cheap rollers... pointless?

want2bmortgage3

as usual i let money rule my decision and bought a £2.50 b n q roller for the bathroom. i even rinsed it first to remove the fluff. i was painting a skimmed wall which was nice and smooth.

i soon regretted buying the cheap roller because it leaves a textured finish, find if your walls are bad but it kinda ruins a nice smooth wall. also the roller was still malting bits of fluff even though i'd rinsed it first.

oh and not to mention the splatter... very fine dots of paint covered everything near the walls.. even with slow roller application. only noticable on close inspection but once you see all those little spots of paint on your new toilet and sink you wanna get them off asap.

views anyone? do you only buy the micro fibre rollers (about £5 each) as they seem better?

andrew-b

I use paint pads (i prefer the harris one's) which are less likely to splatter everything else...but you should ALWAYS cover everything with dust sheets before you open the paint pot regardless of your choice of weapon!! It's far too easy to knock a pot of paint over, drop a roller/pad/brush or drip paint on your fixtures/fittings/flooring. I've got a supply of old sheets my mum gave me especially.

Andy

nickj_2

i only use hamilton rollers and sleeves
you only get what you pay for

latecomer

I agree with the above, spend a little more and it makes a big difference.

WobblyGoblin

Gotta agree as well. Spent 2 days skimming our living room and started the painting with a cheap b&q roller. Threw it out within seconds. Absolutely useless. Went and bought a much better one.

I've only used old paintpads before and these didn't give an even finish but it seems from the number of recomendations that I should give them a go again.

andrew-b

Same goes for the brushes too...i've used a b&q brush to gloss paint a door before...never again! I spent longer removing stray bristles from the paint than actually painting. Did the other side of the door in half the time with a Harris brush and the finish was so much better.

On a related note does anyone know where i can get a decent paint tray for use with my paint pads. My Dad has a old tray (probably older than me!) that has a plastic wheel in the middle that picks up the paint from the tray and applies it evenly to your paint pad as you roll it over the wheel - it works very well but i've not seen it anywhere in the shops

[EDIT]Oh scratch that...I just googled it...this is like what i mean http://www.decoratingdirect.co.uk/viewprod/f/FLDPPT/ ...though my Dad's one only has the one wheel.[/EDIT]

Andy

vansboy

I used the Harris microfibre rollers, from Homebase - about same price, as Screwfix, but got them on 10% weekend!!

So agree, no false Moneysaving on the painting tools!!

VB

angelavdavis

I am also a paint pad fan - I don't like the textured finish (even subtle) that rollers provide, nor the splashed effect of anything within ten foot of whatever you are painting. I also don't have strong enough wrists to paint walls with a paintbrush.

You can even add an extendable pole onto some pads to use.

I do find you need an additional coat as paint pads only apply a thin coat at a time, however the coats dry quickly as a result.