I receive multiple questions regarding proper paint roller techniques - ranging from how much pressure can I apply while I am rolling on the wall, where do I begin, why do I have drip marks, etc. I thought I would give a mini crash course on paint roller technuiques!

Attach your paint cover to your roller. Briskly rub your clean roller cover with your hand, leveling out the thickness. Pour paint into your paint tray. Dip the roller fully into the reservior to load it with paint. Lift the roller from the paint tray, and roll it back-and-forth on the textured ramp to distribute the paint evenly onto the nap of the roller. The roller should be full, but not dripping when lifted from the paint tray. If you start at the top and notice the paint "sagging", then the paint roller has an overload of paint.

1. With the loaded roller, make a diagonal sweep about 4' long on the surface. On walls, roll upward on the first stroke to avoid spilling paint. Use slow roller strokes to avoid splattering. You can make an "M" shape on the wall.

2. Draw the roller straight down from the top of the diagonal sweep. Shift the roller to the beginning of the diagonal and roll up to complete the unloading of the roller - this completes the letter "M" on the wall.

3. Distribute paint over the rest of the section with horizontal back-and-forth strokes.

4. Smooth the area by lightly drawing the roller vertically from the top to the bottom of the painted area. Lift the roller and return it to the top of the area after each stroke.

In a nut shell, paint surfaces in small sections, working from dry surfaces back into wet paint to avoid roller marks. If a paint job takes more than a day, cover the roller tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the freezer overnight to prevent the paint from drying out. Be sure to leave enough thaw time for the roller cover to thaw!