Paint rollers are one of the easiest and most effective tools to use when you are painting the interior of your Jacksonville, FL home. Paintbrushes may seem like they are the easier choice, but you’d be surprised at how much time you can save by properly using a paint roller for your DIY painting project. Paint rollers are effective because they cover a large surface in a shorter amount of time than traditional paintbrushes. Additionally, you can achieve a smoother and more uniform finish with a paint roller. Before you can start your painting project, make sure you have the right type of roller for the job.

Choosing the right paint roller

Not all paint rollers are created equal. There are many single-use paint rollers on the market, and they can be fine for quick projects. But if you want to ensure that you will be able to achieve consistent results throughout your entire painting job, you should get something a bit more solid. Paint rollers with metal frames are ideal for big jobs - and they can also be reused. Additionally, look for a paint roller with small teeth or prongs to grip the roller sleeve. This will help keep the sleeve from falling off or rotating while you paint your walls.

Keep a handle on things

If you are painting a tall or large area in your home - such as a foyer or a room with vaulted ceilings - it’s a good idea to add a handle to the roller frame. This will make your interior painting job infinitely easier. The handle gives you control over large areas - areas that particularly require long, even paint strokes. Using a handle on your paint roller also keeps your feet on the ground. You won’t have to keep going up and down a step ladder in order to paint tall or high areas in your home.

Not all sleeves are alike

You should choose your paint roller sleeve based on the area that you need to paint. What does that mean, exactly? Long roller sleeves are ideal for painting larger areas like walls, and shorter roller sleeves are better for those narrow nooks and crannies in your house. The nap and sleeve thickness also make a difference - depending upon the texture of the surface that you are painting.

  • When you are using oil-based paints, you can use a synthetic or natural fiber roller sleeve
  • When you are using latex-based paints, you should only use a synthetic sleeve
  • If the walls have a light texture, a ⅜ in nap is ideal
  • If you are painting exterior walls with a coarse texture, you should use a ¾ in nap
  • Single-use roller sleeves do not hold as much paint as higher-quality sleeves

Painting with a paint roller

Once you have selected the right paint roller and accessories for your DIY paint project, you are ready to begin painting your walls. There are some tactics you should employ to effectively use a paint roller.

Use a paint bucket or pan

You can easily use a regular, inexpensive paint bucket with a roller screen or pan. To do this, fill the bucket with approximately three to four inches of paint - or until the surface of the paint touches the bottom of the roller screen. Using a roller screen helps to easily coat the roller with paint. If you are using a paint pain, pour about one inch of paint into the well of the pan - it’s important not to overfill your bucket or pan.

Prime your paint roller

Be sure to remove any stray fibers from your paint roller before using it. Remove loose fibers on the sleeve with either a piece of tape or a lint brush. These excess fibers may clot the paint while you are applying it. Once you have removed the stray fibers, finish priming the roller by dampening it with water. Shake it in order to remove any water that may have gotten inside the frame, and then pat it dry with a cloth. You want the sleeve to be slightly dampened - not dripping with water.

Aim for even paint distribution on the roller

Using the screen or pan that you set up previously, dip the roller into the paint. You should roll until the sleeve has an even coat of paint. The paint screen or the bumps on the paint pan will help to distribute the paint around the roller sleeve. You want to avoid re-dipping the primed sleeve into the paint directly, as oversaturating may cause streaks in your newly-painted wall.

Paint your walls like a pro

It’s not just a matter of slapping some paint on a roller and going haphazardly on the walls. There should be a method to your paint application. Roll the paint onto the wall using a slightly angled and upward stroke. Begin painting the wall approximately six inches away from the corner, and about a foot away from the bottom of the wall. As you are painting, stop your first stroke about two to four inches away from the ceiling. If you took care in loading up your paint roller, most of the paint should transfer onto the wall with this first angled motion. You’re essentially leaving the area by the ceiling and corners unpainted at first in order to give you the room that you need to spread all of the applied paint evenly.

Get rolling!

Painting the interior walls of your home with a paint roller doesn’t have to be a difficult task. If you do your research and prepare wisely, you can achieve some spectacular results.

If you get stuck on this project, we can help you finish it, contact A New Leaf Painting Contractors in Jacksonville, FL today for a free quote!

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