How to Paint with a Roller

A paint roller can speed up the painting process.

Paint rollers are used to apply paint to large and small surface areas. Painting with a roller is a skill that takes some time to master. If the roller is overloaded with paint, drips and runs will happen. If the roller isn't loaded with enough paint, the paint may dry with a rough texture, necessitating an additional coat. When a roller is loaded and rolled across the surface area correctly, the paint creates a smooth and even finish.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Painter's plastic
• Roller frame
• Roller cover nap
• Extension pole
• Paint tray
• Paint
• Masking tape
• Water (water-based)
• Paint thinner (oil-based)

1. Lay down a piece of painter's plastic on the floor beneath the surface to be painted.

2. Lay a painter's pan or tray on top of the plastic.

3. Slide a roller cover nap onto the roller frame spindle. Screw an extension pole into the handle of the roller frame.

4. Fill the paint tray with paint until the well of the tray is half full.

5. Wrap a piece of masking tape around the entire length of the roller and then pull it off to remove any loose nap fibers.

6. Wet the dry roller with water if you'll be using water-based paint, or paint thinner if you'll be using oil-based paint. Swiftly roll the roller across a piece of cardboard to get out the excess water or thinner.

7. Roll the roller across the top of the rolling tray until it dips into the well. Roll it back and forth from well to top until the nap fibers are loaded with paint. If the roller is dripping paint when you lift it from the tray, it is overloaded.

8. Place the roller in the top corner of a wall or ceiling and work from one side of the room to the other. Roll down the wall 2 to 3 feet and then back up in a zigzag formation. The zigzag pattern should resemble a large M, N or W.

9. Reload the roller after every three or four up-and-down strokes. Begin a new zigzag in between the previously painted pattern. This will fill in the unpainted gaps between each zigzag. Paint the top half of the wall first, then the bottom half. For example, if the wall is an 8-foot wall, paint the top 4 feet of the wall and then the bottom 4 feet.

10. Roll over each zigzag twice to blend the roller lines. Keep the pressure on the length of the roller even throughout the painting process to minimize the amount of paint that is squished out at the sides of the roller. Uneven pressure increases the chance of roller lines in the finished paint. Always roll out the roller lines in between the zigzags for an even finish.

Tips & Warnings

• If the paint smears across the wall and the roller slides instead of rolls, there is probably too much paint on the roller.

• If the texture of the paint on the wall is beginning to look like an orange peel, there is likely not enough paint loaded on the roller. A dry roller will make a sound similar to two pieces of Velcro being pulled apart.

• Use appropriate paint respirators and ventilation when applying oil-based paint.