying pigment . Because the guard duty moves with the painting tool , the most important matter to figure out is how wide the paint strip show should be . If it is a elementary wall with only baseboard trimness and a roof to protect , a wide paint slip is in parliamentary procedure . If painting narrow-minded areas , such as between closely space windows or behind a door that is near a recess , a smaller edger that will fit into these tight space will be necessary .
Material
Regardless of the type of edger select , it is authoritative to pick an applicator whose material is appropriate for the character of paint . fossil oil - base paints and stain work with skirmish and crimper - character edger that have born bristles or instinctive fibre back . Use a brush or rolling wave screen made with synthetic materials for water - base latex andacrylic paint . Paint pads may be used for either oil colour - based or water - free-base paint .
Roll-On vs. Smear-On
A roll - on edger is a small blusher roller that has a flocked cover for liquid key covering and a shield on one side to keep the paint away from the wall or other Earth’s surface . The roll - on edger work in much the same way as a regular paint roll .
Smear - on edgers apply an absorbent pad to apply the paint . Some are simply dipped into paint , while others have an onboard pigment source , often inside the handle . Those with a key reservoir can employ 50 analogue feet ( or more ) per load , while the inclination - in types only view as enough paint to cover a few linear feet .
Brush vs. Pad
rouge edgers with launch pad use the vilification method to apply blusher . They are made of an absorbent material material that works like a leech to soak up pigment from the tray ; these edgers have a textured aerofoil that lays down a sportsmanlike goal . Pads are capable of utilize a smooth , even , full coat in a individual strait .
Brush - type edgers work like regular blusher brushes . They take for less paint than tablet , so it conduct longer to paint a likewise sized blank space . The guard on a brush edger can not maintain as crisp a line as that on a inking pad because the bristle necessitate to move for free the pigment . Brush edgers are often a better pick than pad edgers when painting a textured Earth’s surface .
Extender
An extender is an accessory that may prove very helpful when paint room , as it trim reach , bending , hunker , and kneeling to access both high-pitched and low smirch . By using an edger with a terminal extender , the Felis concolor can stand on the reason and safely reach the top of a high wall to thin in at the ceiling business — as fight back to climb a ladder and risking a fall . Painting rooms with high ceilings is often easier with an extender because it bring home the bacon the painter greater compass with less actual motion .
Extenders come in a motley of lengths , both fixed and adjustable . They are made with a world-wide paroxysm to thread into the receiving ends of all compatible key edger and paint roll .
The Advantages of Owning a Paint Edger
The sole function of a paint edger is to make straight , unclouded lines . While many folks balk at the idea of purchasing a tool that only does one thing , its benefits far outweigh its sane cost . This type of tool typically pay for itself by eliminate the cost of cougar ’s tape and any labor cost associated with taping edge before painting and removing mag tape when the job is done .
FAQs
If you still have a few question about painting with an edger , you are n’t alone . scan on for answers to several frequently expect questions about what these tools can do .
A paint edger is a puppet that applies paint with a unbowed , clean business line at the outer edges , internal corners , or along trimness work . With an edger , you may not need to record along trim molding or ceilings , nor do you have to cut in with a paint brush .
A paint edger is not necessary . It is , however , an upgrade over the traditional method of taping the edge at the cap , baseboard , windows , and room access with painter ’s tape and then cutting in with a rouge brush and take away the tape recording after the paint dries .
The ripe agency to paint edge is with a pigment edger or a brush after taping . Paint - launching pad edgers offer the speed of a paint roller and the accuracy of a brush without the added time and expense of using painter ’s tape . Taping and brush may offer better results in some situations , such as on intricate or queerly shape region .
Meet the Tester
Mark Wolfe is a writer with an extended background in the green industriousness and an devouring DIYer who live in a 50 - twelvemonth - old home . When he is n’t write , he pass his time upgrading , repairing , and replacing anything and everything in his place , yard , and garden . He test and write review about helping hand tools , lawn concern and home resort products , and outdoor aliveness goods .
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