Looking for painting tips from you pros or anything that you have found thats a great tip that has worked for you in the past.

Right now, i need tips on blending a roller brush to the brush stroke of a hand brush. painting the front porch.... im been thinking of switching over to an air sprayer for a more uniform look. Or am I gonna have to apply a couple of coats.

But....any helpful paint tips or knowlege would be appreciated!

No expert by any means. All I know is that I was taught that the key to a good paint job is 90% prep work. Which is why I hate paint and avoid it like the plague.

Roll it on and lay it off with a good brush immediately . Board by board . No direct sun light . Thin it down a bit if it's drying too fast

well I am no pro but I picked up a few things over the years

I hired a guy he was right at the end of his carrier to paint my first house 20 some years ago watching him I learned a bunch , I hired him at the time because I didn't have the time it was living room , dining room , stairs and upstairs hall a big project to get done with a pregnant wife and toddler at the same time.

the first was 4 1/2 and 6 inch rollers , there are few places you can't get with these and you can go right up tight to a tapped edge
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wooster...Frame-Roller-6-Pack-0HR9830044/204354009

what kind of paint do you have ? latex or oil or epoxy , something else ? oil will often apply better to flat surfaces when you mix in a little thinner , you may still need 2 coats but thinned a little it flows so much better.

with latex paint wet down and ring out the roller first before it touches paint this takes up the volume of the nap of the roller with water and then it absorbs less paint , it also helps to smooth the first few rolls

2 coats is often the case , but with the rollers you can lay it on thick around your taped edges and then only get close to the edges on the second coat and typically not have issues.

what your covering makes a big difference.

surface prep is huge , clean , dry , ruffed up with some sand paper if it is trim or wood

that was one of the things George the painter talked about he detailed cleaned the exterior of peoples houses before painting , some he would be getting don with that the first day and they would say , wow it looks great , I can't believe your done so fast , he said no I just scrubbed and bleached it to get ready for paint.

Goerge was not a fan of pressure washers , he said they just pushed water into the wood fiber and that had to come back out later and when it did it caused issues
TSP and or bleach if it was mildewed a scrub brush and a regular garden hose to rinse was what he used.
I think he said if you had a few weeks to pressure wash wait then come back and paint they might be OK but that wasn't how jobs worked.

If it is water base paint you can wet the board so it flows better. Also keep out of the sun. When I paint the house I always stay in the shade side to paint.

If your having trouble with a brush and roller to get finish you desire spraying might be biting off more than you want.
You will spend a lot of time masking off where you don’t want paint and then the overspray!

You might try different material rollers and the proper brush for the type of paint your using. Box store paint is much different than paint store paint. Paint stores have better coverage and quality!

Pictures would help!

I had Sherwin Williams for the indoor rooms and a painter do the work because it was so much and we had to move in. Wife wanted it done before we moved in.

You can't really tell the coat difference or contrast in the shade but earlier you could tell with the sun out. Everything is still in the shade from noon on for painting.

Right now I'm just wiping it down and painting..some places will need a scraper, otherwise I'm just painting it over the old without much prep.

Perhaps in this pic, it is most noticable where I can't get the roller up to the shutter completely.

Also, can a roller be reused after it's soaking in water?

you can wet down and clean a roller up then wrap in plastic bag and use the next day fairly well

If using a roller pan make sure your dog don't walk in it!!!!!!! Wife wasn't happy!

Good tip lol

Semi gloss will show all your mistakes and anyone who was there before you

Brush & roll is best, mostly roll....the mini rollers and mini roller holders are very good.

The Behr is my favorite paint.

thats what i got, but trying to blend the brush strokes in with the roller or vs versa.

ok, being outdoor i guess i could go flat. i guess shine would make everything pop out like you said.

Eggshell or Satin is a good compromise . Flat won't clean well and won't last as long

I hate painting! I painted our entire house when we built it. My Mom loves to paint, so she’s painting the next one for me lol. Anyways, I bought a sprayer last Fall and stained the outside of my cabins and they look real sharp!
Definitely using a sprayer from here on out for anything outdoors. So fast!

the more gloss the longer the paint job looks good, especially if it gets lots of sun/heat.

You're probably seeing streaks in your cut lines because you may have only cut in once, like along the shutter edge. Reason most good painters always apply 2 coats. Just brush in/cut in around the shutter again and you'll be looking good.