Learn to Paint Without Leaving a Mark

Step 1 - Prep Properly

Before painting a wall with a paint roller, prepare the room. Move and cover furniture and flooring. Apply low tack or blue painter's tape to adjacent walls and trims that won't be painted with the same wall color.
TIP: Our painting consultant Pam Estabrooke, of ProTect Painters, says “Although masking tape is much less expensive, it may damage walls, trim and floors.”

Step 2 – Cut In the Edges

Cut in the edges and wall corners with a paintbrush. Load the brush adequately, but do not overload it to the point of dripping. Use the same method to cut in walls as you would for painting trim for streak free, drip free painting. Paint a section along the edge of the wall 1 to 2 feet long. Skip ahead the same distance, and paint back towards the wet painted area. Continue in this fashion, always painting from a dry area to a wet painted area.

When cutting in the edges of painted walls, apply paint about 3 or 4 inches wide. The area should be wide enough to cover the edges of the wall the paint roller won't reach, while keeping the roller far enough away from surrounding walls to prevent the roller from scraping and marking them.

Step 3 – Use a Roller for Large Surfaces

With the cutting in complete, the rest of the wall can be covered with a paint roller. Loading the roller properly will go a long way towards keeping your walls free from streaks, drips, and lap marks. Fill the roller evenly, completely covering the roller surface. Use the ridges at the top of the paint pan to remove excess paint. Be sure the roller is not dripping when it is raised.

Another key to eliminating lap marks when painting is painting in the proper direction. Painting in straight line, up and down, seems natural, but can result in a lap-marked wall. Instead, paint in a zigzag pattern. Cover 3 to 4 square feet of wall space at a time. Start at a top section of the wall and push the paint roller away from you. Paint as if you are making a capital M on the wall, then zigzag back over the area the area until it is filled in.

Paint the area below the first M next, until the section of wall is completely painted down to the floor. Move back to the top of the wall, next to the first painted section, and begin again. Continue in this way, always painting from an unpainted area towards a painted section. After covering about four square areas, roll back over the completed wall section to blend the areas together. Then move on to the next wall.

Step 4 – Paint the Trim

For streak-free trim paint, follow the directions above for cutting in walls. Paint in 12 to 18-inch lengths from a dry area ahead back towards a wet painted length.

There are two keys to painting rooms free from dripping, streaking, and paint roller lap marks. The first is to avoid overloading paint brushes and rollers. The second key is to paint in workable sections in a zigzag pattern. Crisscrossing over the paint applied will blend lines together and pick up areas of excess paint. The result will be a smooth, professional looking paint job anyone can be proud of.
TIP: Pam says, “An average sized room can be completed in 4 hours if doing walls only.  Give yourself 3 additional hours for trim (windows, base, doors and frames).”

Pam Estabrooke, district manager of ProTect Painters, contributed to this article.