How to Use a Texture Roller
Texture rollers are used for painting rough surfaces or to help give a surface a textured design if that is the style choice for a wall. There is a specific technique for using a texture roller to get the desired effect from the paint job.
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Things You'll Need
- Dropcloths
- Painter's tape
- Paint
- Deep roller tray
- Roller handle
- Thick-nap textured roller cover
Instructions
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1
Pour the paint into the roller tray. Applying paint to the roller can be tricky. Depending on how rough your wall is, or the textured coating you're applying, the thickness of the roller cover will vary. All thick-nap rollers absorb a great deal of paint, which means there's great potential for drips. Always spread out drop cloths before you start. Tape off any area you don't want paint on, and remove the switch plates on the walls to make things easier.
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2
Dip half the roller into the paint and use the grooved ramp area of your tray to spread the paint out and condition the cover. The color needs to be even and uniform on the roller cover, and if you shake the roller a bit in the air over the tray, no paint should drip off.
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3
Draw a W on the wall surface using the roller's edges to make two connecting V's. Each V should leave a thick impression and might even drip, so do this quickly. Make a downstroke and then upstroke using the very edges of the cover. Once your W is done, it's time to feather it out with the first flat pass.
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4
Spread the paint up and down the wall with the roller, starting with a completely bare spot. Spread the thickest paint strokes onto the bare spots next to any previous strokes. As you see the paint getting thinner work the roller over the strokes in a framing pattern. Go vertical on the corners and horizontal along the floor and ceiling line. These strokes should result in a thin, feathered blend with any strokes made with a paint brush at the edges and corners of the wall.
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Start at the edge of your vertical framing and begin making vertical passes with the roller across the wall. Even though you have already framed in the paint along the ceiling and floor lines, each stroke along the wall should go vertically over these areas to better blend the paint. Be careful not to move too fast, and use gentle feathering motions to promote an even look and work out any lines.
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Tips & Warnings
Another option is to use a five-gallon bucket with a screen. You will still dip the roller only halfway into the paint. The only difference is instead of the ramp, you will use the screen to work the paint into the roller. The advantage of this method is you can also work the roller into a fast spin inside the bucket to remove much of the excess paint after it is completely covered.
The process will not change for textured paint application with the texture roller. The only difference is that you will be dealing with much thicker paint, and you will want to keep an eye on the consistency so it is even all around.
