What Roll On Paint To Use On Desk

I'yard sharing which pigment rollers work best for painting cabinets and furniture along with tips for getting a super smooth paint cease.

paint rollers with a green background with the text: the best paint rollers for a perfectly smooth paint finish.

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Tin you become a smoothen paint finish with a paint roller?

You lot absolutely tin get a beautifully shine paint cease using a roller!

I'm in several piece of furniture painting Facebook groups and I come across this question come up a lot. And at that place are always a couple of people who argue vehemently that the only manner to get a smooth paint stop is with a pigment sprayer. Some even go as far as to say you need to have your piece of furniture sprayed at an motorcar body shop to become a really smooth finish.

That's just ridiculous.

I've painted dozens of pieces of furniture (as well as cabinets) using both a pigment sprayer and a brush/paint roller philharmonic. You definitely can get a shine finish using a pigment roller.

painted dresser with super smooth paint finish.

If you examined the paint end extremely closely, information technology might not be 100% as smooth as a finish sprayed with a paint sprayer. Simply since nobody is going to be examining your furniture with a magnifying glass, a roller will piece of work just fine.

Just if you want a really smooth finish, you practice need to use the right pigment roller and the correct painting methods.

High Density Foam Rollers vs Flocked Rollers

I have been using high density cream rollers for years to pigment furniture. These rollers are small, ordinarily 4 or vi inches wide, and made of foam. They are often labeled as being for smooth surfaces like doors and cabinets.

I've e'er had great results using cream rollers, just recently I decided to practice some research and make sure I wasn't missing out on some other kind of roller that is fifty-fifty better.

I found some recommendations for flocked foam rollers as the all-time choice for painting smooth surfaces, and then I decided to put them to the test.

When I was painting my bathroom vanity , I painted ane door using one of my old true-blue Whizz brand cream rollers and the other door using a Whizzflock flocked mini roller .

two cabinet doors with a foam paint roller and a flocked paint roller.

To proceed things as fair every bit possible, I used two rollers made by the same brand and I used the exact same paint on both – General Finishes Milk Paint in Persian Blue .

As I started rolling on the paint I was surprised to see that the flocked roller was leaving a lot of stippling as I rolled on the paint. (Stippling is that orange peel texture that paint rollers sometimes give.)

painting a cabinet door with a flocked paint roller and blue paint.

I figured the paint would probably level out more than as it dried, simply when both doors had stale, one was noticeably smoother than the other.

I really expected it to be close and possibly even also close to call. But instead, the high density foam roller was the articulate winner.

painting a cabinet door with a foam paint roller and blue paint.

The painted door wasn't perfectly smooth – especially since this was only the first coat of paint. But information technology was significantly smoother than the flocked roller door.

The Best Rollers for Painting Furniture

Now I feel even more confident proverb definitively that high density foam rollers are the best for getting a smoothen finish on cabinets and article of furniture.

Over the years I have used several different brands of foam rollers and oasis't plant a noticeable difference betwixt them. They all give a dainty shine end.

They typically come in iv or 6 inch sizes. I prefer the six inch size but either is fine. Once you have bought the roller, you lot can buy replacement roller covers as needed.

You tin can wash and reuse the covers, merely I prefer to buy new covers pretty oft. The foam will get-go to wear down over time and tin begin to affect your finish.

Of course having the right roller is just half the battle – you also have to know how to utilise information technology! I'grand going to share the basics for getting a smoothen pigment stop along with some special tricks for when you want your cease to look absolutely perfect.

How to Get a Smooth Finish with a Pigment Roller

Materials Listing

loftier density foam paint roller
high grit sandpaper (220 – 400 grit) – for smoothing your wood and smoothing the painted surface between coats
loftier quality paint brush – this is optional but information technology can actually help with getting a flawless finish. This is my favorite paint castor for creating a super polish cease.
Floetrol (for water-based paints) or Penetrol (for oil-based pigment) – these are optional additives you lot can add to your pigment to assist eliminate brush and roller marks.

The get-go step to getting a really smooth paint finish is to kickoff with a smooth surface. If you are painting a wood surface that is a chip rougher than you'd like, sand it with 220 dust sandpaper to smooth the rough edges.

It also helps to use a peachy paint. Almost article of furniture paints and paints that piece of work well for cabinets are self-leveling. This means that equally they dry, they smooth out to form an fifty-fifty surface which really helps brush strokes and roller marks disappear. (If you lot aren't sure what pigment to use, I have a costless pigment guide that will really aid. Just sign up below.)

Whatever paint you are using, exist sure to stir it thoroughly before painting.

Pour your paint into a pigment tray and roll your roller in the paint. Be sure to whorl your roller effectually a few times in the start to brand sure all sides are loaded with paint.

rolling a flocked paint roller in a paint tray.

Roll y'all roller over the ridges and grooves of the shallow side of the paint tray to become rid of any excess pigment. You want your paint roller to exist damp only not dripping.

Paint with long, even rolls moving from one side of the surface to the other.

In one case you have rolled on the commencement glaze of pigment, you will probably notice some areas that look like they could use a touch up. Information technology is so tempting to just do some other quick ringlet of paint over those spots, but don't practice information technology!

When the paint starts to dry, it becomes tacky and if you touch it or roll it, you will actually add to the texture rather than making it smoother.

When the paint has completely stale, you tin add a second coat. Once information technology dries, the second coat should expect smoother and more even than the first.

Following these steps should get you a polish coat of paint.

More Tricks for the Smoothest Possible Pigment Finish

If you are going for a super smooth, practically flawless finish, in that location are a few more than tricks that can assist.

If your paint isn't rolling on as smoothly as y'all want, you can stir in a picayune water or Floetrol . (Use Penetrol instead if you are using an oil-based pigment.) This volition help thin the paint and so that information technology levels more easily, eliminating brush strokes and roller marks. This article is helpful if you desire more info on Floetrol and how to use it.

Before your terminal coat of paint, sand your cabinets or furniture lightly with 300-400 grit sandpaper. This super fine sandpaper will give you a really polish surface to work with.

If you lot are noticing a small amount of stippling (orange peel texture) from your roller that remains afterward the pigment dries, you can use a super smooth paint brush to smooth out the texture on the final coat of paint.

Dampen your paint castor with a little h2o. Immediately after rolling on your paint, lightly run the paint brush over the painted surface using long, fifty-fifty strokes. Once it dries, yous should have a silky shine texture.

white kitchen cabinets painted super smooth using a paint roller and brush.

This is the method I used to get a really polish finish when painting my kitchen cabinets and it worked beautifully.

Desire more tips for painting furniture like a pro? Head to ane of these posts next:

The Best Pigment Brushes for a Perfectly Shine Paint Finish
How to Paint Furniture with the Perfect Finish Every Fourth dimension
The All-time and Worst Sealers for Painted Furniture
How to Pigment Chairs Super Fast (including how to use a paint sprayer start to finish)