How to Paint with a Roller
Using a paint roller will make your job painting over flat surfaces like walls and ceilings easier. Here’s how to get started painting with a roller.
Tools
Paint
Water
Paint roller pans
Paint rollers, with extension poles
Plastic wrap
Procedure
Get a good roller frame that you can depend on. You’ll be using a lot of pressure on it, and it will be pretty inconvenient for it to break on you. You should also get one where you can add an extension. If your walls are smooth, you can use a shorter nap, while textured walls need a longer one.
Line the floors with newspapers to avoid paint stains on the floor.
Since paint rollers can’t paint in corners and around the trim, you should paint those unreachable areas first using a paintbrush.
Dampen your paint roller with water if you’re using latex paint or solvent if you’re using alkyd paint. Paint roller pans are steeped downward, so run the paintbrush roller a few times into the incline to remove excess paint and prevent it from dripping.
Start your initial painting by painting a large M or N shape on the wall or ceiling. Go back to the starting point and start painting it in solid with straight columns. Make sure that you paint evenly and flatten the paint ridges as you do so.
Paint as near as the corners as you can, but don’t force to solidify the paint using the paint rollers. Have a paint brush at ready to finish it completely for you and to smooth the paint out cleanly.
Painting is a hard job, and should you need a break, wrap the paint roller sleeve with plastic wrap. A damp rag or aluminum foil would do just as well. If you’re using latex paint, you can immerse the sleeve in water instead.
When you’re done painting, you need to clean both the roller frame and the paint roller sleeve if you want to use them again. You just need water and elbow grease to do it. Squeeze the paint of the sleeve and rinse out. Scrub the roller frame to free it from paint. Keep repeating both actions until you’ve completely cleaned both.