Unpopular opinion: those cheap foam paint rollers from the big box stores are garbage

I see people grabbing those 99 cent foam rollers at the Lowe's on Coors for their interior walls and I cringe every time. They leave bubbles and lint behind no matter how much you prep, and I had to repaint my whole living room twice because of it. How do you all feel about spending a little extra on the woven ones at Sherwin Williams?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota_murphy904d ago

I hear you on the woven rollers being better quality, but I gotta respectfully push back here. Those cheap foam rollers have their place if you know what you're doing. I've used them for years on interior walls without any bubbles or lint, and the trick is to wet the roller first and squeeze out all the excess water before you dip it in paint. The key is to not overload it with paint, roll it out on the tray grid a few times to get an even coat, and apply light pressure. If you're getting bubbles and lint, it's usually because the paint is too thick or you're pressing too hard, not necessarily the roller itself. Your mileage may vary but for small touch ups or quick jobs, those 99 cent rollers save me a ton of cleanup hassle and I'd rather toss them than clean a woven one.

james_butler3d ago

Yeah, I gotta agree with you on wetting the roller first... that was a game changer for me too. I used to get so frustrated with those cheap foam rollers leaving lint everywhere, but once I started doing that little trick, it made a huge difference. I still keep a pack of them around for baseboards and tight corners where I don't wanna mess up a good woven roller. For bigger walls though, I've kinda switched to microfiber rollers... they seem to hold paint better without the foam sagging.