Roller or Brush??

I will be painting a new steel door. Rollers I've used in the past all seem to apply paint in a rough or dimpled finish. Must I use a brush to avoid this, or am I not using the proper rollers?
Thanks.

 

I always recommend brushing doors for a few reasons. The first one you already mentioned; rollers leave a dimpled finish. Sure a lot depends on the paint, priming, type of roller etc........but rolling always will leave you with some sort of texture which differs from the trim, which leads me to another reason why to brush. We paint trim with a brush generaly. This in turn will leave a slight texture behind, like barely noticeable lines. If you roll a door it will put two different textures next to each other thus making each of them much more noticable than they should be. The last reason, and this one may seem odd, when you brush a steel door a lot of times the brush will leave behind that texture I just talked about which to many people almost makes the door look as if it is wood. I like this effect (as subtle as it may be ). No matter what you choose to do, as always, use a high quality paint, primer and brushes/rollers. Good luck to you.

 

i assume you will be using latex paint on steel which is what is recommended by the manufacturer and most painters.to brush latex out nice on a large span such as a flat door takes a little practice to get straight nice looking brush marks because latex drys quickly .you will need to work fast.my advice is if you brush use a quality brush and if you roll use a mohair roller cover.and to help the paint flow out nicer and slow its dry time add floetrol to the paint and/or a splash of water.if you are a novice painter i would recommend rolling it.the mohair roller leaves a very fine stiple look and if you thin it as mentioned that will smooth it out even more.

 

Its simple!! brush the sides and bottom of the door and then roll the rest... lay the paint off from top to bottom with a semi dry brush(2").
Rolling oil based paints onto flush doors is good because the paint is applied evenly.. You do need to work quickly while the paint is fluid enough to move the brush through it after it has been rolled.

 

I agree with toptosher. I always roll on and lay off with a brush.

 

Thanks for your help, guys. What do you mean to "lay off" with a brush, though? Could I use a roller to apply the paint and then finish it off with a wide brush to eliminate the dimpling?

 

Is the steel door a panel door or is it totaly flat? If it is paneled then I would still certainly brush. Like I said before I would brush it no matter what though. You can roll it and then brush out the dimpling but you would need to work relatively quicky so the paint wont "ball up" in areas once it starts to dry and "thicken". I actualy tried this on a few of my doors and regret now. The roller dimples are still a bit noticeable and now it looks like to textures on top of each other. I never do this on any of my jobs because of that reason. I did it to my own home to save time and it just wasn't worth the 15 minutes of time saved. If you choose to roll the doors then I would use an oil based paint as it will go on smoother. I just do not like dealing with oil paint (other than primer which I use a lot). Best of luck to you.

 

Evan,
The door is flat, with a decorative window in the middle. The Sherwin Williams paint store guy said to reprime it, as factory primer doesn't hold up well-at least in the weather conditions in my area (Maryland coast). Should I use as large a brush as possible to try to cut down on overlapping and to get the paint on quickly? I plan on using Sherwin William exterior Super Paint, which is a gloss latex.
Thanks again.

 

I can roll a flush door in about 1 minute..
I lay the whole door off in about 30 seconds.. I love to use this method when I have like 40/50 doors to prime undercoat and gloss..
Most professional decorators can do the same... The paint should be eased out very slightly to help the paint move..
Its the easiest way to paint a flush door..You will have a mirror finish too.
Best not use a brand new brush for laying off as you will nearly always lose hairs in the paint..
Brushing a large flush door is harder to do and the finish is rarely as good.
Foam rollers used in conjuction with the perfect paint consistency leaves no orange peel effect...Takes practice though!!

 

Top, I'm not sure I know what you mean when you mention "laying off." Does that mean you apply the paint with a roller, then go over it with a brush to eliminate the dappled finish? Sorry for the "stupid" questions, but it's our new houses' front door and I want to do the best job I can on it.

 

Guys, the other things is, I know a guy that has a sprayer-one made for home use, not commercial use. Maybe I just ought to spray the thing. If I do, should I still keep the door lying flat?

 

The person at Sherwin Williams gave good advice. I would certainly reprime as well. I would use about a 2 1/2" to a 3" brush if you plan on brushing or if you plan on rolling and brush out the dimples. Either technique will work fine, it is up to you on which you feel comfortable with. If you have 40 - 50 doors to paint than I am sure rolling it and laying off is the best method. You do not need a phd or be a professional decorator to do either technique as both are very simple. If you have 1 door than pick and choose. I personaly would not spray. Although it may give you the best finish it will take much practice and may not be worth the time or paint to try to master. Best of luck to you and if you have any more questions let us know.

 

"Laying off" means rolling on the paint, and using a damp brush, quickly and gently drag it across the surface, usually all up and down strokes, to level out the paint.

 

Prowallguy,
A brush damp with paint or damp with water?
Thanks for all your insights.

 

Sorry, damp with paint. Preferably one already being used in the paint for the door.