Applying Finishes

General

• brush - The slowest way to apply paint; also gives you the most control.

• roller - Much faster than a brush. Excellent for large flat surfaces. Hard to get into corners.

• "weenie" rollers - These are small-diameter rollers, often favored by contractors.

• power-fed roller - A machine sits on top of your paint can and pumps the paint to your roller; you never have to stop and dip the roller. I've never tried this and don't know how well it works out. But I'll bet that the hose would be nearly impossible to clean out and should be considered disposable.

• pads

• air brush - Essentially a tiny spray gun, the air brush is intended for the fast and accurate application of small quantities of paint. You don't want to paint your house with one of these, but they find a lot of use in graphic arts.

• spray gun - Requires a compressor with an oil-trap filter. It's fast! If you already have a compressor for some other task, the spray gun is a very small incremental cost. Spraying also has a tendency to get in to the cracks and crevices better than rollers.
• airless sprayer

• aerosol spray can - The aerosol can is probably the most expensive way to buy paint, and you are stuck with the colors that they sell: no "add a bit more green to match my couch". But it is highly convenient.
• dip

Make sure the paint is well mixed before use: paint settles.