i was just wondering whether you get what you pay for with paint
rollers.

i just thought a roller was a roller, but i've not been impressed with
the homebase own make one i bought for 3.99. the material on it seems
very thin and the results on a newly plastered wall are poor. it
applys very patchily.

so i'm asking is it a good idea (like most things ) to pay more for a
better roller? and if so which one should i go for? i'm guessing one
with a thicker pile might help?

cheers guys

benpost wrote:
> i was just wondering whether you get what you pay for with paint
> rollers.
>
> i just thought a roller was a roller, but i've not been impressed with
> the homebase own make one i bought for 3.99. the material on it seems
> very thin and the results on a newly plastered wall are poor. it
> applys very patchily.
>
> so i'm asking is it a good idea (like most things ) to pay more for a
> better roller? and if so which one should i go for? i'm guessing one
> with a thicker pile might help?
>
> cheers guys

You can buy a thicker pile type for about 4 or 5 quid but they aren't a
patch on genuine sheepskin ones - just the sleeve is around a tenner for a
9inch version but they are easily a hundred times better quality than the
fiver imitations.

They pay for themselves in no time because:
1) there's less splashback, resulting in less wastage and far less cleaning
up.
2) they are easier to clean because unlike the fakes, they aren't like a
sponge and therefore, you lose less paint
3) they last longer, provided they are kept clean and dry between use.

oh thanks for the info, thought as much. the homebase standard ones
are useless.

i find if i let the roller dry even after rinsing it for ages it will
still contain paint and dry hard.

with a sheepskin roller is it possible then to rinse it without
leaving any paint, so you can leave it to dry and re use?

i have been leaving it rinsed but damp and tying up a carrier bag
around it so it doesnt dry out.

benpost wrote:
> oh thanks for the info, thought as much. the homebase standard ones
> are useless.
>
> i find if i let the roller dry even after rinsing it for ages it will
> still contain paint and dry hard.
>
> with a sheepskin roller is it possible then to rinse it without
> leaving any paint, so you can leave it to dry and re use?
>
> i have been leaving it rinsed but damp and tying up a carrier bag
> around it so it doesnt dry out.

With the sheepskin ones, they rinse out very quickly, meaning that you can
get all of the paint out of it, EG, I've used one in a deep maroon colour,
rinsed it for around 4-5 minutes and used it in white immediately with no
sign of red or pink coming through.
Once rinsed, they require rolling out, IE, spin them very fast and they are
almost dry to the touch, just barely damp really

"Phil L" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:b1Ioj.51$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> ... they aren't a patch on genuine sheepskin ones - just the sleeve is
> around a tenner for a 9inch version but they are easily a hundred times
> better quality than the fiver imitations.
>
What a good idea! I don't need to throw out the skins lying around in the
drive. Thanks.

Mary

On 1 Feb,
benpost <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> oh thanks for the info, thought as much. the homebase standard ones
> are useless.
>
> i find if i let the roller dry even after rinsing it for ages it will
> still contain paint and dry hard.
>
> with a sheepskin roller is it possible then to rinse it without
> leaving any paint, so you can leave it to dry and re use?
>
> i have been leaving it rinsed but damp and tying up a carrier bag
> around it so it doesnt dry out.

I bung mine in the washing machine[*], after an initial clean. It works well.[*] An old machine, with the paddles integral with the drum, not separate
bolt on plastic bits, a spare machine{**}, but also used regularly for
clothes.

{**} I wouldn't dare use the new machine if SWMBO was about!

--
B Thumbs
Change lycos to yahoo to reply

On Fri, 1 Feb 2008 07:38:54 -0800 (PST), benpost
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>so i'm asking is it a good idea (like most things ) to pay more for a
>better roller?

Yes. Wider is good - you get more done, more quickly.

A fat inner core on the frame and thin-wall roller sleeves (the
"professional" grade rollers) gives a roller that's more about surface
and less about being a sponge to squirt runs of paint everywhere.

Foam vs. shagpile are more a question of paint and surface. You should
have both, but use the right sort for the job.

Crown trade shops (most cities) are a good place to shop.

benpost wrote:
> i was just wondering whether you get what you pay for with paint
> rollers.
>
> i just thought a roller was a roller, but i've not been impressed with
> the homebase own make one i bought for 3.99. the material on it seems
> very thin and the results on a newly plastered wall are poor. it
> applys very patchily.
>
> so i'm asking is it a good idea (like most things ) to pay more for a
> better roller? and if so which one should i go for? i'm guessing one
> with a thicker pile might help?

Sorry to highjack your thread, but on the subject of rollers & paint...

Used some Dulux Once last week on a ceiling - won't use anything else -
fantastic stuff.

The oblong container had a plastic grid inside, so you could load a roller
direct from the container.

Clever design, it remained just below the surface of the paint all the time,
no need to use a tray & it seemed to load the roller much more evenly.

What a good idea.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

thanks for the advice everyone. dave - the dulux paint sounds great,
no trays! that must be nice... i will try it.

so a decent roller... which doesnt splatter and cleans easily, and
decent paint, and you're laughing!

seems like in everything you buy you get what you pay for...

oh i'm totally fed up with this painting....

i decided to give the homebase own roller one more go as it came with
2 sleeves, so i binned the first one and used the 2nd.

i dont know if its me or the roller but we are not getting on very
well. for one it doesnt 'roll' its like when it turns on the wall it
feels like its triangle shape or something. the rolling action isnt
smooth, its like knock, knock as it turns. next thing, the sleeve
starts to come off the frame and in no time is half off and i have to
keep pushing it back on.

the way it applies paint is just rubbish. it either doesnt seem to
want to apply any or it will apply too much. a straight roll results
in a patch off paint and a patch of nothing. so this makes me want to
put pressure on the wall as the paint isnt coming out, but that just
makes it worse.

now i'm using homebase own kitchen and bathroom paint so maybe its the
paint which isnt up to it? its sure irritating my eyes, or is that
just the bright white of it ??

i've ended up with a finish that from a distance looks ok but when you
look closer there are thick lines of paint in some places and then
areas where more paint is still needed. i'm sure i'm not totally
stupid. maybe if i had bought dulux paint and a proper roller
everything would be fine??