Exterior house painting: spray vs. rollers
Painting the entire exterior of a house is dreadful proposition to many do-it-yourself homeowners, and it is natural to seek shortcuts and labor-saving methods to reduce the effort in this necessary home-maintenance chore. Television advertisements, for cheap paint spraying systems might seduce some homeowners into thinking spray painting is the only way to go, but this is not necessarily so.
First of all, cheap paint sprayers powered by electricity rather than air pressure are seldom capable of producing satisfactory results. Exterior house paints, whether latex or oil-based tend to be thick, and successful spray painting depends on proper thinning of the paint, and meticulous attention to keeping the sprayer system clean, from the paint canister to the tip of the spray nozzle. Most inexperienced house painters fail to get the mixture right and fail to keep the equipment clean, so that their investment is quickly ruined or the paint splatters out of the gun in an inconsistent and messy manner.
A good paint roller is underestimated by many homeowners, but is in fact, the tool of choice for many professionals. About the only time spraying is preferable is when a large, rough-textured surface such as brick or stucco must be covered, as is often the case in painting commercial buildings. For most houses, a roller will do just fine. Roller covers come in many varieties, with the "knap" thickness ranging from one-eight of an inch to a full inch, depending on the surface to be painted. The thin-knap roller covers are designed for smooth surfaces, like doors and the plywood soffets found under the roof cornices of most houses. Thicker-knap roller covers work well for rough-textured siding, such as Masonite, cedar, and even some brick. Standard roller width is 9 inches, but specialty rollers 3 or 6 inches wide are also available for narrow areas a wide roller cannot reach.
For exterior painting with a roller, there are some time-saving pieces of equipment available that those only familiar with interior painting might not be aware of. The first is the means of dispensing the paint; that is, getting it from the cans to the roller. Instead of the shallow roller pans used for interior painting, get a standard 5-gallon plastic bucket and a bucket grid. Available at any paint store, this grid hangs inside the rim of the bucket, allowing you to pour 2 or more gallons in at a time and dip directly in the bucket. A pass with the roller over the grid takes off excess paint, and then you apply it to the surface. This speeds things up considerably, as you can take a full bucket and start painting without refilling a tray every few minutes. The second critical piece of equipment is a telescoping roller pole that allows you to stand on the ground and paint most walls and overhead cornices without climbing up and down a ladder. All professional painters use these as they are another great time-saver. Some of these poles extend as much as 20 feet and there is considerable strain on the telescoping mechanism, so get a heavy-duty model in aluminum or fiberglass.
A good roller frame, bucket, grid, roller covers and telescoping pole can be bought for less than the price of the cheapest spray guns. It is less hassle and produces better results, especially for amateurs. Of course you will have to go back with a brush and "cut-in" the trim details where the roller cannot reach, but compared to all the masking required for spraying, this is simple. For most people, rolling produces better results, applies thicker, more consistent coats of paint for protecting the house, and can be done in a wider variety of weather conditions. Don't forget that on windy days, sprayed paint blows, and in addition to painting your house, you might be paying for a new paint job for your neighbor's car if you're not careful.
First of all, cheap paint sprayers powered by electricity rather than air pressure are seldom capable of producing satisfactory results. Exterior house paints, whether latex or oil-based tend to be thick, and successful spray painting depends on proper thinning of the paint, and meticulous attention to keeping the sprayer system clean, from the paint canister to the tip of the spray nozzle. Most inexperienced house painters fail to get the mixture right and fail to keep the equipment clean, so that their investment is quickly ruined or the paint splatters out of the gun in an inconsistent and messy manner.
A good paint roller is underestimated by many homeowners, but is in fact, the tool of choice for many professionals. About the only time spraying is preferable is when a large, rough-textured surface such as brick or stucco must be covered, as is often the case in painting commercial buildings. For most houses, a roller will do just fine. Roller covers come in many varieties, with the "knap" thickness ranging from one-eight of an inch to a full inch, depending on the surface to be painted. The thin-knap roller covers are designed for smooth surfaces, like doors and the plywood soffets found under the roof cornices of most houses. Thicker-knap roller covers work well for rough-textured siding, such as Masonite, cedar, and even some brick. Standard roller width is 9 inches, but specialty rollers 3 or 6 inches wide are also available for narrow areas a wide roller cannot reach.
For exterior painting with a roller, there are some time-saving pieces of equipment available that those only familiar with interior painting might not be aware of. The first is the means of dispensing the paint; that is, getting it from the cans to the roller. Instead of the shallow roller pans used for interior painting, get a standard 5-gallon plastic bucket and a bucket grid. Available at any paint store, this grid hangs inside the rim of the bucket, allowing you to pour 2 or more gallons in at a time and dip directly in the bucket. A pass with the roller over the grid takes off excess paint, and then you apply it to the surface. This speeds things up considerably, as you can take a full bucket and start painting without refilling a tray every few minutes. The second critical piece of equipment is a telescoping roller pole that allows you to stand on the ground and paint most walls and overhead cornices without climbing up and down a ladder. All professional painters use these as they are another great time-saver. Some of these poles extend as much as 20 feet and there is considerable strain on the telescoping mechanism, so get a heavy-duty model in aluminum or fiberglass.
A good roller frame, bucket, grid, roller covers and telescoping pole can be bought for less than the price of the cheapest spray guns. It is less hassle and produces better results, especially for amateurs. Of course you will have to go back with a brush and "cut-in" the trim details where the roller cannot reach, but compared to all the masking required for spraying, this is simple. For most people, rolling produces better results, applies thicker, more consistent coats of paint for protecting the house, and can be done in a wider variety of weather conditions. Don't forget that on windy days, sprayed paint blows, and in addition to painting your house, you might be paying for a new paint job for your neighbor's car if you're not careful.
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