Brush or roller?

Question

I'm redecorating for the very first time. Which is the best to start out with? Brush or roller? Any tips would be very helpful.

Answer 1

the 'trick' with cutting in (going right up to an edge) is a fairly well loaded brush, then press lightly on the surface you wish to paint, the brush will splay a little, its this splay you control to go just where you want it to. First, fill the crack(if any) between ceiling and wall, smooth with your fingertip. Then, do the edges of the ceiling with a wide brush (practice your cutting in skills here, a bit of paint on the wall does not matter now)then, the bulk of the ceiling with a roller, fairly well loaded, dont skimp, too little paint on the roller and it will spray you! 3 matt emulsion coats on the ceiling Next, do your Woodwork, rubdown, sandpaper on the flat, wire wool for the mouldings. Get all those little nibby bits off. Touch of primer on bare timber, light rubdown. Then, 2 undercoats with a paintbrush and 2 gloss topcoats, rubbing in between coats. Now, your walls, much the same as the ceiling, edges with a brush (you did learn to cut in?) The logic here is that if you get any of your wall emulsion on your paintwork, it will come off with a damp rag before it sets.
Cleaning rollers...best in the bath soapy water. Same for Emulsion brush. your topcoat/undercoat brushes, dont bother with turps/white spirit, use a paint brush restorer, it makes the paint water soluble, wash off with soap and water, leave to dry, lovely clean dry brush for next coat. With brushes you 'get what you pay for,', a nice thick bristled brush is good (look at the cheapies!!!!)

Answer 2

If you are emulsioning smooth walls (ie plastered) I would use a 5 inch brush and cut in with a 1.5 to 2 inch brush. If you use a roller for the larger areas you will get a different texture where you've cut in. For textured surfaces (raised patterned wallcovering or Artex) use a large roller and cut in with a brush. Further tip - if you intend to use use rollers/brushes within the next couple of weeks store them in a plastic bag - keeps the emulsion soft. For oil-based paints store brushes in water (brush tubs available from all DIY stores).

Answer 3

A roller for the bigger part of the walls and a brush for around the doors and windows. Be sure to cover the floors as the roller tends to splash. I recently painted a room blue and looked like a smurf after i had finished!

Answer 4

Use a brush to cut in (do the edges) and then a roller for the bulk of the wall. A large brush actually creates a smoother edge when cutting in than a small one. If you're going to buy masking tape to protect your ceiling / skirting board etc, make sure you get a low tack one or you'll end up pulling off paint.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Use a paint brush for gloss and painting around the edges and corners. You can use either a brush or roller for large areas. I find a roller is quicker but more messier then a brush as lot's of speckles of paint fly off the roller as your painting.

Answer 6

Pads are the way forward. My and my bf do up properties for renting out and although it took me a while, I am now convinced that they are miles better than brushes and rollers. BUT rollers are far more entertaining and messy, which I love.

Answer 7

I would use both. The roller to get the larger areas done and the brush to get around outlets, and those hard to reach spots the roller cant get into.

Answer 8

There are many ways to vary this technique, and it really is a good idea to practice first. Rollers offer faster and easier paint application than a brush.

Answer 9

depends on the part of the job too and on the thickness of the paint - a roller will splatter paint all over the place if its thin, and it's almost impossible to do corners, and actually impossible to do awkward narrow places - however rollers are extremely effective in covering large flat spaces like walls and cielings fast and with a good coat

Answer 10

Cut in the corners, the ceiling and floors with a small brush.
Do yourself a favor and tape off the moldings around doors and windows.Now you can start with the roller. Start with a twelve inch. Then if it's nessesary switch to a nine.This depends on the space between door and window moldings and corners.