Jeff Garland: A few paint tips from a pro

use a good quality 3/8" nap roller for walls (Purdy preferred) use a good quality, stiff roller handle (wooden handle, non flexible shaft) clean lint from roller before painting by wrapping in masking tape, and then remove (removes lint that otherwise builds up and winds up on wall as nipples or pinples) use a 5 gal. bucket (4 bucks) and roller screen (4 bucks & not as messy as tray, can be covered with damp rag during breaks or cat refereeing, and makes clean up easier) remove switch & outlet covers and mask switch & outlet covers (takes 2 seconds as opposed to the time it takes to remove booboos after the fact) masking makes the job look more professional, so do so where you, being a human being, may potentially make a mistake. use an extension pole, and start rolling from bottom of wall to top in an "M" like pattern (pole is to allow for more pressure, not just extension). and then re-roll from top to bottom making sure to smooth out paint lines (aka "lap marks" [overlaps]) clean roller with a painter's tool or putty knife by scraping out paint, top to bottom Hardware Hawaii Kaneohe, Rainbow State Paint Kaneohe and Sherwin Williams (on King St. near Puck's Alley), and sometimes City Mill, have all of the above in stock. Hardware Hawaii's Ace Paints are pretty good, but Sherwin Williams and Ben Moore (now at City Mill) are better. Rainbow State Paint is always more expnsive, so I go there only when the others are out of stock. Use Alkyd rather than latex on trim, UNLESS trim has already been done in latex. Do not use Alkyd over latex. Be sure to sand trim with 100 grit sandpaper first for a better bond, and clean off resulting dust before painting. Last but not least, in your house, close the door or put up blockades before starting to keep the curious at bay. :-D I'm sure many of these are pieces of info you may already know. Just felt like sharing. jg