General Painting Tips

Get prepared to paint.  Be sure to have all your equipment together including brushes, roller covers, paint pads, edgers, trimmers, extension poles, paint tray, drop cloth, and masking tape. Cover furniture and exposed surfaces to protect them from paint splatters. You may want to apply tape to the trim to protect it or wipe the baseboards and trim with water to make splatter cleanup easy.

Select the proper product.  Pad painters will work with virtually any type of paint. There are pads designed for interior, exterior and for use with decks/fences. The package will tell you which pad to use for your specific project. Select 7" or 9" pads for interior walls, ceilings, floors and other large areas. Smaller pads 3-4" can be used for trim and edging.

You may also want to use a combination of products…a small pad or edger for "cutting in" and trim work and a roller cover for large surfaces.

Use a roller edger/trimmer for cutting in. "Cutting in" is a process of applying paint at corners where ceilings meet walls or where walls intersect, or where paint is applied next to molding, trim, and baseboards.

Use a paint tray and pour the paint into a tray, as this will make it easier to load the paint pad. Pour only about 1/4-inch of paint into the tray. This will ensure that there is no overloading of paint or sinking of the pad into the paint.

Dip roller edger into the paint tray and gently move the tool across the edge of the tray to remove excess paint. Be careful to keep guide wheels free of paint. Place pad 1" below ceiling line or 1" away from windows, baseboard or trim. Slide up until guide wheels are in firm contact with the surface. Apply light pressure to control edger. Paint in long, easy strokes along the trim or wall line.

Use your pad painter correctly and efficiently on large surfaces. Use a paint tray and pour the paint into the tray. Pour only about 1/4-inch of paint in the tray. This will ensure that there is no overloading of paint or sinking of the pad into the paint.

Wiggle the pad to get the paint onto the bristles and foam. This movement will not only load the paint but lock it in as well. Gently move the pad across the edge of the tray to remove excess paint.

Apply and spread paint in long strokes as this will give you control.  Then, lift the pad up to place it beside the strip you just painted to resume painting. Sliding it back and forth makes the finished job look anything but smooth. Reload pad often, as this will prevent the pad from drying.  

Use your roller cover correctly and efficiently. To load the roller, pour paint into the tray. Dip the roller about one-quarter of the way into the paint and roll it along the grooves of the pan to load. Next, dip the roller half way into the paint and again roll along the grooves of the pan to load. Repeat this process two more times until the roller is saturated or loaded with paint.