subject: Painting Tips For The Novice [print this page] Painting Tips For The Novice Painting Tips For The Novice
Applying Emulsion Using a RollerApplying emulsion using a roller is the quickest way of covering a big surface area, although you may require more coats than when painting with a brush since it goes on quite thinly using a roller. Roller sleeves can be found in a variety of sizes and textures. Choose a short-pile sleeve for any smooth wall surface, and a shaggy sheepskin style sleeve for the more textured surface. The parts the roller cannot reach will have to get finished using a brush. Solid non-drip emulsion, which comes in a tray, is also applied with a roller. As you apply the roller, the paint liquefies and allows the roller to gather up the correct quantity of paint.
1 Pour the emulsion paint into the paint tray reservoir - it needs to be about a 3rd full. Dip the roller sleeve into the paint and roll it firmly up and down the tray's ribbed slope to spread the paint evenly. Don't overload the sleeve or paint will splatter everywhere.
2 Move the roller over the wall surface, using random strokes applied with a light, even pressure. Try not to paint too fast or you will probably create a fine mist of paint spray. On every occasion the roller is dipped in the paint, move it to an adjacent unpainted area and work your way back towards the painted area in overlapping strokes to blend with the wet edges.
Using Paint Pads:Paint pads come in different sizes. They are flat and rectangular with closely packed short fibres bonded with a foam backing strip, which makes the pad bendy. Pads are good for painting large areas with liquid paint - the larger the pad, the faster you cover the surface. They make less spray and mess than rollers, but they do need reloading with paint more often. Use a paint pad tray that has a built-in ribbed roller on which excess paint may be removed.
1 Pour the paint into the paint pad tray, then draw the pad over the built-in roller to distribute the paint evenly and remove any excess - a paint pad will give a patchy finish if it is loaded unevenly, and will drip if there's too much paint on it.
2 Start painting next to a corner and work in strips about four times the width of your pad. Keeping the pad flat to the wall, move it up and down the surface with a mild scrubbing action.
Painting Edges - Cutting inRollers and bigger paint pads are very good for covering whole walls quickly, but they can't reach all the way into the edges, you will have to complete these areas with a brush or small paint pad - a process sometimes called 'cutting in'. This can be done before or after the main painting, but you'll get the most uniform finish if you do it before the main area is painted.
1 Paint four or five overlapping strokes at right angles to the edge to fill the gap between the edge and the new paint.
2 Painting parallel towards the edge, go over the initial brush strokes in a long sweeping motion. Repeat until the entire edge is painted.
