The Best Paint Rollers for a Better Finish on Your Next Project (2023)

FAQs

Which paint roller gives the best finish? ›

What is the Best Paint Roller for Your Paint Project? Ceilings and Drywall - Medium 3/8″ nap roller covers work best. Walls, Wood, and Metal - Small 1/4″ nap roller covers or foam rollers will produce the smoothest finish. Light to Medium Textured Surfaces - Microfiber rollers are best.

Professional painters typically use a variety of rollers depending on the project and surface they are painting. For interior projects, foam or microfiber rollers with a 3/8-inch nap are usually used for smooth surfaces like walls and ceilings.

Thick or thin makes a big difference

Each roller has a different thickness of fabric or “nap”, specifically designed for different surfaces around the home. The thicker the nap or length of fabric, the more paint a roller will hold. The thicker the nap, the rougher the surface the roller is designed for.

The porous surface of the roller holds much more paint than a brush and distributes an even layer of paint much faster. Different finishes can be achieved with different rollers: Rollers with a smooth surface will produce a smooth finish. Rollers with a thick or fluffy surface will create a more textured finish.

Many professional painters combine spray painting, roller painting and brush painting depending on the exact surface being painted. Starting with the brush, each method is faster than the previous one, but each method is less accurate than the previous one.

Before you start a paint job, you actually want to wet the paint roller cover with water. “This primes the roller cover to soak up as much paint as possible,” Barr explains. But don't go too crazy—Barr suggests removing excess moisture with a paper towel and a good shake of the roller so it's just slightly damp.

Buying a Cheap Roller Cover

If your time is worth anything, a cheap roller cover is the most expensive tool you can buy. Cheap covers don't hold enough paint, shed fibers on your walls, and in general are a pain to use. We prefer lamb's wool roller covers, but any top-quality roller cover will work fine.

A quality roller should last up to 5 cycles before shedding. You can reuse it without affecting the quality of the paint application and over time it will end up paying for itself.

Foam rollers are ideal for use on smooth interior walls, whereas traditional rollers are more ideal for exterior walls with uneven surfaces. Foam rollers glide easily along smooth, flat surfaces, dispensing paint uniformly. Foam absorbs liquids easily.

What type of brush gives the smoothest finish? ›

If you're painting a smooth surface, use a white China bristle for a smooth finish or, if you need to achieve an even finer finish, a China bristle blended with ox hair is recommended.

Use brushes with nylon-polyester bristles. A brush about 2.5 inches wide is a good choice for cabinets. Some painters like the angled bristles of so-called sash brushes.

While paintbrush bristles can have either synthetic or natural bristles, synthetic bristles are the most practical. Commonly used by DIY-ers and professional painters alike, they work well with water-based paints like Aura^® Interior, ben^® Interior, and Regal^® Select Interior.

Fortunately, you can remove roller marks by using a wet sponge and some sandpaper. Once your paint has dried off, rub down the surface using your sandpaper. Be sure not to get rid of too much of the paint because the only goal is to even out the coating.

Fortunately, just as you do with your walls, you can get rid of roller marks on the ceiling by applying another coat of paint or using a fine grit sandpaper to knock down the ridges.

I recommend three thin coats of paint, but it all depends on the color and consistency. After the final coat of flat paint, sand* lightly with super fine sandpaper. Your project should be smooth and even. Remove sanding residue with a soft bristled brush attachment on a vacuum.

There are a few culprits, including not properly cleaning the surface and picking up dust and debris, applying the paint too thick, or applying too many coats of paint over time, says Stipe. “It's important to thoroughly prep the surface by cleaning and sanding before painting,” he explains.

Always cut in first then continue painting with a roller. Cut in and paint with a roller one wall at a time. If you cut in all areas first and then roll the entire room, the paint that was applied when cutting in will have dried quicker and you will be left with a patchy, uneven finish.

These paint streaks are called raised edge roller marks, and they're caused by paint that's been applied too thickly or unevenly. The cause: This typically happens when the roller is full of paint and is pressed too firmly against the wall.

Many professional painters use sprayers because the prep time is not a huge time sink for them. But, some professionals can roll paint incredibly fast and evenly too.

Are microfiber rollers better for painting? ›

Woven roller covers are more shed-resistant, so they're better for gloss and semi-gloss finishes, which can highlight lint left over from the roller. For flat, eggshell, and satin finishes, knit roller covers do the job more efficiently. For consistent control and smooth finish, we recommend microfiber roller covers.

In terms of tips for cleaning paint rollers, first scrape the unused paint back into the tin with a putty knife and roll it on a rag to remove excess. Disassemble the roller, rinse with warm water, add detergent and work it into a lather to remove the rest of the paint.

A foam roller leaves a smooth, streak-free finish on your cabinets and furniture. However, you must be aware and leave a wet edge to roll into otherwise you may experience roller marks.

Air bubbles will appear on the surface when working with a foam roller. This is a natural process. It is the air within the foam that is being transmitted onto your surface. Allow for air bubbles to dry naturally (no breeze or wind within the room) and it will vanish completely once dry.

For smooth surfaces such as new drywall, choose a shorter nap (3/16” or 1/4") to evenly apply the paint. Because a shorter nap picks up less paint, it is common for some painters to “bump up” to a longer nap for increased production.

A good, well-maintained paint brush can be used several times, over a period of several years. For example, all the paint work I have done in the last seven years was done with the same paint brush! However, it is less advisable to reuse a paint roller.

Stopping during a painting job can be tricky since paint rollers and brushes dry out overnight, rendering them useless the next day. An efficient way to solve this issue is to keep rollers and brushes wet overnight, so they are ready to go the next day. To do this, all you need to do is cover them tightly in plastic.

Foam rollers are a quick and effective method to target larger muscles, but a tennis ball can do the trick as well. Even if a client does have a foam roller, tennis balls help clients roll smaller areas of a muscle that larger rollers can't reach.

There are certain conditions and circumstances where use of a foam roller could be detrimental or damaging to a person's body. Foam rolling exercises load and stress the underlying tissues, including nerves, skin receptors, blood and lymphatic vessels, as well as bones.

A smooth foam roller is a good choice for someone who is just getting into rolling because the pressure is not as intense as with a textured roller. Also, smooth foam rollers are typically less expensive than textured rollers.

What brush is best for straight lines? ›

Square brushes are the absolute best if you're going for a crisp straight line. Load up the top of your brush with just enough paint to stamp that perfectly straight line, which will match the length of the bristles on your brush. You won't be disappointed!

A crafty cousin of the bristle brush, the foam brush is a useful tool for DIY projects and hobby painting. These brushes are made with high-density pads that won't leave streaks. Because foam brushes are disposable, cleanup is easy, and since they come at a low price point, you don't have to worry about one-time usage.

Simple answer - yes! If you want to achieve a smooth finish, you will need a brush with long, synthetic bristles that is soft to the touch. Natural bristle brushes can be great for using with thicker paint like chalk paint, but not so useful for a brush stroke free surface.

Instead, before you dip your roller in the paint, slide the brush cover off the roller frame, 1-2 inches should do the trick. Now when you roll, the brush cover can roll right up against and over your brush strokes from where you had cut in previously.

Any brush strokes that are left will disappear right before your eyes. Quick note: you can't let the paint dry too much before you roll it or it will get tacky so work in sections. That's it! That's all you need to do to get a smooth finish without brush marks.

Good quality brushes are highly recommended for interior painting. The type of bristle and brush style will depend on what type of paint is being applied and what it is you are painting. The make your painting job easier and looks more professional.

The most used sheen of interior paint

Semi-gloss and eggshell are the most popular.

Best Roller for Eggshell Paint

A microfiber roller will give the smoothest finish possible for eggshell and other flat paint sheens. Microfiber tends to be very popular with contractors as they hold four times their volume of paint to help finish big projects efficiently.

A small 4” foam roller is best for painting cabinets.

A higher nap may leave extra fuzz or small bubbles which is not ideal for trying to get smooth surfaces. Leave the higher nap rollers for surfaces that have a slight texture like drywall.

The Medium Pile Microfibre Roller

Probably one of the most popular and reliable rollers on the market, these are designed to apply water-based emulsions, such as matt and silk paints, to internal walls and ceilings.

What are the 5 levels of paint finish? ›

So, back to the first answer: always use two coats. Using two coats of paint is our industry standard.

Before you start a paint job, you actually want to wet the paint roller cover with water. “This primes the roller cover to soak up as much paint as possible,” Barr explains. But don't go too crazy—Barr suggests removing excess moisture with a paper towel and a good shake of the roller so it's just slightly damp.

If you're just starting out with using a foam roller, choose one that's on the softer side. As your technique improves and your muscles adapt you can progress to using a denser (harder) roller. Denser rollers are also better for long-term use because they're more durable.

For flat, eggshell, and satin finishes, knit roller covers do the job more efficiently. For consistent control and smooth finish, we recommend microfiber roller covers. 1/4″ – Use for ultra-smooth surfaces like cabinets, doors & metal. 3/8″ – Use for smooth surfaces like walls & ceilings.

Clean the surface: Always start with a clean surface. Any dirt, dust, or grease will create streaks in the paint. To clean the wall, simply wipe it down with a damp cloth. Use a high-quality paintbrush, roller, or foam brush: A good brush or roller will help to evenly distribute the paint and prevent streaking.

Mohair and shorter nap synthetics in a 4 to 5 millimetres nap length. This is a good choice for applying oil-based gloss and semi-gloss paints. Synthetic nap lengths between 5 to 10 millimetres synthetic are suitable for higher sheen acrylic paints such as gloss or semi-gloss.