Working out of a 5-gal. Pail

The two most common ways to get paint onto the roller are a standard paint pan, which I use for the finish coats, or a 5-gal. Bucket with a roller ramp hung on the rim. For the primer on this project, I needed about
2-1/2 gal. Of paint, so I poured that amount into the pail inserted the roller ramp and got to work.
The 5-gal. Bucket should be no more than half full, leaving most of the ramp exposed. I dip the roller pad slightly into the paint -- about one-quarter of the way -- and draw it up onto the ramp. Dipping the roller into the paint any deeper can make it drip all over the place.
I dip the pad several times while rolling it up and down the ramp until the pad is completely saturated.
Most ramps are made of expanded metal that distributes the paint evenly on the roller pad while allowing excess paint to drain back into the pail. When the roller pad is fully loaded, I place it near the top of the ramp and give it a quick downward push off the roller ramp to spin off any excess paint.

Ready to roll

I start rolling in one corner of the ceiling, working down the short side of the room first. I roll the paint in 3-ft. squares with each square overlapping the next slightly. (A 3-ft. by 3-ft. area is about what a properly loaded roller ought to cover.) For each square, I roll the paint on from side to side in compacted W or M formations: down straight, back up on a slight diagonal, then straight down again, overlapping each down stroke with the one before. But remember you're painting, not spelling. Overlapping gives you even coverage and keeps you from missing any spots. Where the squares overlap my cut-in band, I try to keep the roller about 1 in. from the corner.
Once the ceiling is finished, I start on the walls. I first work my way along the top of each wall in similar
3-ft. squares. The small sections above windows and doors are done in shorter, smaller strokes.

Ropes, drips and runs

The biggest concern when rolling paint is that excess paint tends to build up on the outside edges of the roller pad and frame. Paint buildup leaves behind ropes, or heavy lines of paint, in the wake of the roller.
Going back over a section with the roller smoothes out any ropes or areas with too much paint from working with an overloaded pad. But it helps to get rid of the excess paint on the roller that is causing the ropes in the first place. When ropes begin to appear, I tilt the frame and pad slightly at an angle to the wall with just the end touching and roll it for a couple of inches. I repeat the process with the other side of the roller and then work the drips that have squeezed out into the area I'm painting. When I'm finished with a section, the paint should be a consistent thickness over the entire area.

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