I am in the middle of a lengthy project that involved numerous skills, one of which is painting panels of wood. I've got a roller and tray, but this is the first time I have had my own painting equipment to look after. How do experienced painters tell when the roller is better thrown out than washed? I can still get a nap on the roller, but it's difficult to tell what colour it was as I just can't wash all the paint out.
When would a paint-roller be considered “worn out”
painting
Related Solutions
As long as you can get it airtight, it will work just fine. I use the disposable tray liners and try to get as much of the paint off the liner as possible, pouring the remaining paint back into the can.
I leave the liner on the roller tray, cover it with plastic wrap and then put the whole thing in a tie-off garbage bag, trying to get as much of the air out as possible. Keeping it in a cool place helps to cut down evaporation too.
Another tip: 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bags are the perfect size to hold a 9" roller cover between uses:
I squeeze the roller cover out with a painter's multi-tool, drop it in the bag, and seal it up. It won't keep forever, but it will certainly last a week.
Shurline roller covers are a mid range quality cover, but not bad and should do the job fine. I like to use Purdy White Cloud covers for final coats. If you are getting lots of ridge lines, that usually indicates that you are pushing too hard on the roller and trying to stretch the paint. Don't be afraid of loading the roller, obviously, you don't want it to be dripping, but don't work too much out of the roller before you start to apply the paint. If you find yourself pushing harder to transfer color, then you need more paint on the roller. Also do smaller sections at one time, not much more than a 4ft by 4 ft. Cover an area wall to wall one side to the other, then make one continuous long stroke over the entire length softly to even out the paint and remove ridges. Keep in mind, especially with cheap ceiling paints, the first coat always looks spotty and should improve with second coat.
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Best Answer
If you can't get all the paint out then that's a good time to think about replacing it.
The problems you might get are some paint flecks from the old paint coming off onto the newly painted surface - which will ruin the finish, or some of the old colour leaking into the new.
I wouldn't worry about the colour of the roller material itself and it is a good sign that you can still get a nap on the roller.