Roller spattering occurs when a roller throws off small droplets of paint during application.

What Causes It?
One obvious cause of roller spattering is overloading the roller or overworking the paint once it is applied.Roller spattering also tends to occur when an exterior paint is used on an interior surface or if lower grades of latex paint are used.

How to Solve It
Higher-quality paints are formulated to minimize spattering. Using high-quality rollers that have proper resiliency further reduces spattering.

In some cases, a quality wall paint may be preferred for ceiling work, to ensure maximum spattering resistance.

Working in three-foot-square sections, apply the paint in a zigzag “M” or “W” pattern and then fill in the pattern, which will also lessen the likelihood of spattering.

Note: Images provided by The Rohm & Hass Paint Quality Institute.