[Bionic]

I always use a brush but the brush strokes seem to be fairly evident.

I have never got on with a roller but I suppose if I used one it would eliminate the brush strokes and probably be quicker.

Are there any roller tips?

[doganjo]

I'm rubbish at painting, so i found myself a man nearby who does my odd jobs and decorating too at a reasonable rate - I also now get mates' rates for doing his books when I found out he had given up on his last accountant. 

One thing he did say though was to use very good quality rollers so they don't spatter, and to use a good quality brush for cutting in.  Before him coming on teh scene I had quite good success with a sheepskin roller

[Backinwellies]

The 'expert' here always uses a roller

[Dan]

'Cut in' first, with a decent sized brush, painting the corners, edges and around plug sockets, light switches etc until all that's left can be rolled.

Don't overload the roller - use the slope on the tray to evenly spread the paint around the whole roller before applying it to the wall.

Get a telescopic handle, it makes it much easier to see where you've been and that you're getting an even coat.

Only roll vertically, overlapping slightly as you go.

HTH, I worked as a P&D for a year or so and you'll soon get the hang of it. 

[harmony]

I go with all that is said and endorse the point about quality brushes and rollers. Although I do also think some people are better at these types of jobs than others. Me, I should avoid painting. Way too messy!

[devonlady]

Take your glasses off----It'll look perfect!

[Bionic]

Thankyou all for your replies. It looks like I have to go out and get a roller.

[pgkevet]

It's taken me some many years to educte my OH re painting.  Only use white paint. That gets rid of all the needs to cut in different walls or the ceiling .. bonus it's the cheapest colour and available in big tubs. Use a quality paint .. non of the own band trade emulsions thingies. Wash down with sugar soap. Buy the 3m blue masking tape .. cheap masking tape doesn;t come off easy and leaves residue... low tack 3M is brill. I buy mine from a car detailers in scotlamd via the internet.. in 10-roll lots and it;s quite cheap. Mask all switches, skirtings, arcitraves etc - with practice you can do it fast. The you can use a wider brush to dosh in and around all those thingies without having to be too careful. Lay out cloth dust-sheets... never use sheap polythene that you end up paddling paint from. Whack all round the edges and fill in with a roller. Because you can do the corners and edges quickly when masked they're still wet when you roller-in. Remove the masking tape 12hrs after he painting.. before it gets too tacky. It peels off easy in long lengths and takes seconds to remove.
Mask up again when fully dry for the glossing.. use a proper flatting undercoat and top coat. If you really want a super high shine then the professional hugh gloss stuff.. but it's runny and stinks and takes a long while to dry Use gloss rollers for it and the result looks like it's sprayed on.
These are some home-made MDF cupboards ad worktops I made for  my hobby-shed: (and the worktop is DIY mdf too)

[harmony]

Pgkevet do you think you could pop round and fit my kitchen? 

[pgkevet]

Pgkevet do you think you could pop round and fit my kitchen? 

Funnily enough they didn't take that long to make.. and I'd not done anything on that scale before. Biggest issue was the awful MDF dust/mess and the need to wear a good quality respirator while cutting. All done with a decent skill-saw and using another MDF board as a straight edge. Very little screwing..just to hold while foamy brown glue went off + sash clamps. The best thing is I could make it to my size although i stuck to usual kitchen widths I made them all 800 deep for more worktop. The worktop was a doubled thickness of standard MDF.. well scrap bits on the underside glued to the top sheet. For a kitchen (as opposed to hobby shed) you'ld want better then paint.. either formica it or tile it (easier) on top with a timber or ally edging.

Wife wouldn't let me make our kitchen...no faith in me at that time..but I did find a place in birmingham that makes pine kitchens to size at sensible prices and it all comes delivered and assembled and a heck of a lot cheaper and better quality than flat pack.

If one had access to a sheet saw these things would take moments to knock out. And in MDF glue is a way better option than screws. 20 drawers was a PITA to knock up but I made a jig for assembly and production ran it with the bottoms just rough cut, glued on then ran a wheely router bit round them to clean up edges and dried glue before paint.. again quite quick.