1 easy painting tip that will ‘guarantee no drips or patchy streaks on your walls’

If you’re planning to redecorate in 2026, one woman has shared a professional painting tip that helps achieve cleaner-looking walls without streaks or patches

If one of your New Year’s Resolutions has involved wanting to redecorate your house in 2025, then you might be looking around and realising just how much of a daunting task that actually is. While painting and decorating might seem straightforward, if you’ve never tackled wall painting or fitted new kitchen units before, it can feel utterly overwhelming.

However, hiring decorators to handle the work can cost a fortune, so tackling it yourself is often the smartest move if money’s tight. There are loads of brilliant guides online to help you on your DIY adventure, from clips showing you the proper way to hang picture frames to tips on which colour schemes work best in your loo.

But one woman on Instagram has recently revealed a painting trick that’s kept her walls looking smooth and professional ever since she picked it up from her mum, who learned it herself from a seasoned painter.

Laura posted footage of herself coating her walls in a stunning green shade, explaining there’s one crucial step you should always take once you’ve finished applying your paint.

She explained: “My mum got this tip decades ago from the professional painter who was painting her house. He had been painting for maybe 40 years at that point, and he said that once you get the wall painted, you just start at the top and roll all the way to the bottom. He calls it backrolling.

“This takes care of any drips or unevenness, and also gets the sheen all going in the same direction. I have been doing this ever since. It’s such an easy way to make your paint job look more professional.”

Backrolling is a widely used method where a paint roller is run over a newly painted surface while it remains wet. The technique helps drive the paint into porous surfaces, improving grip, penetration, and creating an even finish.

The process involves backrolling your walls with a roller after they’ve been painted, but crucially, while the paint is still damp, without loading the roller with any additional paint.

Laura clarified in her caption: “Need to add that you do this on a freshly painted wall while it is still wet. I don’t put more paint on the roller when I do this; I just use what’s left.”

How to paint your walls

1. Prepare the room

• Move furniture away from walls or out of the room.
• Cover floors and furniture with drop cloths.
• Use painter’s tape to mask off baseboards, trim, windows, and door frames.

2. Prepare the walls

• Clean walls with a damp sponge or mild soap solution to remove dust and grease.
• Sand any rough spots or glossy areas for better paint adhesion.
• Wipe down walls to remove dust after sanding.

3. Cut in the edges

• Use an angled brush to paint a 2-3 inch border along edges, corners, and around trim.
• This is called “cutting in” and helps create clean lines.

4. Roll the paint

• Pour paint into a tray.
• Load roller evenly and roll off excess.
• Start in a corner and roll paint in a “W” or “M” pattern, then fill in.
• Work in small sections, blending as you go.
• Overlap slightly with the cut-in areas.

5. Clean up

• Remove painter’s tape before the paint fully dries to avoid peeling.
• Wash brushes and rollers immediately if you plan to reuse them.
• Reattach outlet covers and move furniture back after the paint is fully dry.