# 18" rollers



## Painting Practice (Jul 21, 2013)

I've had these laying around for a while and recently began trying them out on mostly residential to see if it really made sense to smash with a big roller in places that aren't enormous. Does anybody else use 18's on smaller scale projects?


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Yup.


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## Local paint pro (May 15, 2018)

IF It’s bigger than a bathroom and sometimes even still


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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

Only place I've ever seen them for sale up here is at big orange, and the closest one of those is an hour drive away. Love to try them at some point, just not practical.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Order them online, or tell your paint store to get them in.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

I don't like having to use a bucket for those 18" rollers. I prefer to kick around a paint tray for 14" rollers. They have the same feel as a 9" roller to me. 

I also don't like the cage for an 18" roller. You can't get into corners like a typical roller. The Wooster 14" roller cage is built exactly like a 9". I still use a 9" roller in combination with a 14" roller for the tighter areas like bathrooms, and above kitchen cabinets.

The only way I'd use an 18" roller would be for backrolling a large ceiling.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Not getting into corners is a small price to pay for cutting your rolling time into about 1/4 of what it would be.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Woodco said:


> Not getting into corners is a small price to pay for cutting your rolling time into about 1/4 of what it would be.


The Wooster 14" roller will blow away any bulky 18" roller. I hate dunking into a bucket to reload. I prefer paint trays. The frame is also 50% lighter.


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## walltowall (Sep 9, 2018)

I use them but only for large areas especially corridors, but make sure you drop the floor I have had the cover come off the frame several times.... I would be careful with one rolling a ceiling! lol


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## Local paint pro (May 15, 2018)

Wooster makes an 18” paint tray not the bucket. ANd what paint store are you guys shopping at? I couldn’t even imagine this job without 18” naps, are you guys serious? Do you think a sprayer is a waste of time? If you are paying a guy to just roll while 2 other guys cut in with brushes, why wouldn’t you double the amount of work the roller guy does for the same amount of money? He ll get caught up so far he ll eventually run out of wet edge to roll and have to pick up a brush himself, generating you more money than if he were slaving away with that 9”. Makes sense to me it’s a no brainer


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## Local paint pro (May 15, 2018)

Only buy the Wooster Big Ben with wing nut style tighteners. If you buy the red clamp style tightener prepare for a mess like walltowall said, they can come loose.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

Wooster 14" covers. I also carry the E&J microfiber in 14"x1/2". 18's are great but can skip if wall isn't perfectly flat. Also love the Wooster 14" bucket/tray hybrid


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## Vylum (May 12, 2016)

overkill in rezzy. rolling out bedrooms takes no time


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

I raced my helper who claimed he could move just as fast with a nine. I rolled 8 walls to his three. He had to buy me lunch for week after that one.

If you're doing a big house with lots of the same color, that time adds up quick. He had to buy me lunch for week after that one.

Coco is right about skips in the walls if theyre out of whack, but if you watch what you're doing, its alright.


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## Eagle Cap Painter (Nov 14, 2016)

If you're using an 18" bucket, there's nothing stopping you from hanging a weenie and/or 9" roller off the back side. The lids Wooster makes for its Big Ben are fairly flimsy, so buy a few extras, but it's a handy system. I keep a couple VIP Clips in my grip and line the bucket with painter's plastic doubled/tripled up on itself to make break/overnight storage and cleanup easier.


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## PaPainter724 (Apr 22, 2016)

Not using an 18 is like not using both your hands because you can paint just fine with one. Aside from cutting your time way down, it also cuts down on trail marks when you're running because it applies even pressure. And if you're using a 4 inch roller in the corners like you ought to, you don't need to get it right in the corner. Another cool facet is you can use the end caps from your 18 covers and put them in a 7, 9 or 14 inch roller cover and use them all in the same 18 inch frame.


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## lawsan (Dec 13, 2014)

All day everyday 18 in is the way to go. We do a lot of spray and back roll so the roller man is not lifting the paint.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

mind you I am a relatively small BM dealer. I carry:
Prodooz FTP 18x3/8
Prodooz FTP 18x1/2
Prodooz FTP 18x3/4
SuperFab FTP 18x1/2
SuperFab FTP 18x3/4
Epoxy Glide 18x1/4
Cirrus 18x3/4
Cirrus 18x1
Polarbear 18x1/2

E&J 18x1/2" microfiber


Similar lineup for 14"


I might also buy a _pallet _of E&J woven 18x1/2 here soon


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

Woodco said:


> I raced my helper who claimed he could move just as fast with a nine. I rolled 8 walls to his three. He had to buy me lunch for week after that one.
> 
> If you're doing a big house with lots of the same color, that time adds up quick. He had to buy me lunch for week after that one.
> 
> *Coco is right about skips in the walls if theyre out of whack, but if you watch what you're doing, its alright.*



Its a real problem here because the houses are built so quickly no one has time to properly frame. Even concrete floors here sometimes you can't use an 18.


Meanwhile last time I was in Dallas pretty damn hard to find anything but an 9" lol. I called a ton of paint stores and they all sounded like I was crazy for even asking. I'm a small time dealer but I sure has hell make sure to have a decent selection of covers...


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## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

Choosing which roller width should project dependent based on whatever width provides the greatest production rate.

Whenever possible I use an 18”, or the largest roller possible. It’s a bummer but in my market most stores only stock 9” and 18” rollers. A few carry 14”, but none carry any that are Microfiber. 


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## Holdenholden (Feb 6, 2018)

Looking for 20mm or 3/4 pile 14” or 18” roller sleeve. Can’t find any


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Wooster catalogue*



Holdenholden said:


> Looking for 20mm or 3/4 pile 14” or 18” roller sleeve. Can’t find any
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Check through this:

https://www.woosterbrush.com/rollers/catalog/

Home Depot seems to carry a lot of 18" covers (including 3/4" naps) these days, at least where I am in the Chicago area.

futtyos


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## Fman (Aug 20, 2011)

Back in the late 20th century, a property manager used to regularly ask me if I would use an 18" roller. I said I'd look into seeing if such a crazy concept actually existed. What I didn't tell him was that as long as I was (then) getting paid by the hour, I wasn't going to look too hard. Never did find one on that job, but I did eventually get one for my own work and found it to be unwieldy and not really something I wanted to get used to.


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## Vylum (May 12, 2016)

cutting my rolling time by a fraction isnt worth the mess/weight in residential. i could see in a large home or commercial. 9inch is a lot more versatile


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

The rolling time cuts cut TO a fraction, not BY a fraction.


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## PaPainter724 (Apr 22, 2016)

Vylum said:


> cutting my rolling time by a fraction isnt worth the mess/weight in residential. i could see in a large home or commercial. 9inch is a lot more versatile



I dont get the weight argument? Are all of you arthritic 80 year old ladies (no offense to the 80 year old arthritic ladies still painting)? New frames are featherweights, and mess? The newer covers are practically spatterless. You cut your time in more than half.

The only real arguments against 18s are you dont like change, which is valid if absurd, or you work in super low end places where the walls are really bad.


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## loaded brush (Dec 27, 2007)

All depends on how you look at things. If you think about it, if the nine inch roller guys are taking twice as long to do a room, charging by the hour, then they are making twice as much money for the same room as the fella who is doing it with an 18 inch roller in half the time.


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## Vylum (May 12, 2016)

why not use a 36 inch? cut your 18 inch roller time in half!


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## futtyos (Aug 11, 2013)

*Paid hourly or by the job?*



loaded brush said:


> All depends on how you look at things. If you think about it, if the nine inch roller guys are taking twice as long to do a room, charging by the hour, then they are making twice as much money for the same room as the fella who is doing it with an 18 inch roller in half the time.


If one is being paid hourly, using a 9" roller might make sense - sense, that is, if one is working in a 9" roller market. If one is bidding against painters who routinely use 14" and 18" rollers, then.......

If one is bidding a job in a 9" roller market, then why not bid the job using a 9" roller, then use a 14 or 18" roller?

I guess it depends on whether one is going to a gun fight or a knife fight.



futtyos


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## PaPainter724 (Apr 22, 2016)

Vylum said:


> why not use a 36 inch? cut your 18 inch roller time in half!


If they sold them I would.


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## Vylum (May 12, 2016)

PaPainter724 said:


> If they sold them I would.


i guess you can get away with lots in the rental business


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## 804 Paint (Jan 31, 2014)

To insinuate that an 18” roller produces an inferior finish is absolutely ignorant. Neither are they too bulky, heavy or unwieldy. Total ignorance and stubbornness being displayed here. 


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Its a lot more than twice as fast as a 9". First of all, since its twice as big, you need to dunk it half as much. Secondly, a 9" overpass is probably 3-5 inches each time. With an 18, you can have a 12-15" overpass. That right there is 4-5 times the wall coverage in the same amount of time. With an 18", you can do a bedroom in close to the same amount of time it takes to do one wall with a 9" There is no comparison. Its a PITA to deal with the bigger pan, but tripling your production, is totally worth it. Also, you can lay it off in huge sections, making it look better overall too. And less movement is easier physically. yes, its heavier, but theres only about a quarter of the up and down motions.


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## Fman (Aug 20, 2011)

A buncha guys bragging about their roller size! Sheesh- if you can't make it happen with 9" just spray everything.


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## Vylum (May 12, 2016)

reading this thread they should just stop making 9's altogether


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## 804 Paint (Jan 31, 2014)

Woodco said:


> Its a lot more than twice as fast as a 9". First of all, since its twice as big, you need to dunk it half as much. Secondly, a 9" overpass is probably 3-5 inches each time. With an 18, you can have a 12-15" overpass. That right there is 4-5 times the wall coverage in the same amount of time. With an 18", you can do a bedroom in close to the same amount of time it takes to do one wall with a 9" There is no comparison. Its a PITA to deal with the bigger pan, but tripling your production, is totally worth it. Also, you can lay it off in huge sections, making it look better overall too. And less movement is easier physically. yes, its heavier, but theres only about a quarter of the up and down motions.




I use trays for smaller projects but if I’m doing a large room or a bunch of rooms in the same color, I use the Purdy 18” roller bucket. I bought casters (not made by Purdy...just got them off Amazon) for it so it’s simple to nudge around the room. It’s especially great for ceilings. 

I had the Wooster version but this is one of the only cases where a Purdy product is superior. It’s heavier, has a better ramp and there are liners available for it. 

On another note, my store does carry 18” sleeves, but I have had to use a microfiber 1/2” from Home Depot in a pinch and actually really like it. Probably made by Linzer. There have been some QC issues from time to time but nothing that has affected the finish. I also have ordered the 1/2” Wooster microplush sleeves online and they are great for walls.


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## PaPainter724 (Apr 22, 2016)

9s have their place...in the trash. But in all seriousness a 9 is fine for walls that are really broken up or super small rooms like bathrooms. However, its totally disingenuous to pretend an 18 isnt a much better option for anything bedroom sized or bigger. You get done faster and produce a more uniform finish. And the newer purdy frames weigh less than some of my 9 inch cages.


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## 804 Paint (Jan 31, 2014)

PaPainter724 said:


> 9s have their place...in the trash. But in all seriousness a 9 is fine for walls that are really broken up or super small rooms like bathrooms. However, its totally disingenuous to pretend an 18 isnt a much better option for anything bedroom sized or bigger. You get done faster and produce a more uniform finish. And the newer purdy frames weigh less than some of my 9 inch cages.




Yes, much more uniform. Layoffs are super smooth...they almost guide themselves. 

The Purdy frame looks cool but the Wooster Wideboy has been around forever and is feather light. It also incorporates the Shurelock system which is key for tall, narrow stairwells where you need to quickly change extension pole lengths back and forth.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

804 Paint said:


> PaPainter724 said:
> 
> 
> > 9s have their place...in the trash. But in all seriousness a 9 is fine for walls that are really broken up or super small rooms like bathrooms. However, its totally disingenuous to pretend an 18 isnt a much better option for anything bedroom sized or bigger. You get done faster and produce a more uniform finish. And the newer purdy frames weigh less than some of my 9 inch cages.
> ...


The purdy frame is good but has a large flaw the corners are sharp metal that will chew up anything it grazes.

Also the Wooster bucket does have liners just not too many stores bother to carry them ( I have them 😉 )


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## painterina (May 25, 2015)

*18"*

I can only speak of my experiences: both 18s and 9s have been good to me. For large walls and most ceilings, an 18" is preferred (and a must for two-story high ones). 

For other smaller walls, either a 9 or an 18 is fine --I won't miss the latter when using the former. In fact, I've always preferred the 9 for kitchens and bathrooms --most kitchens have large ceilings but not a lot of wall areas. For small baths, sometimes I even use a 6-in 9/16" microfiber from HD, which hold a lot of paint and van conveniently get to wall corners and behind the toilet too. 


The 18 is heavier, no doubt, especially on high ceilings. The longer the pole extends, the heavier the roller becomes. Steering one (with 3/4" nap) on the 18 ft high ceiling is not an easy task. It requires an extra sandwich and a bottle water or two. A 9 is much lighter, but I feel it'd take forever. 


To answer the OP's question, on smaller scale projects, for me there is not a huge difference between roller sizes. But then again, once the roller meets the wall, how fast and how well it rolls depends on the guy at the end of the pole. And I am not a fast one. 


Rolling is generally not the most time-consuming part of the paint job (prep-work, cutting in and painting woodwork are). It is likely more satisfying and productive (state of mind-wise) to work with whichever size one likes and is proficient with.


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## Mo8414 (Sep 17, 2018)

Give me an 18", a mini 4" and 6" and I'm good to go. Thats all I have really needed. 

I just got done with a living room and hallway today and Couldn't imagine going back to useing a 9". Even in the narrow hall it wasn't that difficult once u get the swing of useing an 18". Just load that sucker up and go.


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## deadend (Aug 1, 2013)

...just tested a new system myself and may be moving to using mostly 14" 6" and 4"...I knocked this bath, a few small rooms and a small hallway out with just a 6"-1/2" nap UltraFinish microfiber...the little time I lost from the 9" I would have spent setting it up...





Mo8414 said:


> Give me an 18", a mini 4" and 6" and I'm good to go. Thats all I have really needed.
> 
> I just got done with a living room and hallway today and Couldn't imagine going back to useing a 9". Even in the narrow hall it wasn't that difficult once u get the swing of useing an 18". Just load


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## SwampCat (Aug 31, 2018)

every now and then i get stuck using a 9" because I didn't get enough 18s I can't believe I ever used those for whole rooms! It takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r!!!


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