How to paint walls & ceilings (page4) - roller painting

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Roller painting sequence

Without reloading, repeat the process at right angles to spread the paint in an even film. Finally, roll it again with an almost straight back and forth motion in the first direction. Keep the same final direction on the whole surface - walls vertically, ceilings parallel to the window wall.

Reload and move to the next bay. As with all painting, work the paint onto an unpainted area first and gradually back into the previous paint to blend the areas. Always work new paint into old. You should find that each full roller enables you to paint about a square metre at a time.

Painting ceilings

For ceilings, set up a safe and stable working platform using two pairs of steps or hop-ups and a scaffold board. This will enable you to reach about a 1m wide strip of the ceiling at a time, without having to continually move your steps.

Start at the window edge and work away from it. This is particularly useful when using a similar colour, as you can readily see painted and unpainted areas by viewing them at an angle to the light.

Mini rollers

For narrow or awkward areas such as those behind a radiator, use a mini roller which is slimmer and has a long handle.

• Washing down
• Preparing walls and ceilings