paint pads vs rollers?

[ColJack]

which is better? paint pads... or rollers?
do you get as much splashing with a pad that you do with a roller?

 

[LJW61]

Pads ! People use pads? haha,hoho,heheheheee...Stoppit please...

ahem.. Sorry..Use rollers

 

[Richard C]

Perhaps LJW61 is too young to remember them but the original “Peter” paint pads produced many years ago had a mohair head & when used with slightly thinned paint were very good indeed. Faster to use & more accurate than a roller, no mess, splashes or drips as long as you got the mix right; none of that ripple build up that starts to look like mild Artex after a decorating a few times with rollers & in fact a better finish than you’d get with a brush.

I used nothing but pads for many years but the ones generally available now are nothing like the originals. The mohair pad has gone to be replaced by modern synthetics & is nowhere near as dense to the point where they no longer work at all well. Despite trying several different makes over the last few years none are a patch on the original design. I still don’t like rollers very much but use them occasionally, I prefer a large brush.

 

[LJW61]

..Its these modern versions I was thinking of , theyre pretty useless
....btw..Just how old are you Richard ?

 

[ColJack]

I was thinking more for the ceiling..
with a roller I seem to get spray off it and drips everywhere.. normally all over me..
I was hoping that a pad wouldn't drip as much..

you say it needs thinning? how much?
same as a mist coat?

 

[Richard C]

..Its these modern versions I was thinking of , theyre pretty useless
....btw..Just how old are you Richard ?

Old enough to have used Peter paint pads when they were first invented!

 

[Richard C]

I was thinking more for the ceiling..
with a roller I seem to get spray off it and drips everywhere.. normally all over me..
I was hoping that a pad wouldn't drip as much..

I’ve found rollers bad enough on walls let alone ceilings; not too important if decorating a new build or completely stripped out room but when re-decorating a furnished room you have to cover literally everything in sight. Have you tried a decent 5” brush on the ceiling? I prefer shorter bristled brushes rather then the longer ones supposedly designed for emulsion, they seem a bit unwieldy to me & you can’t really cut in with them; don’t seem to work as well to me.

you say it needs thinning? how much?
same as a mist coat?

Thin a bit less than mist coat; start at around 10% & try it but only add just enough water so the pad glides & doesn’t drag. Difficult to explain but if you try it you should know what I mean; it very much depends on the paint. The trick with pads is no to overload them, once paint saturates the sponge backing they will drip & splash just as much.

 

[LJW61]

If you're painting you should have dust-sheets covering everything anyway so why should spray be a worry?
Thick trade vinyl matt wont spray(much) anyhow!
Using a good quality roller sleeve & good quality trade emulsion will give a nice uniform/even & superior finish to brush on a ceiling anyday ,not to mention the time factor (though I shall) I know I can cover an average 12' x 12' living-room ceiling with 3 coats in a morning by roller , if I used a brush it'd take me so long I'd be at it all day - Id never earn money or for that matter even get the contract !

 

[Richard C]

Using a good quality roller sleeve & good quality trade emulsion will give a nice uniform/even & superior finish to brush on a ceiling anyday

Out of interest, what roller sleeve would you recommend, if there is one that works as well as that I’d like to give one a try?

not to mention the time factor (though I shall) I know I can cover an average 12' x 12' living-room ceiling with 3 coats in a morning by roller, if I used a brush it'd take me so long I'd be at it all day - Id never earn money or for that matter even get the contract !

No question that a roller is quicker than a brush & if the main concern is time on contract work then fine. I think Coljack may be more interested in getting a good finish whilst not ending up looking as if he’s contracted a serious disease at the end of it rather than getting it done in the shortest possible time. Using a brush is slower but, in reality, it won’t take that much longer when you take account of “cutting in” around the room. I could easily do a 12 x 12 ceiling, 3 coats in a morning with a large brush & if I could find a decent, large pad as good as the originals, it would beat a roller every time.

 

[LJW61]

Admittedly a sloppily rolled ceiling can look pretty patchy compared to a painstakingly applied brush-job, the roller needs it needs to be kept at a constant pressure and in all in one direction - not as easy as it sounds (btw, I only paint private residences, by 'contract' I didnt mean 'industrial/commercial' )
I learnt my trade from an old chap who insisted on using brushes & wouldnt touch 'those new-fangled rollers' , took him an age but his brushed ceilings were superb , I never brush ceilings over about 6'x6' 'cause my neck & shoulders cant take it any longer!
Cant really say which roller brand I use, just good quality synthetic medium or deep pile from Brewers or similar.

 

[jondecs]

The way to keep spottles off yourself when rolling ceilings is to extend your pole so your head is well out the way.. Don't go mad with roller. keep it well loaded and work just fast enough so the paint won't spin orf

Years an years ago we were painting metal partions in an office complex. The rep from peter paint pads came and demo'd the pads and actually they were brilliant one coat of gloss and metal partitions looked like they were factory enamelled. though found they were a pest to clean and the tray was a bit awkward for ladderwork etc.

 

[ColJack]

my roller only extends to about 3 foot.. should have bought a seperate head and pole methinks..
and after trying a pad I prefer the roller..

as for not getting paint on my clothes, I figured that one out.. paint in the nude...
you have to keep the curtains ddrawn though..

 

[LJW61]

..my secrets out...lol

 

[Tezza47]

Perhaps LJW61 is too young to remember them but the original “Peter” paint pads produced many years ago had a mohair head & when used with slightly thinned paint were very good indeed. Faster to use & more accurate than a roller, no mess, splashes or drips as long as you got the mix right; none of that ripple build up that starts to look like mild Artex after a decorating a few times with rollers & in fact a better finish than you’d get with a brush.

I used nothing but pads for many years but the ones generally available now are nothing like the originals. The mohair pad has gone to be replaced by modern synthetics & is nowhere near as dense to the point where they no longer work at all well. Despite trying several different makes over the last few years none are a patch on the original design. I still don’t like rollers very much but use them occasionally, I prefer a large brush.

 

[Tezza47]

Perhaps LJW61 is too young to remember them but the original “Peter” paint pads produced many years ago had a mohair head & when used with slightly thinned paint were very good indeed. Faster to use & more accurate than a roller, no mess, splashes or drips as long as you got the mix right; none of that ripple build up that starts to look like mild Artex after a decorating a few times with rollers & in fact a better finish than you’d get with a brush.

I used nothing but pads for many years but the ones generally available now are nothing like the originals. The mohair pad has gone to be replaced by modern synthetics & is nowhere near as dense to the point where they no longer work at all well. Despite trying several different makes over the last few years none are a patch on the original design. I still don’t like rollers very much but use them occasionally, I prefer a large brush.

I was Works Manager at Adlock Engineering Ltd they were the manufacturing company for Peter Paint Pads Ltd the 2 companies shared the same directors. Paint Pads originated in the USA but were at that time (mid 60s) made from synthetic pile usually nylon. David McMillan chair and MD of both companies recognised that pads were a great product with room for improvement the main improvement was to manufacture using pure mohair rather than nylon due to vastly improved paint retention. Other improvements were made in the next few years and the product was given the name Peter Paint Pads. Unfortunately the business was put into receivership in 1986 and was bought by an asset stripping company and that was the end of a truly great product. If anyone needs technical information email me [email protected] .