Choosing the Right Paint Roller
The round cylinder is rolled into a painting tray to absorb paint, then applied to the surface by rolling the pad, forming a V shape pattern. You can fill in the area by applying the paint in long rolling sections, always sweeping in the V pattern shape. It may sound easy, but you also need a knowledge of the different naps on the rollers to match it to the type painting you are doing.
The nap of the paint roller describes how long, or plush, the surface of the paint roller is. The longer the nap, the rougher the surface you can paint. Longer nap absorbs more paint, thus applying more paint to the area you trying to cover.
Heavy surface areas are usually painted with a longer nap roller. These surfaces will include rough textured walls, wooden fences and even concrete blocks. The rougher the surface the more paint is needed to cover it smoothly. The longer, more plush, material on the roller, the more paint it will pick up from the tray. This will also allow you to apply thicker paint that will get into the cracks and crevices of the rough surface.
The nap length of a paint roller can very from 1″ for extremely rough surfaces, down to a very smooth paint roller with a 1/4″ nap. This smooth roller is the ideal choice for very smooth surfaces, such as enamel or gloss painted flat surfaced walls
A paint roller with a 3/8″ nap is a general, all purpose roller. This one can be used on many different surfaces. If you have a lot of different areas to paint, it is more economical to purchase a paint roller with a general middle of the road length nap and use it for all of your surfaces.
The paint rollers clean up with soap and water and once dried can be used again and again. You can also purchase tools to help keep the paint rollers in shape. A roller scraper tool helps remove excess paint from the roller before you wash it. This can save washing time and paint, just by scraping the excess paint back into the paint can.
A nap comb will also help keep longer napped paint rollers in good condition. Once the roller is washed of excess paint, comb the nap comb through the fibers to keep them plush and paint free until your next use. You can be economical by buying more high quality paint rollers and taking good care of them.
Less expensive paint rollers have a cardboard base cylinder. This inside base will quickly fall apart from excess paint and wash ups. Better quality rollers have a plastic inside and will hold up to many uses.
Proper care and clean up, will keep your paint rollers in good condition so that they can be used and reused many times, thus saving the expense of replacement costs. Clean your rollers immediately after you are done painting. Allow them to dry completely before starting your next painting project.
If you need to take a quick break and plan to continue the job shortly, there is no need to wash out the paint. Remove as much paint as you can by rolling the applicator on the surface you are painting. Then place the roller into a plastic bag and seal it tight. This will keep the roller fresh and ready to use in the same bucket of paint. This can even sit overnight, if necessary.
Personal Experience
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