DIY Paint Roller and Other Nifty Painting Tips

A Push Broom Handle Is a DIY Paint Roller Extension Pole

You can spend $10 to $70 on an adjustable extension for rolling paint in high places. But if adjustability isn’t important or you just want to save a few bucks, try using a push broom handle as a DIY paint roller pole. Most fit perfectly on a paint roller. — Dave Moran.

Dry and Store Your Brushes

Keeping your brushes in good shape will help to ensure that you get smooth brush strokes, especially if your painting project takes several days. Several of our readers submitted their favorite ways to extend the lifespan of their paintbrushes.

Quick Drying Hanger

Here’s a handy way to dry and store paint brushes. Using a hand-saw, cut a slanted slice out of the handle from the hole toward the bristles. After cleaning, hook the brush over a coat hanger and hang it from a ceiling joist. — Paul E. Therrien.

Instant DIY Paint Roller Savers

When the painting job is half done but the day is all done, slide your paint roller off the roller frame and store it in a Lay’s Stax potato chip container. It’s just the right size for a standard nine-inch roller. Once you’ve slipped the roller cover inside, pop on the lid and the wet roller is sealed and ready for service in the morning. — Kevin Kurucz

Tomato Cage Drying Rack

An inverted tomato cage makes a great drying rack for rollers, brushes, pads, rags, and whatever is wet after painting cleanup. The stuff dries quickly outdoors, and there’s room for everything! — Tom Anderson.

Self-Cleaning Brushes

Just hang your brush in a jar of solvent: water for latex paint, and mineral spirits or paint thinner for oil-based. Using a clamp, suspend the brush in the jar with the bristles fully submerged almost to the ferrule, but not touching the bottom of the jar. The finish will slide off the bristles and settle on the bottom of the jar. If you’re using paint thinner or mineral spirits, set the jar outside to keep fumes out of your house. Be sure it’s away from children and pets. After a day or two, remove the brush and give it a thorough rinse in clean solvent. — Pat Gustafson.

Preserve a Brush With a Glove

I like to wear disposable nitrile gloves when I’m painting. They not only keep my hands clean but also keep my brush from drying out whenever I take a break. I simply grab the bristles with my gloved hand and then pull the glove over the wet bristles. A twist tie around the handle keeps the air out. — Ned Webb.

That’s a Wrap…For Now

This handy hint will keep your paint brushes in good shape after each painting project. After thoroughly washing and air-drying my brushes, I wrap them with a piece of the pre-taped plastic that I use to mask off my baseboards and protect my floors. When kept folded right off of the roll, the plastic is the perfect length to cover and shape the paintbrush bristles while the tape sticks to the metal ferrule. — Joe Martin.

Brush Bristle Saver

Without something to hold them in place, paintbrush bristles will curl or splay as they dry. The best way to store them is in the cardboard wrappers that they came in. They’re not just packaging; they maintain the shape of the bristles as the brush dries after cleaning. If you’ve already thrown your brush wrappers away, use paper and a rubber band instead. — Andy Benke.

DIY Your Stir Sticks

Stir sticks are important, but if you don’t have any on hand, fear not! You’ve still got options.

Make Paint Stir Sticks

Forgot to grab stir sticks at the store when you picked up the paint? If you have a band saw and a hunk of 2×4, you can make your own! Take a two-foot-long 2×4 and draw a perpendicular line in the middle. Next, rip several 3/16-in.-thick strips on the bandsaw up to the pencil line. Then, to release the stir sticks, chop the 2×4 at the pencil line. This method keeps your fingers a safe distance from the saw blade. — Les Eastep.

Use Takeout Chopsticks to Stir Finishes

If you don’t want to make sticks, there’s another way to DIY them. Save unused chopsticks you get with your takeout because they make great stirrers for small cans of paint, stain, varnish, etc. You can also buy disposable chopsticks to have a stash ready to go in your workshop.

Quick Touch-Up Pads

If you have touch-up work that’s not worth dirtying a paintbrush, try makeup rounds. These smooth pieces of cotton are about the size of a silver dollar and they won’t shed. You can use them to apply dabs of stain, oil or paint. We’ve even used them to touch up nail hole patches. — Jan Olsen.

DIY Small Paint Roller Trays

Small projects don’t require the large trays that bigger ones do, so why not DIY your paint roller pans? Two of our readers suggested easy options to make your small projects run smoothly.

Empty Jug Paint Carrier

For small paint jobs, I find a four-inch paint roller works great with an old gallon-size iced tea jug serving as a disposable roller tray. I just cut out part of the plastic to create a place to dip the roller. It even has a built-in carrying handle. When I’m done, I just throw the jug away. — Fred Thies.

Shoe Box Painting Kit

For a small paint job that calls for a small roller, I just use a shoe box top as my paint tray! It’s lightweight and I can hold it in one hand as I roll. Plus, it’s sturdy enough to hold the paint! When I’m done I just toss it out. There’s no messy tray to clean up. — Steve Ference.

Paint Can Opener on Hand

Always have a paint can opener on hand when you’re ready to start a painting project. Use pliers or a multitool to slightly bend open the loop of the opener. Then hook it onto the handle of the paint can you just purchased.

Keep Your Paint Rollers Tidy

Nothing ruins a fresh paint job like unintentional paint tracks. Fortunately there are a couple of ways to mitigate the mess. Whether you’re working with a DIY paint roller or a brand new store bought one, there are a couple of ways to keep them in tip top shape.

Remove the Fuzz

Some tools need cleaning even when they’re new. Some new roller covers (usually the cheaper ones) have a layer of fuzz that detaches from the cover. The first time you load up a fuzzy roller, the paint mixes with the fuzz and creates small bumps on the wall. One way to remove the fuzz is to wrap masking tape all the way around the roller cover. When you pull the tape off, the excess fuzz will be pulled off along with it.

Trim Off Ragged Roller Edges

Those ragged edges and tiny beads of dried paint on your paint roller may seem harmless, but they’ll leave ugly tracks in your paint job. Trim them off, leaving a slightly tapered edge, and your roller will be as good as new.

Thinner Extender

Extend the life of your paint thinner with this brush-cleaning system. Drill 3/16-in. holes in the bottom of an empty tuna can. Place the can in the jar with the bottom facing up, and fill the jar with paint thinner. Clean your brush by rubbing the bristles across the holes in the tuna can. The debris will settle to the bottom of the jar, leaving fresh cleaning solution for the next time. — Daniel Cappiello.

Easy-Clean Finishing

Forget brushes when it comes to varnishing a ton of trim or big, flat areas like tabletops and cabinets. Use a four-inch disposable roller and a nonstick, lipped baking sheet. Pour some varnish into the tray and use it just like a paint rolling tray. Keep adding varnish as you need it, but try to plan so you end up with an empty tray. When you’re through, toss the roller sleeve and let the wet varnish dry in the pan. When it dries, just peel the varnish film right out of the pan. — Aaron McKeever

C-Clamp Paint Can Handle

Use a C-clamp as a temporary handle on a quart-size paint can. “Yes, it may get some paint on the clamp,” says reader Mike Watt. “But does that really matter? Not to me!”

Less-Mess Paint Can Lids

It’s no secret that painting projects are messy, especially when pouring paint from the can into a smaller container or roller tray and then re-sealing the lid. Here’s one way to prevent paint from spattering all over the place when you close the lid of the paint can: Cover it with a rag or paper towel. The rag will collect the paint splatters, not your clothes!

To avoid denting the rim and lid of the paint can when you pound it closed with a hammer or mallet, lay a wood block sized just larger than the diameter of the paint can across the rag and hammer the center of the block. Rotate the block a few times, hammering in the center each time to seal the lid.

Touch-Up Bottle

When there’s only a little bit of latex paint left in the can and I want to save it for touch-ups, I put a half-dozen marbles in an empty water bottle and pour in the leftover paint. When I’m ready to do a touch-up, I shake the bottle and the marbles mix the paint. A roll of tape with a rag draped over it helps hold the bottle steady while I pour the paint into it. Just be sure to use a funnel or you’ll have a mess on your hands. — Ron Hazelton.

Egg Carton Painting Props

Keep a few empty egg cartons with the rest of your painting supplies. They’re great for lifting a small project off a work surface, making it easier to paint nooks and crannies and along the base of the project.

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