Guide
Roller liners and trays
Nap thickness by surface, liners by the sleeve, and why a metal tray outlives six plastic ones.
4 min read · First Ave Supply, 1587 First Avenue
What nap do I use?
Match the nap to how rough the surface is, not to how big the job is.
| Surface | Nap | Typical cover |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth plaster, new skim coat, doors and trim | 1/4 in | Linzer RC172-9, Purdy Dralon 1/4 in |
| Normal apartment wall, light texture | 3/8 in | Linzer RC173-9, Purdy woven 3/8 in |
| Older wall with patches and brush texture | 1/2 in | Linzer RC102-9 |
| Stipple ceilings, block, brick, stucco | 3/4 in and up | Ask at the counter, we pull it from the back |
A thicker nap holds more paint and hides texture. It also leaves texture of its own, so do not put a half inch nap on a smooth door and expect it to look sprayed.
Nine inch, six inch or four inch
The nine inch is the wall and ceiling roller. The four inch mini is for behind toilets, inside closets, cabinet doors and the strip between a window casing and the wall. The six inch is the one people forget and then buy on the second trip, because it covers a hallway soffit or a radiator cover in one pass.
Microfiber covers hold more paint and spatter less than a cheap woven cover. On a full apartment that is the difference between refilling the tray fifteen times and refilling it nine.
Trays and liners
The cheapest true thing in this store is the quart tray liner at ninety nine cents. A liner means you do not wash a tray at the end of the day. You peel it out, drop it in the bag, and the tray is clean. Buy them ten at a time, not one at a time.
A metal tray costs a few dollars more than plastic and will still be in the van in five years. Plastic trays crack at the ladder hook and the corner. If you paint for a living, buy the metal once. If you are doing one bedroom this weekend, the green plastic quart tray is fine and we stock it deep.
Frames
A threaded frame handle takes an extension pole. That is the whole reason to spend the extra two dollars, because a nine inch roller on a pole does a ceiling standing on the floor instead of standing on a ladder. Five wire cage frames roll straighter and do not collapse when you lean into a corner.
What a painting crew should keep on the truck
Two nine inch frames, one four inch mini frame, a sleeve of liners, a metal tray, and covers in a quarter, three eighths and half inch nap. That is the kit. Everything else is job specific and we have it on the wall.
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