# Foam Roller for Trim...Yay or Nay?



## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Never tried it but I can't see a foam roller handling the profiles of anything but the plainest of trims. I would think that to ensure the paint gets into all parts of the profile you would have add enough pressure that you'd end up with too much paint in places you don't want it.
To me trim is one place you don't want any amount of paint texture. I have also never used a sprayer to paint trim - brush only.


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## siffleur (Aug 19, 2013)

Sdiver2489 said:


> So, after watching a YouTube video of a guy getting really good results on a door slab with BM advance paint with a foam roller I decided to try it.
> 
> I had previously tried a micro plush roller on see trim and it worked fairly well but there was definitely stipple. Im trying the Wooster pro foam roller I found quickly it left bubbles. On the first piece of trim I left them to see what would happen. They pretty much all popped but there are small pinhole craters where they were. They might fill in on second coat.
> 
> ...


Sdiver, I have a large 12 gallon tote box filled with mini rollers. Here is one that I used to paint Advance on several slab doors as well as a very large metal medicine cabinet:

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/painting-contractors/products/contractor-series-woven-mini-rollers

I get these in 1/4" thick nap. I always keep a pack of these in my box as well as a pack of the 3/8" nap.

I also have used the following in 1/4" nap:

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/painting-contractors/products/purdy-white-dove-wire-mini-roller

These are a little thinner than the SW Contractor series above and so do not hold as much paint, but come in handy when areas are tight to roll into, like behind toilets. If you are going to roll trim you might also try these 4" x 1/4" nap rollers from Home Depot:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/4-in-x-1-4-in-Woven-Roller-Cover-6-Pack-HD-MR-1006-0400/205871763

I also keep these well stocked in my tote box.

Hee is the mini roller pan and liners I use:

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/painting-contractors/products/handy-roller-cup

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/painting-contractors/products/handy-roller-cup-liners

The only way to find out what will work is to buy and try. Like I said, the Contractors woven mini seemed to roll out the Advance about as smooth as I could get without bubbles and with a minimum of stipple. Good luck.

siffleur


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## cocomonkeynuts (Jan 12, 2018)

Sdiver2489 said:


> So, after watching a YouTube video of a guy getting really good results on a door slab with BM advance paint with a foam roller I decided to try it.
> 
> I had previously tried a micro plush roller on see trim and it worked fairly well but there was definitely stipple. Im trying the Wooster pro foam roller I found quickly it left bubbles. On the first piece of trim I left them to see what would happen. They pretty much all popped but there are small pinhole craters where they were. They might fill in on second coat.
> 
> ...



The video you are referring to is @ridesarize on painttalk.


I never had good luck using foam with advance. Advance needs to be put on at a certain mil thickness so it will lay out.


I used to recommend wooster microplush but recently I have seen better luck with the 3/16" prodooz ftp. Get it on quick then lay it out evenly all in one direction. The microplush I just can't seem to get enough paint on the surface It leaves a stipple because its not on thick enough to lay out. You can tell because side by side the microplush rolled section dries almost 2x as fast as prodooz. 

https://www.woosterbrush.com/other-tools/minirollers-trimmers/jumbo-koter-prodoo-z-ftp/





Advance will leave those micro bubbles if you roll too fast, or too thin of a coat. It can be a surface tension issue and sometimes thinning with just a little bit of clean water will help it lay out.


https://www.woosterbrush.com/other-tools/minirollers-trimmers/jumbo-koter-prodoo-z-ftp/


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

Mini rollers work great for those with subpar brushing skills. IMO skillfully brushed on paint always looks better than rolled paint on woodwork.


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## Druidia (Oct 9, 2011)

mark sr said:


> Mini rollers work great for those with subpar brushing skills. IMO skillfully brushed on paint always looks better than rolled paint on woodwork.




I suppose then that it’s mainly just for speed that DIY TV shows almost always use rollers on even narrower areas like window stools?


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

It does speed things up some but also for those with poor brushing skills a little roller stipple looks better than unsightly brush marks.


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## klaatu (Mar 9, 2015)

foam rollers leave bubbles. They always have. That's why i refuse to sell them. Looks good on TV though.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

I agree with coco. I tried several different methods to put down Advance, trying to get smoothest surface. Tried two or three different types of rollers, including foam, all were poor. Concluded brush was best. Made a few attempts at thinning out final coat with water --- that may have helped.


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## Druidia (Oct 9, 2011)

klaatu said:


> foam rollers leave bubbles. They always have. That's why i refuse to sell them. Looks good on TV though.




Do you use a brush and/or spray then? On what surfaces or area size do you use a brush?

What roller material doesn’t leave bubbles?


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## Sdiver2489 (Jan 14, 2013)

Perhaps I should have been a little more clear for the people advocating for a brush. I always typically use a brush as well for trim...I've done pretty well with a brush. The problem is I am using this as practice for painting my doors in the basement. They are brand new never painted. A brush I imagine will not be a good choice for the large flat surfaces of the door. So I started with a wooster micro plush. I think I agree with the comment here that it didn't hold enough paint and so it never really leveled. Then I saw that video for the slab door and thought maybe I had been looking down on foam rollers just because they are cheap. Well the bubble problem was really annoying. I read up a bit more on them and tried some tips...I do think it worked much better and it did leave a very even finish but there are always some bubbling. Perhaps with a little sanding and a second coat that might be somewhat alleviated.

Right now I think I might try the prodoo-z that was mentioned. I have always used the 3/8th rollers on my walls...love them. So maybe just a shorter nap might be perfect for doors? Will I have enough time on a door to lay it off with a 3" sash brush after rolling it or should I leave the paint as is and let it level as best it can?


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Sdiver2489 said:


> A brush I imagine will not be a good choice for the large flat surfaces of the door.



The application I posted about was a large flat surface. I will stand by my comments.


You might get better results spraying, but few have the equipment to spray.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Jan 12, 2018)

Sdiver2489 said:


> Perhaps I should have been a little more clear for the people advocating for a brush. I always typically use a brush as well for trim...I've done pretty well with a brush. The problem is I am using this as practice for painting my doors in the basement. They are brand new never painted. A brush I imagine will not be a good choice for the large flat surfaces of the door. So I started with a wooster micro plush. I think I agree with the comment here that it didn't hold enough paint and so it never really leveled. Then I saw that video for the slab door and thought maybe I had been looking down on foam rollers just because they are cheap. Well the bubble problem was really annoying. I read up a bit more on them and tried some tips...I do think it worked much better and it did leave a very even finish but there are always some bubbling. Perhaps with a little sanding and a second coat that might be somewhat alleviated.
> 
> Right now I think I might try the prodoo-z that was mentioned. I have always used the 3/8th rollers on my walls...love them. So maybe just a shorter nap might be perfect for doors? Will I have enough time on a door to lay it off with a 3" sash brush after rolling it or should I leave the paint as is and let it level as best it can?



I would brush the panels then roll the rest with a 3/16" prodooz ftp. Just make sure you are rolling on enough material, but not too much it runs  If its on too thin it will not lay out.


I may try with the microfiber again someday. Maybe I wasn't loading it up enough?


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## KHouse75 (May 14, 2008)

When I'm not spraying, I roll then back brush for speed. I use the mini microfiber rollers.

I have used foam rollers but only when using oil or acrylic alkyd / oil infused acrylic as it takes a long time to dry so it levels out to a smooth finish even if bubbles form intitally.

The trick to using a foam roller is probably to get it well saturated so all the holes are filled with paint and not air.


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## pashash (Nov 22, 2018)

I had really good experience with Contractor Series Mohair Mini Rollers. I have small section of cabinet that I finished with this roller and all the rest was sprayed. It is hard to see any difference.


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