Diy - Painting Woodwork

[Robinia]

I've always used brushes to do this but I was wondering about those tiny rollers & whether anyone had used them. What are the pros & cons? Do you get a nice finish? I've got 7 panelled interior doors & 2 cupboards to do in satinwood - I was hoping to get away with just washing them down :-( .

[gazzawazza]

I've never used them but have recently purchased a small roller to paint my front door because one of my workmates said what a good (and easy) job it made.

[cassimer]

We use them at home a lot. They are quick and easy to use, but the finish isnt perfect - as with all rollers they leave a slight spattery finish as opposed to brushing, which can be streaky. Overall though, handy little things, and I would happily use on doors!

[Robinia]

Thanks both of you!  It's looking optimistic, I'm all for the easiest way although it's still going to take ages with all the frames & skirting boards.  I could be gone for some time......

[ludwig]

We once re-painted some kitchen units in an eggshell paint using a small foam roller. We wanted it to look as smooth as possible, so you couldn't tell they had been painted. It worked quite well, but it took a long period of tedious and careful rolling. A brush would have been no good at all for this, as the bits we had to finish where the roller couldn't get always showed brush marks no matter how carefully we did them.

[jake-the-peg]

Does this help?

http://www.painterclick.com/tips_for_painting_a_door.htm

The thing about painting and decorating (my wife teaches it) is that the quality of the finish is directly related to the preparation before you start to paint

Sorry but there it is

[Robinia]

Thanks again. As much as I hate preparation I try to do my best & always use good quality paint but there's no getting away from the tedium is there?!!

[gazzawazza]

Sorry, I forgot to add that my mate said he finished off with very light upward strokes with a paintbrush which gave it a super-smooth finish and stopped the "spattery" finish that cassimer mentioned.  He said that using the roller was sooo quick and easy that even using the brush to do this meant you still saved lots of time.

[Robinia]

Okey dokey gazza thanks.  I've not started yet, it's one of those jobs that keeps dropping down the list of things to do...funny how that happens!

[kinglock]

As a painter myself, i would suggest thing the paint down slightly with white spirit. Then roll the paint on quickly, then lay the paint on the door off with a brush. This is what we call in the trade, it basically means running a brush through the wet paint giving the illusion of putting the paint on with a brush. unless u do this with satinwood paint, using a roller a a complete no no

[Robinia]

That's great thanks kinglock.