Paint Roller is Shedding

[Tony Thompson]

I've been painting cielings with kilz and have noticed the roller is leaving shreds of material all over the cieling. I've noticed this in offices and other houses too; both on walls and ceilings.

Does the quality of the roller need to be better or the quality of the paint? I also painted some walls with mid-grade sherwin williams and have noticed some shredding. Whats the secret to a smooth coat of paint with no shreds? :D

[Terri Pour-Rastegar]

I'm not a pro painter, but I'm really very good and have run into (and solved) this very problem.

1. You must buy high-quality rollers. No cardboard inserts. You can re-use these if you clean them very very thoroughly, so you'll get your money back.

2. Use one of those lint-pick-up rollers to gently run across the paint roller.

3. Pre-wash your rollers in cool water before using. Of course, allow it to dry before using.

4. Do not roll your paint very fast. First, this can cause splattering, but secondly I've noticed a higher tendancy to get fuzzies in the paint if you roll too fast.

5. Make sure you keep your roller loaded up relatively generously. I've noticed that, if I let the roller get too 'dry' it can pull fuzzies off into my newly painted wall.

These are the steps I take to prevent fuzzies. I'm sure the pro painters can elaborate.