How to paint cornicing properly?

[Undercover G]

Hi,

I am currently renovating my house and have come to the painting stage.
A couple of my rooms have some decorative cornicing around the tops. The cornicing it self is nothing too elaborate but cannot be painted with a brush without it looking tacky. I can however paint it with a tiny roller one bit at a time and considering the colour it will take 2-3 coates just to cover.
My question is can i buy a can of normal enamel spray paint and give it a coat or two with that first then finish it off with the roller? as the wil save me hours upon hours of work. If not does anyone have any tips on how to get away with this cheaply...as in not having to buy a paint sprayer or hire someone to do it for me.
I'm not sure wether the cornicing is made out of plaster or wood...not that i know if this matters or not.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Stoneman]

The best way to handle this is to use a sprayer. You can rent them fairly cheaply to keep your cost down. Just mask the area around the cornice and apply a coat of primer/sealer and then 1-2 coats of finish latex enamel (either semi-glossy or glossy depending on the look you're seeking).

The 2 issues with starting with spray enamel and then finishing with a rollers are: 1) you'll need to use an oil-based product with the last coat since nearly all spray enamels are oil-based and 2) the roller will leave a matte finish which isn't really a good look on a cornice.

I've added a link to a rental directory in case it helps - good luck!