How to Choose and Use a Paint Roller | This Old House

Painting contractor Mark O'Lalor shares his tips for paint rollers.

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How to Choose and Use a Paint Roller | This Old House

[kimberlydickinson]

Nice paint bucket!! Thanks for the suggestion at the paint store!

[thepaintingexpert]

When your cutting in and rolling the walls always keep a wet edge! Best nap thickness is a 13 mil minimum. Lint free! Anything less you will get lap marks! For ceilings 19 to 20. Many DIY and Painters are using the wrong nap thickness for different surfaces. Cheers! The gooseneck guy!

[clintonemmert]

What makes the roller pad work it’s way off the roller arm? When your painting a wall.

[popoymotmot]

Help, the the metal strip and the foam roller attached to it always gets detached while I'm rolling for only a few strokes, why is this happening?

[trentslay]

I cut plus roll with a 4 at same time while my other guy chases with the 18. No halo or shine that way.

[MRrwmac]

How about showing us how to patch, stop or remove stain and reapply small area of popcorn to a popcorn ceiling that had water damage or just needed repair for other reasons? Thank you.

[michelleweber]

I did exactly the same as what you have shown and I have ended up roller marks.

The roller was same as yours, plenty of paint, straight up and down and now that it’s dry it looks terrible 😥

[Fusdew]

How to chose a paint roller: Find the cheapest one, and there you go.
How to use a paint roller: Apply paint on the roller, roll paint on the wall. Throw away after one use.
Thank the lord there's a video on this subject, God knows we need it.

[longhaired]

you said nap thickness of 3/8 is perfect for the smooth wall, right. Well I have a smooth wall, and I wanted a smooth texture. I did everything you said, and I got an orange peel like texture. The only way I rectified it was holding it so it would no longer roll, to try and get rid of this look- like pronto, before it started drying! needless to say it was a high stress shit show! Hugely disappointed...Google told me to use foam roller or 1/4 nap thickness, I should have listened.

[MrJj]

He is not a professional painter. Why? He drips a lot of paint everywhere, never taps his fully loaded roller. He also loads way too much paint in the corner, you will see a 'halo' effect when the paint dries. He is probably a paint representative who thinks they can paint too. LOL