Roll Walls With an Extension Pole — and Back-Roll Before You Move On
One of 2 takes on Rolling With an Extension Pole
The Problem
Most people roll walls with the roller frame right in their hand — crouching for the bottom of the wall, stretching for the top, pressing too hard from awkward angles. The result is wasted paint, uneven coverage, and a sore back before the second wall is done.
The Technique
- Screw the roller frame onto an extension pole — about a $30 purchase.
- Start at the top of the wall and roll all the way to the bottom in one continuous pass, holding the roller gently to the wall. The pole's leverage does what your wrist was straining to do, with less pressure and better control.
- When a section's laid on, come back to where you started and roll over it again lightly, top to bottom — this is back-rolling. You're picking up the extra paint sitting heavy on the wall and redistributing it into the areas that aren't quite as wet.
Coverage evens out, the finish loses its heavy-and-light stripes, and you end the day clean and unfatigued.
Pro tip: Back-rolling is the half of this that people skip, and it's where the finish quality actually comes from — the first pass delivers the paint, the second pass levels the film. Light pressure both times; the roller should glide, not squeeze.