Introduction to Paint Rollers - A
brief history of how the paint roller evolved in India
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| Micro fiber Roller - European Handle |
The evolution of the roller has
followed the path of evolution of paint in India. Not too closely though. There
have been times when the paint technology was far ahead and the roller lagged
far behind. As time progressed and paint graduated from lime wash to distempers
and emulsions, the transition of brush to roller was a slow one. This was
partly due to unavailability of certain roller products and technologies but
majorly due to habits of painters and their reluctance to invest in their
trade. Painters were usually part time. The finish of emulsions were not up to
the mark due to the use of brushes. To counter this, painters began using cheap
foam rollers on wet paint after brush application. The finish was better but
still not satisfactory and the paint jobs took longer to complete. This system
worked for many years until painters began experiencing problems with
application of high sheen emulsions. Around the same time, painters also began
facing problems with manpower. The modern cloth roller thus began finding
acceptance and quickly replaced the brush as a tool of application. This roller not only provided uniform deposition of paint but also
reduced the time taken to paint. After some initial resistance - again due to
the painters habit and reluctance to invest in trade - the cloth roller is
widely used today.
Variety of Rollers
. Cloth Vs Foam - Cloth rollers are
mats of woven or knitted fiber pasted onto plastic tubes and mounted on to
handles. The pasting is done in a spiral fashion so as not to leave any marks
on the painted surface. Foam rollers are pieces of foam, cut in uniform cylindrical shapes
and mounted onto handles.
. A wide variety of sizes are also
available. Width x Diameter - 2 " x 1", 4" x 1", 6" x
1", 6" x 2", 7" x 2", 8" x 2", 9" x
2".
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| Polyester Roller - Cage Handle |
. A Wide variety of materials area
also available in cloth rollers : Polyester, Acrylic, Micro Fibre, Poly Amide,
Natural Hair and Blends of the above. The material is either warp knitted or
woven.
Criteria to choosing a roller
With so much variety there is often
a confusion as to which roller to choose. The following criteria will make the
choice objective :
. Foam Vs Cloth :
Low density foam rollers pick
up a large amount of material and splatter paint onto the surface and are not
suitable for application of paint. This leads to a lot of wastage. They can
only be used to remove excess paint or smoothen unevenly applied paint. High
density foam rollers pick up less material and cause less splatter when placed
onto the surface to be painted. They can be used to apply paint. The problem
with foam rollers is that they tend to break after usage. They are also very
difficult to clean, as the material is absorbed into the entire thickness of
the foam.
Cloth rollers on the other hand
provide uniform paint deposition and splatter free painting. They are easy to
clean as paint is absorbed only into the mat of the material which is on
an average only about 0.5" in thickness.
. Pile / Nap of a Cloth Roller :
The roller pile is the length of the
fiber. The longer the fiber, the more material it can hold. Also a larger pile
will help the roller cover larger surface undulations. But a longer fiber also
means a rougher finish. Rollers meant for rough surfaces such as rough
plastered exterior walls have a larger pile.
. Material of a Cloth Roller :
Polyester is the cheapest material
but has low paint pickup.
Acrylic is a bit more expensive and
has better paint pickup.
Micro Fibre is a bit higher in cost
and has excellent paint pickup.
Polyamide fibre has equivalent paint
pickup and cost to micro fiber but has much longer life.
. Woven Vs Knitted
Woven fibers pickup more material
than knitted fibers and also deposit material more uniformly.
. Handles - Cage Style Vs European
Style
Cage handles are more expensive than
european style handles but have better grip on the roller.
. Lint Free Rollers do not leave
behind any fiber on the painted surface. These are generally more expensive.
Considering the finish required, the
surface being painted and the paint being used, a suitable roller can be chosen
using the above criteria.
Happy Painting!!