the painted surface

How To Use a Roller On a Wall Or Ceiling

Techniques To Roll a Ceiling

• Read the techniques to roll a wall since the tips do overlap.
• Clear the room of furniture and decorative items as much as possible.
• Do not try to roll from a ladder. Use a roller handle extension long enough to reach the ceiling from the floor.
• Size up the room. Determine if the entire width of the room can be rolled comfortably. It will probably be easier to mentally divide the room in sections and paint them one at a time slightly overlapping the others.
• To roll around a light fixture or any obstruction start with a lightly loaded roller and using short movements move around the fixture in a circular pattern. Feather out the paint away from the fixture with the roller.
• Do not start with a fully loaded roller near the edge of a wall or moulding. Start away from the edge and work toward it as the roller releases the paint.

Techniques To Roll a Wall

• Use an extension for the roller handle. Even for small areas the extension adds leverage, making rolling easier.
• Start in one corner and work down the wall, slightly overlapping the previous section.
• Develop a comfortable pattern. Roll from left to right or right to left, either is fine, just choose which is most comfortable. Stopping occasionally to stretch is helpful.
• Determine how much area can be covered with each loaded roller. Start in the center of that area and work outwards using full length motions.
• If the paint does not flow out of the roller easily, thin the paint sparingly with the appropriate thinner. Water for acrylics and mineral spirits for alkyds.
• Adjust the amount of paint loaded onto the roller if the area is constrained by light switches, outlets or light fixtures.
• Use a full up and down motion to cover the height of the wall. Avoid short quick motions, use long smooth movements.
• Spread the paint evenly. Apply the paint at first with a medium pressure to unload the roller and finish off the area with light pressure to even out the paint. This will help prevent the roller ridges caused by applying too much pressure to one side of the roller.
• Near the baseboard, wood trim and ceiling try to feather out the paint from the roller to create a transition for the paint applied by the roller to the paint applied by brush.

Rolling walls and ceilings is a skill learned and earned with practice. Go slow at first to develop some good habits and speed will follow. It is a skill that will be used.

More details about specific painting subjects are covered in the additional articles. In those will be found details, tips and techniques gathered from over 20 years of painting experience. Here is a list of links to the articles: