You might have read about how to use a paint sprayer on my website. Today I am here to guide you about using a paint roller to paint the areas. Let’s get started with the topic and get to know how to spread the smooth coating of latex paint on the walls. Interior walls get quickly coated with the use of paint roller and the painting process gets done fast.
Gathering
Always buy good quality rollers that can serve you for years to come. You just need to spend few more dollars than the inferior ones. To start with, take a good roller pin. For better hold of the roller and cover more area while painting, add a 48-inch wood handle on the roller end. Buy a good roller cover which is also known as the sleeve. Cheap and inferior quality covers may tempt you but don’t buy them as they are not good to hold enough paint.
If you will use inferior covers, then the results would not be as good as they can be. ½ inch nap is good for flat paint on ceilings, ¼ inch nap is good for semi-gloss paint and ¾ inch nap is fine for textured ceilings. You must have the seen the professional painters using a paint bucket while painting. It is good to use a bucket as it can hold more paint than a tray. With a bucket, it is easier to move freely here and there as you can hang the bucket on the ladder edge. Plus, there is no need to fill the bucket again and again like in a tray.
Cover the bucket with a damp towel to keep it away from getting dry. If you want to use roller trays, then you can use them for small rooms where you need only a little amount of paint.
How to Use a Paint Roller
Now let’s get started with the process of using a paint roller. First of all, you have to be sure that rollers cannot get to the tight edges. So for the edges, you might need the paintbrush to get full coverage. Start with painting the edges i.e. edge of the ceiling, moldings, and corners of the wall with a paintbrush.
Moving Like a Pro
All you need to do is start from the bottom for about a foot and the corner for about 6 inches. Move the paint roller in upward direction putting a light pressure on the roller. Then stop below few inches from the ceiling. Next, turn the roller quickly to cover the unpainted areas toward the corner. Don’t get disheartenment if you don’t get perfect and smooth painting. It’s just the beginning.
Rolling Again
Once done with one roll, you need to paint the second coat on the retaining wall. The most crucial thing to know is that whenever you start painting with a roller, never leave it halfway. Finish the wall in a go. Now to start the process again, make sure that the area where you left off is wet. It ensures top quality painting whether it is a wall, door or any furniture item. Think of a sequence where you want to start and where to end. And then start using the paint roller to get flawless results. The main idea is to overlap the new paint over the old paint that is wet. If you lap the paint on the dried area, then you will notice a lap mark in the final.
In this step, you don’t need to fill the roller with paint again. Rather use light pressure and roll it over the wall up and down starting from bottom to the ceiling. Remember to move the roller about three-quarters of width every time. It is to ensure that the roller overlaps the previous stroke for clean painting. While moving to the corners, roll the roller close to the adjacent wall. But make sure not to touch the wall.
Covering the Edges
Now that you can use the brush to cover the edges, moldings, and corners, then removing the brush marks as much as you can with the roller. For this step, go as close to the corners as you can. The more brush marks you will cover with the roller, the more cleaner the wall will look. It is because the texture of roller is different from that of the brush. And the design of brush will not match the roller’s texture so cover the marks carefully. Roll closely to the moldings, corners, and ceiling. Most importantly, don’t use a fully loaded roller or the paint will drip on the wall ruining the entire paint. While painting the hard corners or moldings, try keeping the roller in vertical position.
Here you go with the painting. I hope you have done it well. I achieved flawless results. Did you? Okay then it was about how to use paint roller for painting. Now let’s see how to clean the roller after using it:
How to Clean the Roller
Always scoop out the excess paint from the roller before getting to wash it. You can use your putty knife for this purpose or a special roller scraping tool can use for it.
Using detergent to form lather on the roller. Besides, remember to use your fingers to scrub the mat and clean the roller as if you are washing hair. Detergent will scrape out a good amount of paint from the roller.
Lastly, use a spinning tool which you can easily buy from any paint store. Simply take the spinner and slip the roller cover onto it, wet the roller and spin it out. Use a bucket for the spinning process and repeat the spinning until the roller gets all clean.
So how did you like the article? I hope you understand it well. So now let’s use a paint roller and paint your house or bedroom using beautiful colored paints. Get up and change the whole look of your place. Happy painting!!
Peter Levick
ArchitectI am a licensed architect who is passionate about all things home improvement industries, I have been doing DIY painting projects and have developed lots of experience around home improvement over the 10 years.
