How To Use The Paint Roller Correctly

The desire to change house colors is quite common. Painting the walls provides a sense of renewal to the entire environment, even if the changes are not considered drastic. As this is an often unexpected decision, some homeowners choose to paint their house on their own. And why not? The time to renovate your home environments can also be considered a fun time. But for everything to go as expected, you need to know how to use the paint roller correctly. If you need special info about paint roller, check out here.

If you want to know how to use the paint roller as an ally to facilitate changes in your property, check out this article that paint smartly has prepared for you.

5 Tips On How To Use The Paint Roller

Clean the wall that will receive the paint

A dirt-free wall is important not only when you need to use the paint roller, but for any changes. Sand the surface and clean it with a damp cloth, leaving it even and with a clean appearance, so that it is able to receive the coats of paint. In case the wall has texture, use a soft bristle brush or a damp cloth for cleaning. With this, you will remove any traces of dirt that could compromise the final appearance of the painting.

Prepare roller for painting

It is ideal that you know how to use the paint roller and how to prepare it for each paint. If the paint to be used for painting is water-based, the paint roller must be wetted with water. If the paint is solvent-based, moisten the roller with the solvent according to the paint to be painted. This will prevent hair and make the roller absorb the ink better.

In case the paint roller is new, stick a piece of adhesive tape around its surface, so when it is removed, it will eliminate loose hair and impurities that may be contained on the surface of the object.

Pay attention to the direction of the coats

The importance of knowing how to use the paint roller is to avoid serious mistakes. This type of object should only be used on large surfaces and not in corners, as they do not offer much precision. For your painting to be uniform, it is ideal that:

– start painting using a brush in the corners;

– apply the first coat vertically, from the middle to the corners. In this way, the brushes will be drier and, consequently, the risk of paint splashing on the baseboard is reduced;

– apply the second coat horizontally, starting in the middle, once more.

Follow the manufacturer's recommendations regarding the time to expect between one coat and the other, but in general, the average varies between two and four hours.

Clean roller after use

As important as knowing how to use the paint roller is knowing how to clean and store it after use. The roller, both foam and fur, must be washed with water or solvent, depending on the composition of the paint that was used. Cleaning the paint roller properly is a great way to preserve its useful life and, in addition, it makes the paint absorb more effectively, giving you a better paint job at other times.

Once cleaned, store the paint roller in a dry, well-ventilated, sun-free location so that it can dry completely in a period of four to five days. Once completely dry, store it in a plastic bag and wait for the next use.

Choose the ideal roller for each surface

There are several types of rollers, with piles of different sizes and with different compositions. This variety has a reason: each type of paint roller is recommended for one type of paint and one type of surface. Below, we'll tell you what the main types exist and where to use them:

– Sheep wool roll:

-> Bottom from 10 to 12mm – ideal for smooth surfaces, for painting walls with water-based latex or acrylic paints and painting floors with acrylic or epoxy floor paints.

-> Medium hair from 13 to 22mm – Ideal for semi-rough surfaces only with water-based latex or acrylic paints.

-> Alto Alto 23 to 25mm – Ideal for totally rough surfaces, also with water-based latex or acrylic paints.

– Synthetic wool roller for super low 5mm – Ideal for painting tiles with epoxy paints.

– Synthetic wool roller for low anti-spatter – ideal for smooth surfaces, with water- or solvent-based paints. Its braided fibers are better for retaining and applying paint to the surface, avoiding splashes, in addition to not loosening hairs during painting.

– Foam roller – Ideal for painting wood and metals, on smooth surfaces, with enamel paints or water or solvent-based varnishes.