Rollers

Paint Rollers have become standard equipment for professional painters. Quality rollers are unique applicators since their design incorporates many performance characteristics. When a loaded roller is rolled across a surface, thousands of tiny fibers continuously flex and return to mechanically abrade and “wet out” the surface and produce a stipple texture on the surface. The paint is then metered out in accordance with the roller cover design. To obtain the best quality finish, selection of the proper roller is paramount.

In addition to the application results that can be obtained with paint rollers, their large holding capacity and ease of operation makes them high production tools.

Applicator Components: the four main parts to a complete roller system are the roller cage; roller sleeve; roller extension handle; and paint tray or pail.

Paint roller “Cages” are devices that consist of a frame, a handle, and a cover holding cage or cylinder plus bearings. Frame construction is from a 5/16 inch (8 mm) steel rod because of heavy duty usage. The cover holding component should be of a slip-off type for easy replacement.

Paint rollers are available in lengths from 1 inch (254 mm) to 18 inches (457 mm). The shorter lengths are used for trim work and the longer sizes for applying floor or roof coatings. The standard length most commonly used is “9 ½ inches”(241 mm).

The standard roller inside diameter is 1 ½ inches (38mm). See fig. 1 roller cage and sleeve.

The fabric "roller sleeve" covers the cage and absorbs the paint; we'll cover this in detail further on.

Roller Cage

Roller Sleeve