brush strokes

when you paint a wall, is it best to go up and down with the brush or left to right. I Is it different for the first and subsequent layers?

 

Thank you Loofah, I have tried rolls and the tray before but I never seem to put an even layer of paint on it and I just make a big mess...

 

I use nothing but rollers (Well, apart from doing round stuff) just easier and takes less time. To do a wall with a brush it probably takes me about an hour, with a roller, about 15 minutes, probably. Just do long rolls each time, making sure you get to the same point, and it should turn out even.

 

Left and Right
THEN
Finish up and down, so that dust can not lay in the horizontal micro lines

Jack McH

 

ahahah :DI haven't been watching tv for a few months now...so I wouldn't know!


But thank you Jack, that is good advice, it makes sense.

 

The trick/secret/best/easiest way is to just dip part of the roller into the paint then use the rest of the tray to run the roller back and forth a few times to spread the paint around it evenly (leaving just a fairly thin layer on the roller itself) - that way, although there's plenty of paint on the roller to cover the wall, there won't be so much that it drips everywhere.

 

I agree with Jack......although i use a roller....

Have you tried the paint pads??

 

Hi Genie2312,
I haven't tried the pads although I occasionally have used sponges over rolls for small areas...Are the pads better than the roller?

 

If you pour the paint into a tray to use a roller, surely that means more waste/cleaning up afterwards?? I am emulsioning the walls at the moment but I still think a brush is the easiest.

Val

 

I've used paint pads for gloss painting flush doors (since I'm rubbish at laying-off) - don't think I'd bother using them for emulsion, but for the aforementioned doors they're brilliant.

There's not as much paint wastage using a roller as you may think, any unused paint left in the tray can be 'brushed' down to the reservoir and returned to the tin. I always line the tray with cling-film before I start so there's no tray to clean afterwards and although I don't use the disposable rollers (and consequently find cleaning the roller a bit of a chore), but if you use an old plastic spatula to scrape as much paint as you can off the roller, it cuts down the cleaning time considerably.

If you don't finish the room in one day, wrap brushes, roller, paint pads or whatever, in cling film so that next day you can just unwrap and carry on.

 

I like to use pads as I hate that i end up with tiny splashes all over my arms and face from the roller (im a messy painter....haha) but it depends what paint you use, i find some paints too thick for the pads so they don't glide as well over the wall, also it depends what your painting, textured wall papers might be a pain....but i have all plastered walls so suit me great :D