Dry rolling is an application technique that minimizes the amount of product built up over the original finish. Lightly wet your roller, and apply your roller to the center of the area to be touched up. Roll outward in what is called a flower pattern as the roller starts to dry out, rolling from the center outward.
Flat is not scrubbable. The rule is you touch up flat and you wash eggshell. Unless it is a washable flat, you are better off touching up than washing. Try to use a roller and if you can't, then try to simulate the texture of the stipple made by the roller with your brush by dabbing the paint on.
While there is most likely not an applicator that can solve your touch up problem, a mini roller is usually the best option. This little ``painters helper'' is the industry standard for touch ups. It has a similar texture to a full size paint roller, and it will minimize the difference in texture.
Touching up can really only be done when the paint is still tacky. Other than that you'll want to paint the whole wall. If it's not a well lit area or doesn't have sun or direct light on it, you can sometimes get away with ``touching up'' depending on the color and how old the paint was on the wall.
Using a roller will make the job much easier and faster, and the covering much better. The ``orange peel'' finish will smoothen out soon after you have applied the paint. For reasonably smooth surfaces definitely use a roller.
DON'T Skip The Primer
Once the repairs have been made and your drop cloths are down, it's time to prime the areas that you plan to touch-up. Without primer, the touched-up spot will stand out, and it'll look a right mess. The trick is to blend the new paint with the original surface.
Professional painters typically use both brushes and rollers when painting. Brushes are used to apply paint in tight spaces or areas with intricate details, while rollers are used for larger surfaces like walls and ceilings.
Flat or matte finishes tend to touch up better: The flatter the finish, the easier to touch up; the glossier the finish, the more challenging. The better quality your paint is, the easier your touch-up is going to be.
Try to maintain a wet edge. When using a roller keep the open side towards the area just painted. Try to complete one full surface at a time. Paint in an even grid pattern from top to bottom.
But it's the least durable of all paint finishes and doesn't stand up to cleaning and scrubbing like shinier finishes. With its low scratch and moisture resistance, a flat finish isn't a good choice for bathrooms, kitchens, kids' rooms, hallways, and other walls that get a lot of wear, tear, or traffic.
The preferred roller is a "weenie" roller with a good, quality synthetic cover. Choose a nap thickness of ¼ - to ½ inch.
Unfortunately, roller marks will probably not go away when the paint dries out. However, as the paint dries some of the roller marks will become slightly less noticeable. But simply waiting until the paint has dried won't solve the problem completely.
Flat finish is more forgiving, but you should attempt this touch up only if the painting was done recently. For one, this limits the amount of fading that has occurred on the walls, but in addition, stored paint loses moisture over time and therefore contributes to a different wicking rate.
4" Mini Roller - One specialty roller frame that you'll almost certainly find in a painter's arsenal is a 4" mini roller (aka - weenie roller or hot dog roller). These allow you to get into tight spaces or areas where there are a lot of obstructions on the walls, such as a kitchen or bathroom.
Why is it so hard to make touch-ups match? Turns out, it's all about watching the paint dry. Two painters can touch up the same wall at the same time, use paint from the same can and get completely different touch-up results.
Not Fully Loading the Roller
The roller needs to be fully loaded with paint to the core, otherwise you'll get air bubbles on your wall, resulting in “paint acne.” To avoid this mistake, roll back and forth on the roller tray until all bubbles are gone and the roller feels heavy.
Matte: A low-luster finish that's less durable, but easy to clean, touches up well, and hides minor surface imperfections.
Walls, Wood, and Metal - Small 1/4″ roller covers or foam rollers will produce the smoothest finish. Light to Medium Textured Surfaces - Microfiber rollers are best.
Paint rollers are designed to efficiently paint large flat surfaces, such as walls and ceilings. A paint roller can hold more paint than a paint brush and will distribute an even layer of paint quicker. Similarly to paint brushes, paint rollers also differ in sizes, styles and material.
Use a liner brush and clean up the edges of your stroke. Also, you can use a dry brush or another type of brush with a smaller tip to blend in your strokes.