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Flat/Matte: Flat paints (also called matte paints) have the least amount of shine. They provide the. Paint rollers can be ideal for interior and exterior DIY painting jobs due to their ease, versatility and speed of application. Compared to paint brushes, the different types of paint rollers used properly can provide smoother finishes and are less likely to cause. 2” Straight Edge are best for cutting in at the corners of exterior and interior walls; 3” – 4” Straight Edge are best for painting interior walls and ceilings; When you’re buying any paintbrush, there are a few things to look out for: Tug on the bristles. If one or two bristles can be pulled out, the brush.

Even if you have the best quality paint, using the wrong roller or brush for your project can waste time and money. By taking a moment to consider your tools, your paint job is going to get the most payback for your investment.

Kinds of paintbrushes: Natural and Synthetic

Natural-hair bristles are best used with oil-based paints, stains and varnishes while Synthetic bristles are better with water-based and latex paints. Synthetic bristles hold their shape and maintain stiffness no matter how much water they’re exposed to. A top quality polyester brush is well worth the initial cost—when cleaned and stored properly, they’ll keep painting smoothly for years to come.

Choosing the right brush size and shape

Brush Sizes

• 1” – 2 ½“ Straight Edge are best for woodwork and molding
• 1” – 2 ½” Angled Sash are best for window frames and trim (more precise applications)
• 2” Straight Edge are best for cutting in at the corners of exterior and interior walls
• 3” – 4” Straight Edge are best for painting interior walls and ceilings

When you’re buying any paintbrush, there are a few things to look out for:

• Tug on the bristles. If one or two bristles can be pulled out, the brush is probably poorly made.
• Hold the brush by the handle. Choose a brush that feels comfortable in your hand.
• Note the type of bristle tips. Flagged bristles, or split ends, hold more paint, while tipped brushes are favored by pros for their precision and control.

Choosing a paint roller

The best part of using a roller is you can cover a lot more surface area in a lot less time. So, if you’ve got a large, flat area to paint like a wall or ceiling, rollers are a great option. As with brushes, when you’re painting with latex and water-based paints, make sure you use synthetic roller covers.

When you’re choosing a roller, just like brush sizes, you’ll want to think about the roller’s width:

• 3” are best for trim and narrow areas
• 9” are best for most interior wall and ceiling jobs

Another important consideration when you’re shopping for rollers is the length of the nap, or the material that makes up the roller cover. Generally speaking, you should paint smooth surfaces with a short nap, and rougher surfaces—like stucco, brick and masonry—with longer nap so those fibers really get the paint into every nook and cranny. That’s going to save you time.

• 1/8 ” – 1/4” are best for wallboard, smooth plaster, wood or metal
• 3/8” – 3/4” are best for light-textured stucco, poured concrete and rough wood
• 3/4” – 1” are best for heavy-textured stucco, concrete block and brick

Consider the paint’s finish or sheen when picking a roller cover

Gloss and semi-gloss paints go on better with short-nap rollers because these tend to generate less foam and fewer bubbles when you’re rolling the paint out.

When you’re buying any paint roller, as with brushes, you’ll want to pay attention to a few things:

• Squeeze the roller cover. If the roller cover quickly returns to its original shape that means it’s well made.
• Choose a plastic “cage.” Cardboard handles and rotating “ribs” tend to fall apart; go for a plastic cage that will stand up to the job and cleaning.
• Opt for quality covers. Cheaply made roller covers can leave nap fibers and lint behind on the paint surface.

It’s an extra step in your DIY project, but choosing the right tools can get the job done faster with higher-quality coverage and a better finish.

Best Paint Brush For Interior Walls

The quality of your tools can make or break the finished look of your paint job. Ahead, learn the key considerations involved in choosing the right roller frame and cover for your next project.

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Photo: istockphoto.com

There are many do-it-yourself projects that allow for scrimping on costs without any negative effects on your results—painting, however, is not one of them. For a professional-looking paint job, you need to start with quality tools.

You’ll likely reach for a paintbrush when cutting in or painting trim, but covering the bulk of the wall or ceiling with paint becomes a much simpler, speedier job when you use a paint roller. Not only that, but the right roller-and-cover combination works to spreads paint smoothly and evenly, so you aren’t left with brushstrokes, patchy spots, or other imperfections.

Paint rollers and covers are simple and generally quite affordable tools, but there are many options to choose from. Ahead, our guide explains what to consider and what to look for, and it offers details on our top-favorite picks among the best paint roller and cover options available.

1. BEST ROLLER FRAME:Wooster Brush 9-Inch Roller Frame
2. BEST ROLLER COVER:Purdy Dove Cover
3. BEST VALUE ROLLER COVER:True Blue Professional Paint Roller Covers

Finding the Right Paint Roller for the Job

1. Select an easy-to-grip roller frame.

A roller frame—the skeleton of this reusable painting tool—is basically a comfortable plastic handle connected to a roller cage (the part of the frame that slips inside the roller cover). Typically, roller cages have plastic caps at either end supporting the compression metal “ribs” that fit inside a cover and hold it securely in place, but you’ll also find roller frames with sturdy plastic cages.

Roller frames are sold in sets with covers for convenience, but you have more control over the quality of your supplies when you purchase it separately. When comparing frames, look for these optional features:

• Ergonomic handle. If you expect to spend a lot of time painting, even just more than one room, it’s worth paying a little more for an ergonomic handle that is shaped to reduce strain on your wrist.
• Ball bearings. Quality roller frames have ball bearings to provide smooth rolling movement and a more perfect paint finish.
• Threaded handle. While it comes on most roller frames, do check for threads or clips at the bottom of the handle so you can attach an extension pole for tackling ceilings or the tops of walls.

Photo: istockphoto.com

2. Narrow down to your options for roller length.

Roller frames and covers come in several different lengths (and while most frames come in a fixed roller width, some of the large ones are adjustable in size, using small clips or prongs to secure the cover instead of a cage). You’ll need to match the lengths of your roller frame and cover if you want to do the job right.

• 9-inch rollers are the best size for the majority of projects tackled by DIYers. For starters, these paint rollers fit easily into a 5-gallon paint bucket. Plus, these are large enough to cover a good size swatch of wall in one roll yet not so long that they are difficult to control around trim and other details.
• 12-inch or longer rollers can be somewhat heavy and unwieldy and, therefore, are more often used by professionals than DIYers. If you really need to cover a stretch of wall in a hurry, however, you might want to choose one of these oversize rollers.
• 6- or 7-inch rollers are a good size for painting baseboard molding or small furnishings. These rollers are also useful for getting into corners or reaching behind the toilet to paint the wall.
• 4-inch mini rollers are great for touchups, small furnishings, tight spaces, or careful work around fixtures, windowsills, or other obstacles. They also come in handy for painting the insides of cabinets or bookcases.

3. Choose the right roller cover material based on your paint and project.

Covers come in five common material options, which vary in terms of what paint they work best with, how much they hold, and the texture they create.

• Wool or mohair roller covers, with natural fibers, are the best choices for applying oil-based paint, but they work well with any finish and cover a variety of surfaces smoothly. Wool picks up a lot of paint, and so provides excellent coverage with just one coat.
• Synthetic roller covers—including polyester, nylon, or Dacron—are the right choice for water-based latex paint because they resist matting. You can use a synthetic cover with any paint finish and on most surfaces. Though synthetics don’t pick up and hold as much paint as wool does, they are generally very durable.
• Roller covers that blend wool and polyester can be used with either type of paint and any paint finish, so are a great choice if you often switch between oil-based and water-based products. These versatile roller covers give the best of both worlds: They pick up a lot of paint and last a long time if cared for properly.
• Newer to the painting scene, microfiber roller covers (identifiable by the diagonal stripes on the plush cover) work with latex as well as oil-based paints with a matte, eggshell, or satin finish. These rollers provide a very smooth finish, almost as if sprayed on, and are suitable only on surfaces without much texture. However, there’s a bit of a learning curve to achieving an even finish with a microfiber roller because they pick up and release more paint than the average cover, so practice on cardboard or another throwaway surface before tackling your walls.
• Foam roller covers don’t last as long as the other options and, for that reason, are sometimes considered “single use” covers. They are best for rolling semi-gloss or high-gloss latex paint over smooth—not heavily textured—surfaces. Use them for quick touchups on trim, baseboards, furniture, or other small projects.

Best Paint Brush For Interior Walls Interior

You’ll also want to consider the core of the roller cover; a good one is made from some type of resin or plastic. Cheap rollers have cardboard cores, which don’t hold well and often come apart after just a few uses.

4. Know what nap you need for your surface.

The nap of a roller cover refers to the length of its fibers—yet another important decision to make based on the project at hand. Different naps are good for different surfaces. As a general rule, the shorter the nap, the smoother the surface you’ll use it on. Using a long nap on a smooth surface tends to create a bumpy finish, while a short nap on a rough surface will often tear apart or shed fibers into the paint.

• 1/4-inch nap is best for very smooth walls, ceilings, cabinetry, and other surfaces without texture, including metal.
• 3/8-inch nap is good for lightly textured surfaces, including most interior walls.
• 1/2-inch nap is a good length for moderately textured walls, paneling, and painted brick or concrete.
• 3/4-inch nap is best for heavily textured surfaces such as bare brick or concrete or textured interior walls like popcorn-textured ceilings.
• 1-inch nap and above is useful for painting stucco, cinder blocks, or rough brick.

Best Paint Brush For Interior Walls At Home Depot

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