[Twister]

Guys -

When rolling walls, approximately how far can you advance the wet edge per each roller load?

Specs:
- Purdy White Dove 9" roller cover made from "woven dralon fabric" (whatever that is....)
- 3/8" nap
- paint is Sherwin-Williams latex "Duration Home" (satin sheen)
- ceiling is 8 feet high
- walls are smooth (non-textured)

I read on a professional painter's web site that when painting ceilings that with a 9" roller cover that you should be able to cover about 12 sq ft per roller load. If ceiling coverage is the same as for wall coverage that would be moving the wet edge forward about 1.5 feet (18") each load on 8' walls (1.5' x 8' = 12'). However, I previously tried advancing the wet edge about 18" per load before and it left roller tracks that could be seen when viewing the wall at an angle after the paint dried. However, loading the roller cover and advancing the wet edge about 13-14" while then going back and overlapping the previous wet edge line about 4-5" seems to work. 13-14" + 4-5" = 17-19" swath of paint on the wall but only advancing the wet edge about 13-14".

Should I be able to advance the wet edge even more?

I know you don't want to stretch paint / get every ounce of paint out of the roller cover before reloading because then you get roller tracks galore, but I also don't want to be schlopping paint on the wall.

Any thoughts from a painting guru would be appreciated.

 

[Twister]

For most wall paints I use a 1/2, loaded up, and use an extension pole so you can evenly stroke from top to bottom in one smooth stroke. i make a slight angle starting in about the mid going up covering about 1 1/2 the width of the roller. A couple of strokes to spread evenly and then lay off top to bottom from trailing edge. Repeat.

Brushjockey -

Yeah, I forgot to mention I am using a Purdy lockable extension pole. If you haven't seen them they're very nice because you lock the roller cover cage into place which prevents it from loosening/twisting on you mid-stroke.

"i make a slight angle starting in about the mid going up covering about 1 1/2 the width of the roller."

Can you explain this in more detail? Are you saying that you advance the wet edge about 1 1/2 roller widths? If so, that's what I'm doing.

 

[Twister]

Every surface is different and so is every paint. There are two things working against you. The first is the 3/8" nap. I would use a 1/2" on a ceiling. The 3/8 is for very smooth surfaces. The second is Duration paint. That stuff is thick by design. You can't spread it far.

Matthew -

Not painting a ceiling. Painting walls. 3/8" nap is for smooth surfaces like the ones I've got. Yeah, I agree, the Duration is thiiiiick stuff. Not good for cutting in with taped off trim because it doesn't flow well for long.

Cheers.

 

[Twister]

Guys -

Guess I should have clarified better: I wasn't really having a 'problem', it's just that in my limited painting experience so far I'd come to the conclusion that with the specs listed above that I could only advance the wet edge about 13-14" per roller load w/o getting roller tracks when the paint dried. Just wanted to know if you guys found the same to be true. Based on your general comments it seems like you have.

I appreciate everyone's replies.

And to 830ttime, I'll have to keep an eye on the SW Home Duration paint. I'd probably use another type of paint but one thing I've learned is that the type of paint (i.e., switching from SW Home Duration to SW Superpaint or Behr's, etc) can, and often does, change the way a particular color looks to your eye. Finding a color I like that goes with the stone and granite in my bathroom has been such a huge pain in the rear I'm not switching it now. My main complaint for the Duration Home so far has been that it seems to get thick real quick/doesn't flow out real well when cutting in. Could be me, though....