There are numerous types of paint rollers for different jobs; the largest are 18 inches long but the most popular tend to be around 9 inches in width. These are for covering large, flat areas but there are smaller 2 and 4 inch versions for working on smaller areas and all different sizes in between. Extended Pole: Although not actually a roller, but more of an addition. Most roller frames have hollow, or threaded handles. This allows you to insert or screw on an extension pole into the handle to reach high ceilings or the top of tall walls

The obvious choice of wool for affordable, high quality knitwear in today's active, modern life is 100% merino.

Lambswool and merino wool - sheep

Mohair is obtained from the Angora goat (sometimes confused with the angora yarn that comes from the angora rabbit). It has a larger undercoat compared to the cashmere goat, but the guard hairs from the topcoat are, unlike with cashmere, often mixed with the hairs from the undercoat. This gives mohair its distinct, frizzy look with the slightly stiff short hairs visible in the final product. Made from very high quality natural fibres, mohair rollers are often fairly long piled rollers with the pile itself resembling sheep’s wool as it’s quite fluffy. Cashmere wool provides excellent insulation and can be 7-8 times warmer than merino wool, but this can lead to problems of over-heating, awkward without the presence of lanolin and its an tibacterial properties! A long sleeved mohair roller would be used to cover a textured wall or an artexed ceiling whereas a smooth foam roller would be used to paint emulsion on a nice smooth, plastered wall. The length of the hair on a roller is called the nap or pile of the roller. Roller trays are plastic dishes which have paint tipped in to one end. The roller is dipped in the paint and the surplus paint removed by running the roller up and down the trays flat sloped surface.

Aside from the soft and luxurious feeling very often associated with the popular cashmere, it can be difficult for many to distinguish between the different types of wool and hair. Although there are many similarities in both the farming procedures and general properties of wool and hair, they’re usually distinguished between what animal they’re sourced from. Wool is sourced from sheep (Merino, Lincoln, Dorset etc.) whereas Hair is sourced from other animals such as goats (cashmere, mohair), alpacas (alpaca) and rabbits (angora). What is Wool? Despite the fact you may be tempted to save a few quid and go with the cheap option, don’t! If you are looking for a good finish for your painted surfaces then in most cases you won’t get it with these sleeves. Available in a huge range including microfibre, foam, lambs wool etc. they are generally used for getting into tighter spaces that a traditional sized roller would be unable to. These are available from all DIY stores and as you would expect are the cheapest options available, often 3 for less than a few pounds.

Although not exactly a paint roller, they do kind of work in a similar way hence the reason we are mentioning them. It features a foam, natural or man made fibre sleeve that slips over a cylindrical metal frame or cage and is held in position by 2 end caps that in turn rotate around a bar fixed to a handle. The operator holds the handle, dips the sleeve in paint covering it and then enables them to roll the paint off of the sleeve on to the wall. Shorter Haired Mohair Roller Sleeves: Ideal for most surfaces and most paint types, but choose the length of your nap carefully to suit the surface you are covering

Along with choosing the right size and material type of roller for the job you are doing, it’s also essential that you choose a sleeve with the correct length of pile or nap as it’s also known. By pile or nap we mean the length of the actual material coating the sleeve. For example, you’ll get a better finish on a smooth flat surface when using a short pile roller sleeve, but you’ll end up with a rough, patchy finish if you use the same type of sleeve on a very rough surface. There are four main breeds: English, French, Giant, and Satin, which are all domesticated for angora production. The hair is very light and not very strong, with a low resilience. For that reason, angora is often blended with stronger or more elastic materials. Angora production is both time consuming and costly and the ethics of the production method has been questioned by many. Farming angora sometimes involves the rabbits being kept in separate cages and in near darkness to protect their undercoat. A lot of the desirable properties associated with wool and hair stem from a natural protein, called keratin, which is found in the fibers of the hair and skin of mammals. The bilateral core of keratin causes the fibers to twist and bend, giving wool its natural crimp and resilience. Another beneficial property of keratin lies in its flame-resistance, which unlike with plant fibers, makes wool and hair fibers self-extinguishable once no longer directly exposed to a flame. Out of all the various types, the best choice is a roller sleeve of Mohair. This is ideal for most surfaces when used with different length naps, and can even be used with varnish. Mohair is most often used with gloss paints and is also ideal for oil based radiator paints.Rule number one when using paint rollers is that for a good finish, buy a good roller or at least a good roller sleeve. Cheap sleeves can leave roller marks which are almost impossible to paint out. As they are quite small, the paint pad it ideal for cutting in and getting into spaces that a standard roller would never reach. Merino wool comes solely from a strain of Merino sheep bred for its wool. Average merino wool is about 21.5 microns, fine merino is 18.6-19.5 microns, superfine is 15-18.5 microns, and ultrafine anything less than 15 microns.

As we have stated above, the sleeve is the most important part of a paint roller as it gets the paint on the wall, however without a frame and handle to operate it, it’s essentially useless. Standard Roller Frame: The standard roller frame either features a frame and end caps or a straight bar that the roller sleeve slots on to. Available in a range of sizes from 9 to 18 inchesLikewise if you have a smaller, more delicate surface to cover, such as a skirting board, a smaller width roller would be much more suited to this. They are also often used for painting timber and fine furniture in paint, varnish, oil and a whole host of other finishes, depending on the type and material of the sleeve. Additionally, to make cutting in easier, sometimes it’s better to also cover any exposed edges such as skirting or architrave with masking tape, more can be found here in our project on masking up. Types of Paint Roller Pile (Nap) As we have stated above, to get the very best finish for a given surface it’s essential that you use the correct type of sleeve with the correct length of pile.