please tell us what you are using, how old are the rollers, and your method of cleaning and storing used rollers.

 

3/4 inch nap roller not sure what brand at the moment. It seems like it happens with any roller I use though. I've been using the smaller skinny rollers too and the same thing happens to them. I don't know when I am pressing too hard and smashing them down or not using enough paint or something. The mini ones I use are the purdy jumbos

 

You are probably using TOO MUCH pressure on them trying to get even coverage.

It takes experimenting to get the art down.

Yes clean them up, and fluff them with a large toothed comb.

ED

 

I remember when I was teaching a room full of ladies on how to paint walls . . . .
I was told that the #1 thing they remember is this:
when you are painting, and you are splattering paint all over the place, you have too much paint on the roller and you are going way too fast.
and #2 - when you hear the roller making the squisk squisk squisk sound, the roller has no paint on it.
and I guess I should have included that too much pressure will reduce the ability of the roller to do its job effectively.

and to add to your post:

"When I paint with roller everything rolls on nicely for about an hour".

how often do you paint? are you a hobby painter, maintenance man painter, apartment painter guy ???
for me, painting is relaxing (emotionally and spiritually, not physically, sometimes) I just like it.
the more you do it, the better you get.

 

painting is relaxing (emotionally and spiritually, not

John Smith: I’m with you 100%. Thus my handle, luv2paint. I was a teacher and have been painting since the 70s. I learned a lot over the years. My job as a teacher was cerebral; painting gave me extra bucks, but a real sense of accomplishment and mostly pride, for the most part. One never knows how students are affected by what we do every day. Today I painted a two story foyer. My spiritual joy is a little weak right now. The bourbon is helping.

 

IDK. Ive never had that problem...Even if you use too much pressure, it should go back to normal every time you dip it.... Try a nice Wooster Prodooz.

Can you elaborate exactly what youre referring to? Ive never had a roller stop performing well after a few hours... . Hell, I keep primer roller skins for weeks at a time, taking them off, and just wrapping in plastic and ziploc bags when Im done....

Are you using a tray, or a grid and bucket?

 

I have a rental house so I paint some rooms after the tenants move out. After painting two walls today my roller nap was so smashed down and matted that it would barely roll. I am now thinking that I am either not putting enough paint on it and just pressing way too hard. I have two gallons of paint for my whole downstairs so I suppose I am trying to stretch it. Maybe that is why. I guess I can try spraying the roller with water and fluffing it back out during the process?

 

How old are these rollers?

After a few years the fibers lose their elasticity, and won't stay fluffy.


ED

 

I am using a disposable tray that I replace every couple days.

 

Brand new rollers. Since I've been having this issue I just use a new one every day.

 

I don't paint a lot but I've never encountered what you're describing. I agree that it sounds like you're pressing too hard.

 

ok - since you have more to do in the future, invest in a couple of GOOD name-brand rollers, a new roller holder with 1/4" steel frame, and good paint - I realize it is a rental property, and maintenance is an ongoing thing, but, for your benefit, you should not have to struggle in the job.
it's totally your call. . . . use the spray/spritz, washing the roller mid-job, and keep on doing what you are doing.
BigJim has a quote in his signature:

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got.

so - it's time for you to try something else. (better tools and "maybe" a better quality paint).

 

If you're not using a screen in the paint pan, try adding one, that may help.

 

3/4 inch nap is... really big. I can't quite say I have never heard of it, but trust me - it's not normal. Get a half-inch sleeve, fill it up good with paint. Roll it back and forth a few times in the tray just so it doesn't drip all over the place. If the roller slides around and won't roll, that is too much paint - but you want to get pretty close to that. Let the weight of the roller do most of the work. You don't have to "squeeze" paint out. it should just flow off the roller.

Reload often. You should be hitting that tray constantly. Every time you pick up the roller and start a new stripe, load it up with paint.

 

3/4 nap is waaaaay too much nap for most walls. They tend to get “floppy” because it’s so hard to get paint to saturate evenly thru the nap. 1/2 inch is what you want. Quality is so important. You need Purdy Marathons 1/2” or an equivalent.
In addition, use a roller cage WITHOUT the cheap wires that hold the sleeve in place. They often bend and flex causing damage to the roller sleeve.

 

If the walls are textured, 3/4" nap is perfectly normal to use. I honestly dont know why anyone wouldnt....

Anyway to the op... As a general rule, it takes about a gallon and a half to two coat a smallish bedroom. Two gallons for the whole downstairs is probably not enough. Try a grid and bucket method. You may find it fluffs your roller back out. You dip then roll it down the grid really quick, so the centrifugal force will keep it fluffed. Is till done understand how thats happening at all, but using a grid might help....

 

IMO 3/4" is fine for textured ceilings [not popcorn] but 1/2" is my go to nap size for walls, even those with a little texture. I'm old school and still use lambswool covers.

 

I hate cleaning roller covers. I buy decent covers, not the best but by far not the cheapest, and I throw them away when I am done for the day. I am painting the inside of my 36x48 shop so I bought a dozen covers. If I painted every day for a living I would wash the covers, but for occasional painting I don’t want to bother.

 

If I painted every day for a living I would wash the covers, but for occasional painting I don’t want to bother.

Just the opposite IMO. The more time you spend painting, the more time you're wasting cleaning roller covers and the more money you save by throwing them out (and by the way, the less paint you're putting into our water supply.) That assumes you look at your work as dollar per hour. There's no way I can justify spending time cleaning roller covers at my hourly wage considering the cost of a new one.

On the other hand, if I was painting a shop I wouldn't need more than one roller cover. I would roll it up in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator until the next time I need to use it, and not throw it out until I'm done.

 

I just knock the skin off in the paint bucket at the end of the day if its a bigger job, then clean it at the end of the job. Or toss it...

And like I said, I have primer skins ( one for clear like Gardz and Draw Tite, and another for White acrylics) that I wrap in plastic, then put in a ziploc, and they just stay in my van, and I keep them for weeks before tossing them. I have another 1 1/2" Joint compound roller skin I wrap in plastic for floating walls, that stays in my drywall knife toolbox. . Not that theres anything wrong with keeping them in the fridge, but its not necessary. Mine stay in my van in 100+ degree weather, and they never get moldy or dry out or anything.

So, maybe what you're experiencing with your rollers is just the norm, for a roller....

What kind of paint are you using?

And again, I would ditch the tray, and use a 5 gallon bucket with a 9" grid. It will make your life a lot easier.

Then, at the end of the job, fill the bucket with soap water, and knock the skin off and throw your brush in there. If youre lazy like me, it will soak for a day or five, and be really easy to clean. Bad habit, I know, but If you have soapy water bucket with a bunch of rollers that have been soaking, you can clean all of them in a couple of minutes, if you have a spinner. Microfiber rollers clean out a lot easier than the cheapo's too.

 

And again, I would ditch the tray, and use a 5 gallon bucket with a 9" grid. It will make your life a lot easier.

Definitely the easy way if you're painting enough to use 5 gal. paint buckets.