Another great question!
It is so important that you use the correct roller cover. If you do not, you could have many challenges!
Before deciding on the right cover to choose, you must know the type of texture that you are planning on rolling on.
There are 4 general wall and ceiling textures:
- Smooth- Just as it sounds no texture, only a smooth wall or ceiling. These are very rare in Southwest Florida.
- Orange peel- This is like a light splatter over your wall. Or it may look, as it sounds, like the peel of an orange.
- Knock down- This is a large heavy texture, much more than an orange peel.
- Acoustic- Commonly known as “popcorn texture” is a ceiling texture and was very popular in the 70’s and still pops up occasionally today. (Not a safe ceiling to attempt yourself. Actually, many painters will not attempt it.) However, Burnett Painting will! No problem, if you are in the surrounding communities of: Venice, Punta Gorda, Boca Grande, Manasota Beach, Englewood, Sarasota, and Siesta Key.
Now that you have established the texture of the surface you are painting, you need to decide what kind of roller cover/pad to use.
- Lamb’s wool-Lamb’s wool roller covers hold more paint and produce less splatter than most synthetic covers.This is the pad that Burnett Painting uses most of the time. They cost a couple of dollars more, but are a far better value to us for 3 reasons.
- They hold more paint.
- They don’t throw paint splatter.
- They wash out easily and much faster than synthetic.
- Synthetic-Different size of roller covers-Synthetics are good for all paints and most popular for their price. They mat down quick and have a short life. For us it is not worth washing them out, so we let them dry completely and then toss them out.
- Mohair- is best for very smooth doors and trim-treat for using oil and varnish paints.
If you have a smooth wall or ceiling surface, then we suggest you use a small nap (padding) roller cover- 3/8 inch, up to a ½ inch for walls. If you have a surface with an orange peel texture, then you should use a ½ inch roller cover. For the most common texture, I would suggest a ½ inch or ¾ inch roller cover. For exterior surfaces, you would use a minimum of ¾ inch roller cover.
Well, its 2pm on Saturday afternoon and I have a few errands to run before our company comes over for dinner tonight. I need roll right on out of here!
1 800 PAINTING!
