[SNAP]
Gonna have a problem painting this big wall with this roller.
It's going to be a-- oh.
Hey, wait a minute.
You got the same uniform I do.
Yeah we do.
What's going on?
I'm here to paint a wall.
No, no.
I'm here to paint the wall.
No, I'm here to paint the wall.
Wait a minute, what's your name?
Rico.
I'm Rico.
No, no.
I'm Rico.
Hold on a second.
I'm Jack Rico.
Oh, I'm Rico De Paz.
Oh!
I get it.
You're the guy who's supposed to help and teach
how to paint this wall.
You're Rico De Paz, the paint expert
here at Consumer Reports.
That's the whole combination.
It's a great combo.
All right!
But before we start, we got to do a little prep work.
Rico De Paz has 13 years of experience testing paint.
And he's eager to share it so consumers
can make smart decisions.
Rico and his team run a battery of tests,
like scrub testing to measure a paint's durability,
and coverage testing, to see how well a paint will
hide and cover a dark color.
Step number one, preparation.
Good prep will save you hours of heartache.
Mask the areas you don't want painted with painter's tape,
which won't damage the walls.
Push her down.
There you go.
So now that we got all the newspapers here, what's next?
Take this out and the cover off.
Why do you have to do that?
Instead of having to go around the cover,
you can just paint one the roller coarsely around there.
And then when it's dry, just put the cover back.
Nobody will know the difference.
All right.
With the trim taped, it's time to talk tools.
I've been curious about the type of brushes that we need.
Actually, there is no good brush, only rollers for walls.
Oh, OK.
It goes faster, and also leaves a much more uniform finish
on the wall.
Now we got paint.
There's oil paint, there's water paint,
which is the right one for most walls?
Water-based paints have gotten so good,
there's really no reason to buy an oil-based paint.
In fact, we don't test them anymore.
Water-based paint is great.
OK, they clean up easily.
And not a lot of fumes, either.
They don't have that paint smell blasting for weeks at a time.
According to Rico, paint consists
of several different components to give it color and texture.
These components separate over time,
so Rico says we need to stir it up to make it nice and uniform.
Let me give it a shot.
Rico has been painting walls for years,
and he says the four S method is the best way.
The first S, saturation.
First part of this is to get this roller completely
saturated in paint.
The paint that's almost dripping off.
There we go.
All right, nice and saturated.
Now that we saturated the roller,
then second S in the group is called smearing the paint.
Make a W, or an X, whatever you want.
The whole idea is to see that the roller has no paint on it.
All the paint is now on the wall.
Yes.
OK, now we want spatter.
The next thing is to get this paint and spread it out.
So you can do that by-- with pushing it anywhere you want.
Typically you do about a 2 foot by 2 foot section.
Last S is to smooth it out.
So you go with the top.
Just overlap the strokes.
There you go.
So you smooth it all out to the end.
What about the second, third, fourth coating?
If you get one of the really good hiding paints,
typically one coat will cover everything but pitch black.
OK, so here's another question, Rico.
I finished painting the wall, and I missed a spot.
Do I go back with the roller?
Just let it dry.
A lot of times it looks like you missed
the spot because that one spot was
drying more than the others.
And you may not need to touch it up.
Here are three more quick tips from Rico.
If your paint has drip marks, wait until it dries
and use fine sandpaper to remove the drips.
Then, retouch the area with a brush.
Two, use a 1/4 inch nap ruler for most smooth walls,
and a longer 3/8 of an inch nap ruler for rough or uneven walls
to make sure paint gets into nooks and crannies.
Three, to cut in around trim and windows,
use a sash brush with angled bristles.
It will give you much better control.
Hey Rico, we're done.
Well thank you so much for the tips, Rico.
You did good.
Oh, by the way.
I'm looking at this wall, and I think I have an idea.
Rico and Rico.
This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
But I'm the first Rico, right?
I'm taller.
I'm the first Rico.
Yeah, but my first name is Rico.
You know what, you're right.
But you're going to paint my house first.
What?
You'll need the practice.
That's why I taught you.
[INAUDIBLE]
[LAUGHTER]
[SNAP]