The most common tool used for painting various surfaces, along with a paint brush is a roller. There are a large number of types and sizes of paint rollers that are designed to work with paints and varnishes of any type. The maximum simplicity of the design of this tool, high performance, practicality, and unpretentiousness in use make it indispensable for painting large areas or narrow surfaces.
An important role is also played by the relatively low price of most of the most popular models of rollers. These qualities provide them with well-deserved popularity not only among beginners, but also among construction professionals.
Paint roller device
There are a fairly large number of varieties of rollers, each of which is ideal for painting surfaces of a certain type using different types of paints and varnishes.
Regardless of the purpose, the design of any such product includes two main elements:
- The machine, often called by the people the handle. It consists of two components: a handle made of plastic or wood, as well as a yoke - a metal base for attaching a fur coat.
- Coat. As a rule, this element is a plastic tube on which a coating is put on that can effectively absorb paint and apply it to the surface to be painted. In some sources, it is the coat (that is, part of the product without the machine) that is called, in fact, the paint roller.
To figure out what rollers are, as well as what they are intended for, you need to classify them according to their purpose and technical characteristics.
Classification
Currently, there is no single such classification, which is due to differences in the standards systems of different countries. In addition, individual manufacturers often introduce their own labeling of their products, which further confuses an already difficult situation. To simplify it, the classification of such products is divided into domestic and foreign.
According to the domestic classification according to GOST-10831-87 “Paint rollers. Specifications ”, there are 4 main types of rollers: fur, fur roller for painting the floor, roller for corners, as well as foam rubber (polyurethane foam) roller. These products are marked, respectively, with the letters VM, VMP, VMU and PV.
As for foreign representatives of the painting tool, their classification is carried out separately according to several criteria, the first of which is the size of the product. In accordance with it, the following types of rollers are distinguished:
- Mini rollers. They are light in weight and size, very convenient for painting small areas or hard-to-reach surfaces.
- Midi cushions. The most common, differ in the quality of the coat, as well as in size.
According to another classification, paint rollers are divided into small, the length of which is less than 18 cm, medium (18-25 cm) and large (more than 30 cm).
Depending on the purpose, there are:
- The roller is front. In addition to the increased size, the fur coat of such an instrument has an additional layer of padding. There is also an improved system for attaching the roller to the machine. All this reduces paint spatter and allows you to effectively use the facade roller for painting large areas.
- Frame roller. Unlike other types, the coat of such an instrument is put on not on a plastic tube, but on a wire frame. Such rollers are used for applying paint on uneven surfaces and, unfortunately, have not yet become widespread in our country.
- Special rollers.This category includes highly specialized tools used for inhomogeneous surfaces, rolling wallpaper, working with aggressive chemical compounds, etc.
According to the type of fur coat, foreign-made rollers are usually classified as follows:
- Foam. Since the action of the solvent contained in most paints leads to the decomposition of foam rubber, such a tool is used to work with adhesives, primers and water mixtures. A significant advantage of foam rubber rollers is their low price. Their disadvantages include rapid wear and some unevenness of the applied paint layer.
- Fur. One of the most universal models, it is equally suitable for work with all paint and varnish products. The main disadvantage is that when using fur rollers, small hairs may remain on the painted surface.
- Velor. Their advantages include high resistance to solvents and uniformity of painting any surface. Among the shortcomings is the rapid wear of the fur coat.
- Rubber. Often used as structural or pressure rollers.
- Polyamide. Differ in high wear resistance, are capable to work with any paint and varnish materials. At the same time, they should be used very carefully, since in the process of applying the paint there is a strong splashing of it.
The above classification is far from the only one, so Finnish manufacturing companies often use the following designations:
- PE - foam rubber or vestan (artificial fur).
- N - rollers with fur coats made of natural materials.
- RS - polyacrylic.
- RA - polyamide.
It should also be noted that there is a separate classification of rollers for decorative plaster, these include structural, textured, embossed and texture rollers. All of them are used to give surfaces a relief or texture effect.
What to look for when buying a paint roller?
When choosing a tool for painting work, one should proceed from the tasks that need to be solved with its help. At the same time, it must be remembered that even between products made of the same material, there are differences due to their quality.
- As a rule, tool manufacturers make rollers of various colors, which indicate the quality of the material. For example, foam coats can be dyed blue, yellow or white, which corresponds to the density of the foam in descending order. Similar colors are used for tools made from other materials.
If you do not have a solid experience in painting work, you should not choose a large size paint roller. This will create inconvenience during its use, which will significantly reduce labor efficiency.
- It is advisable to purchase several rollers that can be installed on one machine. Thus, it becomes possible to apply various paints or paints of various colors to the surface. The fur coat should not have a pronounced seam or protruding ends of the threads, as this indicates a low quality tool. A poor-quality seam can lead to smearing of the paint during its application.
- In order to be able to reuse the roller for several days, it must be put in a plastic or plastic bag, and then tied tightly.
- To increase the efficiency of using this tool, you should purchase a cuvette - a special trough for painting.
