Depending on the size of your room, painting can be a lengthy job and require plenty of preparation. It may seem like a straightforward job, but there are certain tips and tricks that can help you perfect it. There are plenty of mistakes that can happen when it comes to painting, so if you’re using a roller for your paint job, use these 5 top tips to avoid roller marks and ensure you get the job completed to perfection.

Use sweeping strokes

At the early stages of your painting, you’ll want to keep the strokes as even possible. One great technique to achieve this is using ‘sweeping’ strokes so that the paint is applied nice and evenly. Begin your stroke from the bottom of the wall and work your way up the wall at a slight angle. Keep the pressure relatively light and stop about a foot away from the ceiling. Do this at a reasonable speed as you wouldn’t want the paint to dry in between strokes to leave a buildup.

Purchase a good sleeve

The part of the roller that you use to actually paint the wall is known as the ‘sleeve’. This is the most important part of your painting tool as it’ll be the key to the quality of your painting job. It can be easy to be sucked into the cheaper, disposable sleeves but choosing these means you’ll take longer to paint the room. They won’t hold adequate enough paint and provide inconsistent layers. Care for the roller and look after it to save you buying another one in the future.

Use less rather than more

Inconsistent paint marks can appear easily when you use too much paint on the roller. Rather than soaking your roller in paint, use it sparingly and within reason. Go over the same spot if you need to rather than trying to get the paint job done in one go. Although this may take longer, it’ll look far better and save you time going over the marks again.

Clean the roller once you’re finished

In some cases, you may have a room that you only have time to paint over the course of a few days. This means you’ll be re-using the tools that you used the previous day or in between coats. It can be an easy option to throw the sleeve away once you’ve used it once, however, you can maintain it far greater by cleaning the roller. This will help to achieve optimum results because the dry paint that was left overnight won’t create roller marks on your original coat.

Get close with your roller

Your roller will prove difficult to use when trying to tackle and close edges. A good tip is to use the paintbrush beforehand to paint a border that covers the tight corners. Although you’ll notice that this leaves brush strokes when you use your roller it’ll cover up the brush strokes easily. This is why you should aim to get as close to the edges as possible with your roller, so the brush strokes won’t be as visible on the wall. Avoid flooding the roller with excessive paint as you’ll want to steer away from getting paint in places that you don’t want it too, particularly in tight spaces.

Author bio: Jennifer is an experienced interior design writer based in Manchester in the United Kingdom. She studied Product and Furniture Design at the Chelsea College of Arts and benefited from working with a business that specializes in designer furniture from previous employment. When she’s not writing she owns two dogs that take up the majority of her spare time.