Have you ever performed a paint job within your home and felt like the end result didn’t justify the time and expense? Many less-than-great paint jobs come from not doing the necessary prep, not having the right equipment and paint or not using the equipment properly. In this article, we want to look at rollers and show you how to paint with a roller like a pro.
The finished product is only as good as the equipment
Some people will invest $150 in a top-of-the-line kitchen skillet and then go and drop $8.95 for a bargain-bin paint roller and tray kit. This is a recipe for disaster. Professional painters know the importance of buying top-quality equipment, and that includes rollers.
Not all rollers in any price range are the same, however. Two factors that are important here are the thickness of the nap and the material used in making the core (the inside of the roller).
For smooth walls, you want a nap thickness of between 1/4 inch and 5/16 inch. If your walls are textured in any way, a thicker nap will work best as it will force paint into all the recessed areas.
Buy rollers with plastic cores, rather than the standard cardboard. A plastic core is much sturdier and will hold up for repeated uses as it doesn’t absorb paint and washing water.
A quality roller should be good for several rounds of painting, providing you care for it properly. After each use, wash it thoroughly with plain water, shake it out and let it dry standing on its end. Never lay a damp roller on a flat surface to dry.
Rolling on the paint
When it’s time to start painting, here are four useful tips:
1. When loading the roller in the paint tray, make several passes to ensure the roller is full of paint – but not so much that it’s dripping.
2. Roll paint on the walls in a W pattern. You’ll bet better coverage this way as the paint goes on from several different angles.
3. Paint from top to bottom in sections no more than three feet in length before re-loading the roller. Make slight overlaps on newly painted areas as you go.
4. Keep an even and steady pressure on the roller as it moves on the walls. This will result in a uniform finish and not leave ridges of paint.
A few general painting tips
· For jobs that need more than a single gallon of paint, it’s smart to mix a few gallons together in a five-gallon bucket to ensure color consistency.
· Keep damp, clean cloths handy, because there will be spills.
· Remove all unnecessary clutter from the work area so you don’t trip.
· Work at a steady pace. Good paint jobs require time.
To sum up, for a great paint job every time, remember the 4 Rights: Right equipment, Right paint, Right prep, Right technique.
Franklin Painting of Connecticut uses the 4 Rights on every painting project. If you’d like information on having your home painted by experienced professionals, we’re happy to meet with you and provide an estimate. You can reach us in Farmington at (877) 646-7774.
