If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area or the suburbs of New York City, you might have heard your painter or neighbor talk about the term backrolling while asking for quotes.
I bet you wondered, “what the &%·k is that?!”
Well, we’re here to make that clear for you, and we’ll also tell you whether or not you should do it, when to do it, and if you can do it yourself!
What Is Backrolling?
When you spray paint, you apply a layer of paint over the surface. Still, the paint frequently does not penetrate cracks or holes on porous surfaces such as stucco, t-111 siding, brick, and others.
When simply spraying the paint over the top and not penetrating the porosity of the surface with paint, you are risking paint falling as temperatures go up and down and the surfaces such as wood expand and contract.
The solution? You guessed it: backrolling.
Backrolling is a painting technique and the term most often used in the paint industry to describe the manual process of rolling the freshly painted surface following the spray paint application onto walls or other surfaces while the paint is still wet.
Backrolling does not replace a paint spray coat, as you backroll the surfaces right after you spray paint.
In other words, it complements and helps the paint coat to eliminate bubbles and streaks in the paint and can also help with the adhesion of the paint, especially to porous surfaces.
Should I Backroll?
There are pros and cons to backrolling, and it is not always necessary, so it’s essential to know when to backroll and what surfaces to backroll.
A professional painter can help you determine whether your home surfaces should be backrolled. At Blank Canvas Painting, we gladly help you to figure that out with a simple consultation.
Still, if you want to do it yourself, here you have some of the pros and cons of backrolling:
Pros of backrolling:
1. Improved Appearance:
Back rolling helps to create an even and smooth finish, resulting in a professional and attractive painted surface.
2. Better Adhesion And Penetration Of The Paint Into The Surfaces:
By evenly distributing the paint and pushing the paint into a rough surface such as stucco, t-111 siding, blick, and some others, back rolling helps to ensure that the paint adheres properly to the surface, which can result in a longer-lasting finish and saving you from future paint failures.
3. Reduced Bubbles and Streaks:
Back rolling helps to eliminate bubbles and streaks in the paint, which can be especially important when painting large surfaces. Suppose you are a weekend warrior and have little experience with airless spraying.
In that case, backrolling can help you to minimize and hide the unevenness of the spray paint application.
4. Improves Coverage:
Backrolling can improve the painting coverage, as it forces the painters to pay great attention to the amount of paint they spray paint on the wall, so the backrolling behind it flows evenly without being too dry or too wet.
Cons of backrolling:
1. Increased Physical Effort:
Backrolling requires additional physical effort and time, as it involves a second pass with the roller.
Backrolling can be incredibly challenging when painting large surfaces, especially by yourself.
2. Potential for Over-Working The Paint:
If not done carefully, back rolling can result in overworking the paint, which can cause it to thin out, lose its color intensity, or become too smooth and lose its texture.
3. Increased Risk of Drips:
Back rolling increases the risk of drips and runs as the paint is being re-distributed on the surface. Painters need to be cautious and use the right amount of strength and speed while backrolling to prevent runs, ugly textures, or drips.
4. The Cure Can Be Worse Than The Disease:
Backrolling, like everything else, requires a certain level of experience.
Inexperienced first-timers can leave behind after bankrolling ugly textures on the walls because they backrolled surfaces that should’ve never been backrolled in the first place or the use of wrong rollers.
5. Cost:
When you back roll, it often comes with a higher price as it takes more paint and effort to paint with this process by yourself.
Is Backrolling Worth It?
In conclusion, backrolling is a valuable technique that can enhance the quality of a paint job.
First, however, it is essential to understand the pros and cons of backrolling and when and what surfaces to backroll.
For those who are unsure that they can do this well themselves, seeking the help of a professional painter can make all the difference.
With our team of experienced painters, we can help you determine whether backrolling is necessary for your home and execute the job with precision and the highest quality with a simple consultation.
Schedule it now before we run out of spots!