Intro - Checklist - Prep - Wall Prep - Repairs - Apply - Cutting In - Large Surfaces - Trim
Margin of Error: Not applicable
After cutting in all areas, you are ready to paint your ceiling and then your walls. Be sure the area is well lighted so you can see any ridges or drips. The ceilings will be some of your toughest painting. It is physically difficult: painting overhead can cause back or neck strain and an occasional eye full of paint. Because of this, safety goggles (and yoga) are a must during this process. When painting ceilings, use a high-quality roller with an extension so that you can easily reach all areas of the ceiling without strain. In this way ladders will not be needed except for touch-up and cutting in. These same extensions are used for the high areas of the walls. You may want to erect some low scaffolding, using sawhorses or ladders with a 2 x 12 between them for high ceilings.
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To properly use a roller, pour the paint into the roller tray or paint pan so that 1/2" of the paint is in the reservoir. This will enable you to fully load the roller without under-loading or overloading. Also, you can save on clean-up time by lining your tray with heavy-duty aluminum foil before loading. A new option on the market is the electric roller. It supplies rollers with a continuous supply of paint. Another time saving device is the air compressor with a painting attachment.
Roll or dip your roller into the paint reservoir. Roll it around in the paint until the paint has thoroughly covered the roller. Then run the roller a couple of times over the washboard area of the tray. This will remove excess paint so that the roller will not drip. Often too much paint on the roller drips. You will be surprised at how much paint rollers hold, so don't be concerned about thoroughly saturating the roller.
To avoid splattering, distribute the paint slowly on the ceiling and walls. In the beginning, use overlapping "V" shaped strokes. Begin at a corner and work across the wall or ceiling. Cover about three square feet at a time, After you have made your 'V-shaped zigzag patterns, fill in the unpainted areas with parallel strokes without lifting the roller from the surface. Increase the pressure on the roller as you work to deliver the paint smoothly.
When you are rolling into unpainted or previously painted areas, feather the paint in, in a series of light strokes, and lift the roller at the end of each stroke. When you need to remove the roller to reload, begin the next section, rolling in a zigzag into the outer border of the area you just completed. Then lightly roll the area between the two sections. Paint the entire surface. Do not stop and allow the paint to dry on part of the wall or ceiling.
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