What you might not know about paint brushes and rollers
You can’t just pick any old brush off the shelf at the store and expect it to do a good job. Painting is an art and the correct tools are a must if you want your home to look good.
Get the right quality brush
This is the best thing you can do to ensure a good paint job. Buy the best quality paint brush you can. You may not think it’ll make that much difference, but a poor quality brush won’t hold an adequate amount of paint. It will also leave more streaks which means you have to work harder to get a smooth finish. And cheap paint brushes will lose their bristles. Ever try to pick a stray hair from your brush off a wet paint surface? It’s extremely aggravating and will slow you down. If you are the kind of person who throws out your brushes when you’re finished with them, you may not want to invest in a quality brush. But a good one, properly cared for, will last a while.
Ask your paint dealer about what type of brush to use with water-based, oil-based and low VOC paints as brush quality is extremely important when using particular types of interior and exterior paint.
Handle size, length and brush-type
Wondering what type of brush to buy? Consider what you will be painting. If you have a brush with a short handle, that will give you more power when brushing. More power means you can apply more paint in a shorter amount of time because with that short handle comes a wider brush.
Specialty brushes will have angled bristles to get into corners or longer handles for better control. You will be much more accurate when painting things like window trim and baseboards with a smaller brush.
The differences between paint rollers
What you might not realize is that not all paint rollers are created equal. You must choose the right type of roller for the right type of paint as well as for the right type of paint surface. Paint rollers are made of fabric and the fabric on the roller will have a nap or specific fibre length
Choose a roller with a short nap if you’re using glossy paint and applying it to a smooth surface. The shorter nap with finer fibre will ensure a thinner coat which is ideal for a shiny surface.
A roller with a medium nap fabric are for general painting and best for matt finishes or low gloss paint. The rollers hold a good amount of paint so a good choice for walls and ceilings.
Paint rollers with a long nap, which can hold a good volume of paint are a good choice for rough surfaces or textured surfaces such as a popcorn ceiling. You’ll want a lot of paint on your roller because the paint has to penetrate onto the uneven surface.
If you have semi-gloss paint or varnish and you’re painting a pretty ordinary smooth surface, you can certainly use an el-cheapo all-purpose foam roller.
Specialty rollers with specific textures cost a bit more. The roller has a specific design that imprints on the wall or ceiling such as diamonds or squares or polka dots.