painting walls

If i am painting a wall that is new plaster how do i get a smooth finish and not an orange peel effect,is it simply a case of buying a good quality roller rather than a DIY store cheap special,also what if the wall is allready orange peel and i want a good finish in a new colour?

If you want a really good finish the try brushing it..

1st coat...mist coat matt emulsion thinned by about 30-40 depending on the type/brand

2nd coat...thin by about 20%

3rd...thin by 15%

Rub down in between each coat

Dont rub the wall down before you apply the mist coat.

If the wall is existing paint then you can rub it down using wet an dry paper, line it or rill over the top

Dont try and brush it if it has heavy orange peel the combination of both finishes looks horrible.

I thought that using a brush always left brush lines or is it that only a cheap brush leaves lines and do all rollers leave an orange peal finish?

What's the big deal about seeing a few brush marks or roller marks?

Great advice from Zampa.

Failing that......................spray it.

A decent brush is crucial, any tradesman will tell you that...a 3 inch may be a little too small for walls, invest in a four inch, or a good quality five inch...expect to pay £20+

Orange peel..hmm...yes the quality of the sleeve will make a difference.

The length of the pile will make a difference in a couple of ways..long pile will put plenty of paint on, get the job done quicker and give you time to spread the paint out evenly, thus avoiding flash marks..the down side...more chance of an orange peel effect and its a little harder to handle...especially a 9 inch.

Very short pile (mohair thickness) wont put as much paint on...you wont have so much time to get it on either but orange peel will be greatly reduced.

Id go for a happy medium...medium pile (acorn do one..its got a pale blue covering)

Or woven fibre..normally pale yellow and referred to as a 'short pile' (i think)

Always thin the paint out a little...how much will deepend on the brand.

If you use a roller roll the wall in square metre size sections using a zig zag pattern...top to bottom and away from the greatest source of natural light(as opposed to diy shows where they start in the middle of the wall!)

If you use a brush, same again top to bottom in narrow bands keeping (about 18 inches) and keep the room cool, this should hep reduce the chance of the edge 'going off (drying)

Lay it off in a crisscross fashion NOT up and down..emulsion paint dries quickly and the brush marks wont have time to flow out.

A brushed finish IMO looks nicer than a rolled one...it mkes the paint look flatter with a great depth of colour.