Large-scale painting with small hands
July 5, 2015 5:14 PM Subscribe
Best way to paint for small hands, a history of tendinitis, and large rooms?
I have an old house and am starting to paint walls. This weekend, it's our laundry-room-on-a-slab addition from dingy olive green to cheery orange. I've primered and am taking a break writing this question.
I've used a variety of painting tools including brushes, rollers, and an EZTwist paint stick (current tool). Now, part of my problem is being a small person painting a large room, but I'm finding I have to use a lot of torque through my wrists, which combined with repetitive vibration is causing a tendinitis flare-up. The paint stick has been better than rollers, but is still not great so I'm looking for alternatives.
I'm interested in a paint sprayer for large-scale wall color jobs, but I've never used one. Are they bulky/unwieldy or pretty easy to maneuver? I can do the appropriate prep work to prevent overspray on floors, windows, and lungs. If I still have to hand-paint trim, that's fine too.
1. Will a paint sprayer save my wrists painting these giant wall sections?
2. Do sprayers make it easier to paint ceilings?
Bonus: Recommendations that include sprayers capable of both wall-fill, small parts spraying, and future old-Jeep painting.
Budget is up to a couple hundred bucks if it will save time and my wrists; I have a lot of stuff to paint. I also enjoy painting too much to hire out.
I have an old house and am starting to paint walls. This weekend, it's our laundry-room-on-a-slab addition from dingy olive green to cheery orange. I've primered and am taking a break writing this question.
I've used a variety of painting tools including brushes, rollers, and an EZTwist paint stick (current tool). Now, part of my problem is being a small person painting a large room, but I'm finding I have to use a lot of torque through my wrists, which combined with repetitive vibration is causing a tendinitis flare-up. The paint stick has been better than rollers, but is still not great so I'm looking for alternatives.
I'm interested in a paint sprayer for large-scale wall color jobs, but I've never used one. Are they bulky/unwieldy or pretty easy to maneuver? I can do the appropriate prep work to prevent overspray on floors, windows, and lungs. If I still have to hand-paint trim, that's fine too.
1. Will a paint sprayer save my wrists painting these giant wall sections?
2. Do sprayers make it easier to paint ceilings?
Bonus: Recommendations that include sprayers capable of both wall-fill, small parts spraying, and future old-Jeep painting.
Budget is up to a couple hundred bucks if it will save time and my wrists; I have a lot of stuff to paint. I also enjoy painting too much to hire out.
Yes to the pole! We just did some of our ceilings using roller-on-a-pole and it was pretty easy, compared to what I was fearing.
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:42 PM on July 5, 2015
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:42 PM on July 5, 2015
Yes, using a roller on a pole is better than no pole, but this may not necessarily mean that your wrists won't still complain. Two weeks after a freak tripping accident (no yellow card, no red card) left me with two mildly sprained wrists, they are pretty good with most day to day activities, including watering plants with a large, full watering can. OTOH, I can't sit on a neighbourhood swing and swing myself because that specific amount of pressure on my wrists hurts enough to equal "Stop that shit and let it heal".
So get the pole and use it now if you can (it will give your forearms a workout, too), but if it hurts, trade favours with a friend or postpone the job until your wrists improve.
posted by maudlin at 6:03 PM on July 5, 2015
So get the pole and use it now if you can (it will give your forearms a workout, too), but if it hurts, trade favours with a friend or postpone the job until your wrists improve.
posted by maudlin at 6:03 PM on July 5, 2015
Best answer: I have carpal tunnel syndrome and faced similar issues the last time I painted. I came to recommend one of those rollers that can be loaded with paint, which is apparently exactly what an EZTwist paint stick is. (Note re recommending a pole: the paint stick is like a roller on a hollow pole that can be filled with paint.)
I've also tried the Wagner automatic roller and the Wagner paint sprayer and didn't like either. The sprayer was an unholy mess, despite my careful prep work and the roller was more trouble than it was worth. Both were a major pain to clean.
Disclaimer: I've painted acres of walls in my life but I'm not a pro.
posted by she's not there at 6:19 PM on July 5, 2015
I've also tried the Wagner automatic roller and the Wagner paint sprayer and didn't like either. The sprayer was an unholy mess, despite my careful prep work and the roller was more trouble than it was worth. Both were a major pain to clean.
Disclaimer: I've painted acres of walls in my life but I'm not a pro.
posted by she's not there at 6:19 PM on July 5, 2015
Best answer: I can't imagine trying to use a paint sprayer indoors; like others above, I think you would end up making a terrible, un-clean-uppable mess from all the aerosolized paint drifting around, no matter how carefully you prepped beforehand.
I think this is a situation that calls for a different technique, rather than a different tool. Using a paint roller on a stick (EZTwist or otherwise) shouldn't really be a wrist workout. Find different ways to get the motion you need without stressing your wrists. Experiment with painting from the shoulder, or with using your whole body to move the pole. Maybe alternating between different techniques will help, as well.
If changing up your technique doesn't do it and just supporting the weight of the roller is too much for your wrists, maybe you should get some braces to help reinforce them. Since your wrists don't really need to move much for this job, splinting them in place might be just the ticket. Then the stress would be transmitted through the splint instead of your poor tendons. Worth a try?
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:22 PM on July 5, 2015
I think this is a situation that calls for a different technique, rather than a different tool. Using a paint roller on a stick (EZTwist or otherwise) shouldn't really be a wrist workout. Find different ways to get the motion you need without stressing your wrists. Experiment with painting from the shoulder, or with using your whole body to move the pole. Maybe alternating between different techniques will help, as well.
If changing up your technique doesn't do it and just supporting the weight of the roller is too much for your wrists, maybe you should get some braces to help reinforce them. Since your wrists don't really need to move much for this job, splinting them in place might be just the ticket. Then the stress would be transmitted through the splint instead of your poor tendons. Worth a try?
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:22 PM on July 5, 2015
Best answer: I'm also someone with chronic tendonitis from repetitive strain. I've painted a lot of walls. Believe it or not, a 4 inch paint roller is my solution.
I know, I know - reducing the size of the roller sounds like the opposite of what you'd want to do, but hear me out -- it's a LOT lighter than a standard roller, and a heck of a lot lighter than a paint stick or roller + pole. It's a lot easier to control, causes less splatter and dripping, and I can walk away after only doing a small amount of painting, if I want (bag it and stick it in the freezer.) I only need a small paint tray too.
For cutting in, I use a short handled brush with a slanted head. I mostly don't need to tape anything off anymore.
Being able to work in small sections with a small brush has made me love painting again! And it's a lot easier to prep and tarp, too. I only need to wash small sections of the wall at a time, and a small tarp slides along with me, where I need it.
I don't need to empty the whole room at once -- real life is barely effected by my painting. I've painted the kitchen two or three times this way and continued to cook in there.
posted by vitabellosi at 8:22 PM on July 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
I know, I know - reducing the size of the roller sounds like the opposite of what you'd want to do, but hear me out -- it's a LOT lighter than a standard roller, and a heck of a lot lighter than a paint stick or roller + pole. It's a lot easier to control, causes less splatter and dripping, and I can walk away after only doing a small amount of painting, if I want (bag it and stick it in the freezer.) I only need a small paint tray too.
For cutting in, I use a short handled brush with a slanted head. I mostly don't need to tape anything off anymore.
Being able to work in small sections with a small brush has made me love painting again! And it's a lot easier to prep and tarp, too. I only need to wash small sections of the wall at a time, and a small tarp slides along with me, where I need it.
I don't need to empty the whole room at once -- real life is barely effected by my painting. I've painted the kitchen two or three times this way and continued to cook in there.
posted by vitabellosi at 8:22 PM on July 5, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I would agree with vitabellosi. My cousin is a professional painter and he uses 4 inch rollers for almost every painting task. That said, for most all interior walls, he would definitely use a 9 inch roller on an extension pole (an extension handle which is made out of hexagonal aluminum and looks sort of like a lacrosse stick) because it would give better, more even results than a small roller. For large walls, he would use an 18 inch, but they weigh a ton.
(For what it's worth, he swears by micro-fiber rollers over the normal kind, they are more expensive, but worth it. Always cover a new roller with painters tape before you use it, then pull it off to remove any bits that would come off while painting.) For whatever size roller you use, try and find the lightest extension handle you can. He was two different sizes.
It can be easier to paint ceilings with a sprayer, especially if they are heavily textured. But spraying is a whole other world, involves serious masking, respirators, tyvec suits- I could go on and on. On your budget, a sprayer is really out of the question, not to mention it would take you a while to get good with it. Not an avenue I would reccomend exploring.
Painting is surprisingly hard work. My advice is try and find a rythym that uses the smallest number of motions, and remember it's a marathon and not a sprint. Experienced painters learn this with experience, so it's not something that comes easily. Also, depending on the kind of tendinitis, you might look into braces. I had tennis elbow, and I found wearing a widely available elbow brace really helped doing painting an other things. I had a good PT that steered me in the right direction.
posted by MacChimpman at 1:15 PM on July 6, 2015
(For what it's worth, he swears by micro-fiber rollers over the normal kind, they are more expensive, but worth it. Always cover a new roller with painters tape before you use it, then pull it off to remove any bits that would come off while painting.) For whatever size roller you use, try and find the lightest extension handle you can. He was two different sizes.
It can be easier to paint ceilings with a sprayer, especially if they are heavily textured. But spraying is a whole other world, involves serious masking, respirators, tyvec suits- I could go on and on. On your budget, a sprayer is really out of the question, not to mention it would take you a while to get good with it. Not an avenue I would reccomend exploring.
Painting is surprisingly hard work. My advice is try and find a rythym that uses the smallest number of motions, and remember it's a marathon and not a sprint. Experienced painters learn this with experience, so it's not something that comes easily. Also, depending on the kind of tendinitis, you might look into braces. I had tennis elbow, and I found wearing a widely available elbow brace really helped doing painting an other things. I had a good PT that steered me in the right direction.
posted by MacChimpman at 1:15 PM on July 6, 2015
Oh! The other half of my paint revelation is to use a paint that includes primer - that's an important kindness to my tendons, too.
posted by vitabellosi at 12:27 AM on July 7, 2015
posted by vitabellosi at 12:27 AM on July 7, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks everyone!
I did the second coat of primer keeping in mind the suggestions above and it really helped. I had been using insufficient paint and too much force. I'll check into the 4inch paint roller - I've used them before on my kitchen and they were, indeed, way less rough.
I'm going to look at different cut-in brushes too, because that was the worst part of the whole job this time around.
This room I have to prime separately, but in general I use paint+primer - it goes on so easy.
posted by bookdragoness at 9:23 AM on July 8, 2015
I did the second coat of primer keeping in mind the suggestions above and it really helped. I had been using insufficient paint and too much force. I'll check into the 4inch paint roller - I've used them before on my kitchen and they were, indeed, way less rough.
I'm going to look at different cut-in brushes too, because that was the worst part of the whole job this time around.
This room I have to prime separately, but in general I use paint+primer - it goes on so easy.
posted by bookdragoness at 9:23 AM on July 8, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
Pro tip: All paint rollers have a screw end on the bottom. Any $5 broomhandle from any big box store will fit that screw pattern. You probably already have a pushbroom. Unscrew the handle and paint with that. Using two hands on a stick if far far better than using the paintroller alone.
I painted my ceilings and 3 season porch without an extension pole last fall, My elbow is still messed up from it. Then my brother asked me why I didn't just use a pole. So now I pass that on to you.
posted by sanka at 5:35 PM on July 5, 2015 [2 favorites]