The answer to the second question of which rollers are best for your project is a little more complicated. Choosing the best roller cover for the job is important. Cheap roller covers, such as polyester covers, tend to spatter more and drop pieces of fuzz and lint into your paint. This makes your overall paint job less satisfactory. Higher quality covers such as Lambs wool covers are the best you can get, they hold a large amount of paint, rarely leave "track marks" and do not splatter as much.

However, there is more to your cover selection than just the quality. For enamel work such as painting doors, kitchen walls etc, you would want to use mohair covers. So, as you can see, the cover type you pick should be specific to the paint finish, and the job.

The size of rollers varies significantly just as the materials they are made up of vary. When picking a size, you want to match the roller cover nap size to your job, the thickness depends on the surface being painted, the paint being used and the desired effect. Some rollers hold more paint and apply it more thickly than other rollers.

So, how do you know which to use? A good rule of thumb is to use a thin roller cover (with less than ¼" nap) for gloss and semi-gloss finishes on smooth surfaces, such as plaster, floors and some walls. If you are going to be applying flat paints on medium-smooth surfaces such as most interior walls, concrete block, stucco and sandy-textured surfaces, use roller covers approximately 3/8" to 1" thick.

There are specific or special types of rollers for specific jobs that will likely be a part of your painting project. You should consider purchasing these rollers as they will make your job easier, and the results will be better.

For example, there are some of the special rollers include:

• Corner rollers - ideal for corners and siding strips


• Trim Roller - 3-inch size is ideal for cramped spaces


• Radiator Rollers - 3/4" in diameter, which makes them perfect for behind radiators, toilets and water heaters.


• Also, specialized roller covers exist for painting columns, pipes and other round architectural features


• Foam roller - best for handrails and wrought iron.

As you can see, there are rollers for basically every paint project imaginable, and you can check out the variety and selection of available rollers at PaintingSuppliesDirect.com.

Regardless of what roller you choose, you will need a roller frame to put it on, and to hold the roller pad so that you do not get paint all over yourself. When it comes to roller frames you have some options:
Basically you can pick between compression-type roller handles and the cheap wing-nut variety of frames. The compression-type roller handles work best offering improved rolling and durability. They basically have 3-5 heavy wires between the ends, as you slide the cover on the wires are compressed securing the cover firmly in place. The less expensive version of a roller handle features a wing-nut for holding the roller on its cage, it is less secure, and may slip around making your job harder.