Take a break! You want to take a 20 minute break, but don't want your brush to dry out. Try this: put the brush or roller into a sturdy plastic bag, and tie it tightly or fasten it with rubber bands. Squeeze the air out of the bag before you close it up. This will keep the air out and your brush soft.

Don't dump solvents: If you're cleaning up oil-based paints, you need to use strong, petroleum-based solvents. Don't pour these down the drain--they might show up in your drinking water someday. Call your local recycling center for information on a safe method of disposal.

2torial #0494: Learn2 Paint a Room (Continued) Paint the first coat--ceiling and walls Rollers are fun to work with, because they cover so much area in a short time. Two important points with roller technique are: keep the roller fully in contact with the wall, and use zig-zag strokes. Zig-zag stokes prevent the visibilty of clear paint lines where each roller-stroke begins and ends. See below for details.   Load up the roller. Put the appropriate sleeve (see Tips) on the roller, and screw the roller onto the extension. Pour enough paint into the tray so that the pan is full, but the slanted, ribbed area is clean. Dip the roller lightly into the paint tray (or five-gallon bucket with wire screen). Coat the roller evenly by rolling it over the ribbed area (or the screen).   Do the zig-zag. With you well-loaded roller, make an narrow W-shape on the ceiling. Start painting the ceiling from a corner, and work out from there. Place the paint-loaded roller down on a dry area and work back into the wet paint. Follow the angles of the W-shape: avoid making any vertical lines. Work small areas at once, perhaps eight or nine square feet, and try to coat the surface evenly. Don't overwork an area.   Roll the walls. Roll these one at a time, and starting from the top. Complete each wall before starting the next, or taking a break, using those same zigzag strokes. (An M-shape works better on walls) To reduce paint splattering, keep the roller in contact with the wall as you roll. Step 6