Tap to Read ➤

How to Use a Paint Roller Like a Pro

Sonu S
Rollers are pretty easy to use, and you can complete your work faster using a roller. If you want to improve the quality of your paint jobs, then read to know more.
Most of you will prefer a roller over a paintbrush, right? Rollers are a blessing for impatient people like us, who cannot devote a lot of time to paint their house. It is very simple to learn how to use a roller, but if you are not careful while using a roller, you might end up ruining your wall.

Steps to Use a Paint Roller

Step 1

Before beginning with anything, use sandpaper to sand over the speckled areas. Your primary step would be to get hold of a paintbrush.
Use the paintbrush to paint starting from the edges of the wall and in to a width of 7.5 cm. This is what we call "cutting in". This will ensure that your roller doesn't touch the surfaces that you do not want to paint.
Note: When you are painting near the edge, the extension handle should not be close to the edge.

Step 2

Next up, pour about 6 cm of the paint into a roller trays. These days, SIMMS T2005 trays are majorly used for this purpose. Make sure that you leave a section of the tray empty, just in case you would want to remove extra paint from the roller, when filling it.

Step 3

The third step, which is very important, is rolling the roller backward and forward along the tray ensuring that it is uniformly loaded with paint. With this, you can avoid spillage of paint on the floor. Also, you would not want to see uneven patches on the wall. Hence, loading the tray evenly is very essential.

Step 4

Now comes the part where you have to start rolling the roller. From the cut-in section, begin rolling the paint on approx. one roller width and come back to the edges, as close as possible, to keep off join marks.

Step 5

After spreading the paint, replenish the paint roller again and continue painting. Whenever you start painting always remember to start at 'one roller width' away from the last application, and eventually move back to the area you have already painted.

Step 6

Finally, use a dry roller to go over the wet areas (just-painted area), and get rid of any heavy texture or thick edges that you may see.
Similarly, you can paint the other areas of the wall. Just remember one thing, you should overlap the edge of the previously painted area while painting the new area.

Additional Tips

  • Buy a good quality roller cover. A cheap roller cover will not give you the best results.
  • Choose a roller cover with respect to the surface which you are going to paint.
  • If you are using latex paint, then moisten the roller using water before you start painting, else use a solvent to moisten the roller.
  • When you are not using the paint bucket, you should keep it covered with a damp cloth.
The steps mentioned here will surely help you use a paint roller like a professional, and you will surely have a beautiful looking wall with a great finishing, when you are done painting.
Note: Do not forget to clean the roller thoroughly when you complete the paint job.