Paint Roller Technique and Recomendations

Painting and Decorating Concourse

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Rolling paint onto an interior wall is the most basic of painting movements. There are a variety of rollers, covers, extension poles, and application set ups to sift through and learn about, each with their own attributes, strengths and weaknesses. You will always have to combine rolling with brushing on almost any interior paint job, and thus the term used is "brush and roll".

Paint Roller Technique and Recomendations part 1

The roller "set up"

There are two basic set ups from which the painter applies paint from when using a roller: there is the roller pan with a built in grid, and there is the bucket and grid set up. The first is the usual choice for DIY'ers and the later is the choice of the painting contractor. I of course favor the bucket and grid system which uses a 5 gallon (usually) bucket and a separate grid that hangs on the the bucket rim. The grid with either system, is used to roll off excess paint after dipping the roller into the paint.

The strengths of the bucket and grid system are:

it holds all the paint you will need for the room - all mixed (called "boxed") together so that there will be no variation from one gallon to the next.

it won't tip over easily if nudged, and you probably won't inadvertently step in it as you might with a roller pan.

the separate grid is more effective than the built in grid bumps found on roller pans in removing excess paint.

it is easier to move around the room in my opinion than the roller tray, which if you tip a bit, will spill paint onto the floor as you navigate around the room.

The strengths of the roller pan system are:

it is a all in one paint reservoir and dispenser

Roller Frames

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My favorite roller is the Wooster Sherlock Roller

There is no need to spend a lot of time here, everyone is familiar with the paint roller. I use a standard size - 9" roller frame for my interior painting. I don't use the 18" or the "jumbo" wide roller frames because you are limited in what roller cover you can use when you stray from the standard 9". My favorite roller frame is the Wooster Sherlock frame and it is the only roller frame I use other than the mini roller. You may use any type of extension pole with this frame - although I use exclusively the Sherlock GT tab locking type extension pole along with this frame. The Sherlock system locks the roller frame onto the pole with a quick connect tab lock which prevents the roller from twisting once locked in place. The same type of tab lock is used on the telescoping sections of the extension pole resulting in secure locking without any twisting loose of the sections which is a problem with many other extension poles.

Extension pole

For most 8' wall height rooms, I use a 2' - 4' telescoping pole. This is my "universal" interior pole and is used most of the time. A 1' - 2' extension pole works better for hallways and closets, you will need a 4' - 8' pole for 10-12 foot high walls and a 8' - 16' pole for the two story ceilings.

Roller covers

Roller nap length will differ for the paint you are using. For latex flat paints I use a 3/4" nap cover and I use a 1/2" nap for satin sheen latex paints. The longer 3/4" nap will hold more paint but it leaves a slightly heaver stipple than the 1/2" nap so it is better suited for flat paint. The shorter 1/2" (or even 3/8") nap will give a smoother finish with better sheen uniformity than a longer nap cover.

Fabric types: There are a multitude of fabric types which is too lengthy a subject to go into here. Various properties are achieved with each type such as spatter resistance, tighter coverage, ease of washability, and paint loading capability. My favorite interior roller cover is the Purdy Colossus roller cover. It has good spatter resistance , hold a lot of paint and lays down a pretty tight stipple which can be double rolled if needed for good hide. One big attribute of the Colossus is that it washes out very easily and cleanly, so it is a good multiple use cover, an important trait for a painter.