Spray or Roller or both?

[Ernesto]

Should I spray or use rollers to paint the wall & ceilings of a

1650sqft house?

Masking is not a big task because all the furniture/fixtures are removed from the house, and the floor is not installed yet.

I wanted to just spray (got Graco DX from ebay), but then I read in this newsgroup that I should also backroll. Yet others suggest that power-rolling ($70 attachment to the sprayer at Home Depot) is the way to go.

I'm now confused. Can I get away with just spraying and not backrolling? If I must backroll after spraying, then it seems that power-rolling is a faster route, right?

Please advise. Thanks!

-Ernesto

[Joseph Meehan]

Don't bother, just roll. There are a couple of spray systems that work OK, but they don't come cheep. For the most part, you will need to spend a ton of money, and learn how to use the equipment, and even then back rolling is a good idea, or you can just roll.

[James Nipper]

Just curious, what is backrolling ??

--James--

[Sargent67]

Backrolling is rolling over something thats already been painted to even it out, usually backrolling is done with very little pressure basically just letting the roller roll over the surface spreading out the paint more evenly.

As to the original question, spray and backroll, you won't find a power roller worth a crap and cutting and rolling can be a long process if you're not a painter. Spraying will put the paint up quick and if you do a fairly even coat the backroll will only take minutes. BTW don't spray too far ahead of yourself.

[James Nipper]

Thank you for the explanation of backrolling.

--James--

[SteveB]

Excellent point, Grasshoppa!

When I backrolled, I used a Graco xr7 and then a sheepskin roller. Use two people. I have found it advisable to keep several fleece rollers available. When one fills up, toss it in a bucket of water, and change to another. And yes, don't spray too far ahead of the person who is backrolling. Alltogether, a good way to paint, get a good amount of paint on the wall, and end up with even stipple.

STeve

[cm]

Ernesto,

If you are spraying flat paint there is no reason to backroll. Spray the wall in one direction then go back and give it a quick coat in the other direction We use this spray technique with semi gloss and don't back roll. We get a nice even gloss this way. The DX is a nice sprayer for the money. I wouldn't bother with a power roller. You might want to invest in a spray tip extension so you can spray your ceilings without a ladder = big time saver $40.00 to $75.00

Good luck,

CraigM

[Ernesto]

Thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge & experience. This newsgroup rules!!!

-Ernesto

[davefr]

I'd spray the ceilings but roll the walls.

If you're a newbie to spraying, you'll most likely get a more uniform finish by rolling. Spraying looks easy but it take a pro to get a consistent film thickness.

[3rd eye]

Good advice.

No need to do this if you put a bit less paint on.

And

Agreed.

[Bruce]

I'm not a big fan of spraying inside a house. No matter how much you cover things the spray will go everywhere. You don't have fixtures and flooring but what about windows, trim, doors, kitchen cabinets, bathroom fixtures, and electrical sockets? These always get some paint when spraying inside a house no matter how good of a job you do masking and covering.

If you do decide to spray you will also have to backroll so make sure your final stroke is the same direction, e.g., make the final pass with the roller from top-to-bottom for every section of the wall.

I don't like the power rollers that attach to sprayers or work off batteries--they have more problems than they are worth. However, if you decide to roll it by hand, some of the cheaper manual power rollers can save time--their main drawbacks are that the roller covers aren't too good and they are difficult to clean.

Overall, I prefer to use a combination of 9" and 18" rollers with lambswool covers--it takes a bit longer but it is less messy and you always get a quality job.

Bruce A&B Construction Houston, TX

[Bruce]

I forgot to mention that the exception to interior spraying, at least in your case would be the closets. You can spray a closet with an airless in about 2 minutes instead of taking an hour by hand. Just get all the closets ready and knock them off at the same time with the airless and you will save a lot of time.

Bruce A&B Construction Houston, TX