How to Clean and Use a Paint Roller

Paint rollers are easy to use, but there are still a few tricks to smooth the process and help your finished paint job look its best.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paint roller
• Roller pad with appropriate size nap
• Paint tray
• Water (for latex paints) or paint thinner (for solvent based paints)
• Newspaper
• Drop cloths

1. Cover your floors and any furniture you cannot remove from the room.

2. Fill the paint tray with paint. Stop pouring before you get to the slanted part of the paint tray.

3. Push the roller into the paint, pull it back, and repeat until the roller is covered.

4. Even out the paint by rolling it on the slanted part of the tray.

5. Start rolling paint on the wall. If you begin with an up stroke, you will minimize dripping.

6. Roll slowly in two or more directions to get the best coverage. Rolling slowly will help with decreasing the paint splatter.

7. After applying paint to an area, go over it again to even out thick spots.

8. When you are finished painting, clean excess paing off the roller by rolling it over a newspaper.

9. For latex paint clean up, run water over the roller until it runs clear. Squeezing the roller will help expel the paint.

10. For solvent based paint, pour solvent into a clean tray and roll the roller back and forth.

Tips & Warnings

• If you need to stop painting for a bit and do not want to clean the roller yet, place it in the freezer. When you are ready to paint again, remove from the freezer and thaw the paint before starting.