8 Tips for Painting With a Textured Roller

A fresh lick of paint is an easy, economical way to give your tired walls a makeover. You can achieve a trendy, unique, textured finish while also economically covering imperfections in your older homes plastered walls. Fortunately, you don’t have to stock up on sponges or rely on pros using a trowel or sprayer to achieve the finish you want. You can DIY!

“Textured rollers can create visually interesting patterns and textures, adding depth and character to a surface,” Paige NeJame, owner of CertaPro Painters, South Shore and Boston, says. “They can mimic the look of materials like fabric and stone.”

NeJame explains that textured rollers can also help conceal imperfections on drywall or plaster surfaces and even help dampen sound.

We asked the experts for their tips for painting with a textured roller to achieve the look you want.

Choose the Right Roller

Textured rollers feature naps (fiber strands) with different lengths, structures and materials to help create particular looks, such as the popular bumpy orange peel effect.

“Textured rollers also come in different patterns, such as swirls, bricks and stucco,” Nick Lopez, Founder of LIME Painting, says.

Both Lopez and NeJame recommend textured rollers from popular brands Purdy and Wooster. However, there are many styles to choose from, and Lopez suggested trying out different patterns and styles to find the one that best creates your desired finish.

Wool

Textured paint roller covers with naps made from lambswool or other knit fabrics, such as polyester, hold paint well, apply evenly, fill crevices on rough walls and can produce a stippled, orange-peel texture. Lopez says some textured rollers can also create a natural wood grain or stone effect.

A nap length of at least three-quarters inch usually works best. However, a shorter nap can be better when using a paint mix containing a lot of additives (such as sand), otherwise, it’s tricky to roll out evenly.

Patterned rollers

“Patterned rollers can create more intricate patterns on the surface,” Lopez says.

Most people use a plain foam roller to quickly and evenly apply thin paint smoothly. However, try a foam decorative art roller with an embossed design to create an interesting feature wall.

Looped material

Looped plastic naps, like the one on the Wooster specialist roller, produce a decorative stucco effect when using thick, textured paints containing lots of compound additives, such as sand, joint compound or limestone. These rollers work best on rougher surfaces.

Choose the Right Paint

“Homeowners can get the textured finish they are looking for more easily if they use a paint specifically designed to leave behind texture,” NeJame says.

The best textured paint depends on the finish you’re looking to create and the porosity of the surface. There are lots to choose from, including grainy, clay, stone-like or chalky limewash paint formulations. You can also mix additives into standard paint. “We’ll mix drywall joint compound with a paint coating to create a heavier texture on walls and tint the substrate (the surface material being painted),” NeJame says. “The tint can minimize the need for additional coats of paint.” Her company also sometimes adds perlite to the coating to achieve a sandy texture.

Of course, you can also use standard paint with a textured roller. “If you are using a rough, knobble-textured roller, an oil-based paint will often work best because it can better penetrate the small crevices and create an even coverage,” Lopez says.

“However, if your textured roller is more subtle and smooth, you may find a water-based paint will do the job better,” he says. Lopez and NeJame agree that water-based paints are more versatile. They are easier to work with, clean up more easily, emit fewer fumes and dry quicker.

“However, drying quickly is not necessarily a benefit if you want to get the textured paint ‘just so’,” NeJame says.

Test the Texture

NeJame and Lopez recommend testing your textured roller and paint combo on a scrap of drywall or a large piece of cardboard. You want to ensure you can achieve the expected finish, and it can help you perfect your rolling technique.

“Adjust the roller pressure or switch to a different roller until you achieve the desired texture,” Lopez says.

Prep the Wall

While textured rollers and paints can help mask surface imperfections, the right paint prep work is still important for an even, long-lasting finish.

“Ensure the surface is clean, dry and free of debris before applying the textured roller,” Lopez says. NeJame recommends rolling on a primed or, at least, already painted surface.

Load the Roller Conservatively

“Textured rollers tend to absorb more paint than regular rollers, so you should be careful not to overload them,” Lopez says. “Apply a thin layer of paint first and build it up gradually to achieve the desired effect,” he says. NeJame says sometimes you may need to thin the paint for more even application.

Use Light Strokes

Don’t think pushing the roller hard against the surface will help create a more defined look. “Light and gentle strokes should be used when rolling,” Lopez says. “Allow the textured roller to do its job and let it create the desired texture.”

Try Reversing the Roller Direction

Lopez says that reversing the roller’s direction can add subtle variation, depending on the look you want to achieve. “This prevents a monotonous texture appearance on your wall,” he says.

Work Methodically

“Textured rollers can create an uneven surface if you cover a large area at once,” Lopez says. Depending on the roller, paint and surface type, you might need to work on small sections at a time and blend the edges with a soft-bristled brush to avoid visible seams. If you want a particularly rough texture, try using the roller dry on thick, partially dry paint.

Rollers can make painting large walls quicker and easier, but Lopez says you need more time when working with a textured roller. “You may need to apply several coats to get the desired effect,” he says. This is especially true if you want a very bumpy finish.

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