Painting w/Aura: still do 'W' pattern and sweep ceiling to floor?

15 years ago

Hi,

I am a novice painter. I've been viewing Home Depot videos and some other online videos to learn how to roll paint onto the walls. The general pattern seems to be:

a. Roll in either "W" or "M" patterns to cover a 3-foot wide section floor to ceiling vertical column, then

b. Final horizontal sweep from floor to ceiling, then

c. Move onto next 3-foot section.

After reading the posts in this forum about Aura, I'm thinking that I'd like to use it to paint the walls in my dining room.

Do Aura's fast set-up properties means a different approach to the above W/M & final sweep roller actions? Would you recommend another set of steps for rolling Aura onto the walls?

Thanks in advance!

la_koala

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Comments (13)

decorativewalls
15 years ago
do your cut-ins first, let dry and then come back to roll out the wall. Just roll in an up/down fashion and move on method. Don't stand and keep rolling back & forth. Just apply, distribute, lay off and move to next section.
trk65
15 years ago
The above is very good advice. To elaborate a bit-
Cut in the WHOLE ROOM as your first step. I use a 2 1/2 inch angled brush. By the time you arrive at the corner where you started cutting in, that first wall will be ready to roll out. As you begin with the roller, try not to overpaint-once you have an area covered it's best to move on as quickly as you can. Working the paint too much is the biggest mistake you can make with Aura.
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la_koala
Original Author
15 years ago
OK, got it about cutting in the whole room first. I have a great 2 1/2 inch angle brush, thanks for that confirmation!

Questions:
So you both advise not doing the "W" or "M" patterns, right? Just roll up or down in straight roller-width columns?

Do I overpaint in order to get coverage--if it looks like the first pass didn't get enough coverage?

What does the "W/M" pattern supposed to help do with regular paints anyway?

My apologies if these are stupid questions. Thanks!
paintguy22
15 years ago
The reason people advise using the W or M pattern is just so that you don't splotch all the paint from a dip in one spot. It's just a way to spread the dip out so that you are less likely to have heavy areas. I don't really pay attention to what letter I'm making with the roller...as long as the paint gets spread, everything is good.
Faron79
15 years ago
Yes, AURA & other Higher-end paints set up pretty fast!

* 3 to (preferably) 4 roller-unloads in a 2.5' wide x 8' high column will achieve great film-build.
* Correct...a light ceiling-to-floor sweep of this column is necessary to even out thin-spots, & ensure the paint "lays" in the same direction when dried.
* This prevents the "baseball-field" effect when paint isn't "laid-off" in a uniform direction.
* Use a purposefull pace...you'll get the hang of it!

(BTW...I use a slanted letter "N" when I'm painting! Then filling each area horizontally)

Faron
PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
15 years ago
* 3 to (preferably) 4 roller-unloads in a 2.5' wide x 8' high column will achieve great film-build.

Using what size nap? 1/4?
I use a 1/2 inch nap and get that much coverage with 1(one) dip
paintguy1
15 years ago
True, you'll get much more on the wall with 1/2" but often at the expense of more stipple, especially in the hands of a DIYer. I've had best overall results with a 3/8".
PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
15 years ago
True, you'll get much more on the wall with 1/2" but often at the expense of more stipple, especially in the hands of a DIYer. I've had best overall results with a 3/8".

Can't argue that.
la_koala
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks everyone!

Yeah, I've got the 3/8" nap rollers, as recommended by Faron and others on other threads in the forum. (I do like to research ahead of time, and the wealth of info and insight on this forum is awesome!)

And thanks paintguy for the background reasons why others mention the W/M letter patterns and what they are ultimately *for* (getting an even spread). I guess I'm one of those types of people who learn best and avoid mistakes when I have some understanding of the why. Like why do recipes say to add salt to the boiling pasta water--I end up wondering 'does it matter if I leave it out?' :-)

Faron, your comment about the slanted letter 'N' was great! It made me feel so much better because when I practicing, the W pattern just did not come naturally to me. Now I have a better idea of what to aim for.

Thanks again everyone!
Faron79
15 years ago
Hey...take some b4/after pics & post here, dang it...;-) !!

*** hushed voice here ***(I leave salt out of Spaghetti-water too!)

The light, vertical ceiling-to-floor "sweep" is the REAL key to this madness however!

Faron
paintguy22
15 years ago
Most pros can use a 1/2" nap and not have an issue with stipple. I do agree that homeowners and DIY'ers would be better off with a 3/8" nap though. It's all about the technique. I can even use a 3/4" nap sleeve which is designed for rough surfaces and have little stipple.
PRO
Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
15 years ago
I can even use a 3/4" nap sleeve which is designed for rough surfaces and have little stipple.

That's what I use 90% of the time,Wooster 50-50
la_koala
Original Author
15 years ago
>>Hey...take some b4/after pics & post here, dang it...;-) !!
>>
>>The light, vertical ceiling-to-floor "sweep" is the REAL >>key to this madness however!
>>
>>Faron

Hi Faron, thanks for all your advice!

I just discovered that my spouse left the digital camera at his parents' house. (At least, that's where he thinks it is!). As we won't get over there until Christmas, I'm going to see if the ole "flash and film" camera works so I can at least capture the b4 walls before they are gone. :-)

(I finally read somewhere that you add salt to the pasta water because that's the only time the salt flavor can actually get into the pasta. While it is cooking and softening I guess. Honestly, I rarely remember to add it and I never notice the difference.)

Painting w/Aura: still do 'W' pattern and sweep ceiling to floor?

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Painting w/Aura: still do 'W' pattern and sweep ceiling to floor?

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