The Best Tool for Painting Walls

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Does painting a room sound daunting to you? Does painting sound messy? Well, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. The best tool for painting walls. That’s a bold statement, but I’m serious! Let’s talk about my upstairs balcony for a little bit as an example. I want to thank Wagner for sponsoring this post, all ideas and opinions are 100% mine.

Our upstairs balcony overlooks the living room and when I lay on the couch I look up at the space above and feel like it just needs a little something. I little lift to bring it from boring to something I want to sit and stare at. I decided to go all in and paint the walls of the balcony area a dark moody color so the area would feel special and stand out.

Normally I would reach for my Wagner sprayer to do the job because the more I use it the more I love it, but this space wasn’t quite right for a sprayer. Here is how my thought process worked on that because I get asked this question a lot:

How to decide between using a PAINT SPRAYER and a PAINT ROLLER when painting walls

1. Is there a large expanse of wall? If the answer is yes a sprayer is a good choice. If the walls you are painting are filled with doors and windows with tons of cut in areas a roller might be a better choice. You would have a ton more prep and need to use caution if spraying around this many doors, the ceiling and floor.
2. Are you able to block off the area? Paint sprayers are not messy like you would think, but there is some over-spray and if you are an exceptionally messy painter like me, there is more than necessary.???? Therefore, I like to work with a sprayer in a more controlled environment. A spot like a balcony where you run the risk of paint drifting to the downstairs makes a good case for a roller.
3. Are you painting around carpet or hard floors? I always use caution when painting around carpet because, see above, I am messy. If you’re using a sprayer you want to makes sure you have your flooring covered completely if it is carpet. With hard floors you still need to cover but, you can spot clean if needed. 
4. Are you painting the ceiling? If you’re painting the ceiling and walls the same color a sprayer is an awesome choice. If you are just painting the ceiling I would go with a roller. 
5. Are you working in a small space? If you are working in a small area then a roller is a good choice. With less room to move and less clean up a roller is your friend here.

I chose a roller brush to paint the balcony walls, but I didn’t choose just any roller. I chose the Wagner Smart Roller and oh my , it’s my new favorite toy. The Wagner Smart Roller lets you paint straight out of the paint can, no tray required. No constant going back to fill your roller nap up with paint. No getting on and off a ladder to refill your paint roller. The Smart Roller attaches to a little straw like thing you stick in your paint can, then you suck up the paint into the Smart Roller handle. Next, as you roll you squeeze the lever on the handle and it disperses paint into the roller brush and you roll it on. Easy as pie. Seriously.

A few tips on using the Wagner Smart Roller: 

1. The first time you fill the handle takes a few times of pulling the lever back, kind of like priming a pump. The suction has to get going and then the paint will fill in. 
2. It takes quite a few squeezes of the handle and roll of the brush to get the roller filled and painting evenly, so just keep at it in one spot until you get consistent paint coverage then roll as normal.
3. The first fill of the handle goes quick because you are filling the roller with paint and getting the extra air out. Don’t worry, the next time you suck up the paint it will go further. 
4. To clean up run everything under warm soapy water. I use a cheap rough sponge to wipe the parts down with and get any dried paint off with. You may want to use a bottle brush to clean out some of the parts. I clean mine in my sink, but it might be easy to clean your Smart Roller outside with a hose.
5. When you order your Wagner Smart Roller (grab one here) go ahead and get a few extra roller naps. They are specially designed to go with the Smart Roller, so you can’t just use plain ones from the store. 
6. I throw away my roller naps after every use because I have no patience for the clean up of those. You don’t have to do this, you can clean the nap ad re-use them, I just choose not to!
7. This tip has nothing to do with the roller, but quality paint makes a huge difference in the outcome of your paint job. One of my favorite paints is Showcase HGTV Home By Sherwin Williams at Lowe’s. It has amazing one coat coverage. This color is called Tynewood.

Now when I kick back on the couch with my kiddos or puppies piled high on top of me I look up and love the balcony. It’s the little things that make a home. ❤️️???? What little area can you paint today to improve your view?

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