Painting pads

[Tony Pacc]

Did anybody ever use those pads instead of a roller for painting,I thought maybe it would eliminate splatter,if so how did it turn out.I'm thinking on trying one with latex paint for the ceiling.TIA

[m Ransley]

A waste of time, id guess it will take 5x longer and it will never look good like an even rolled finish. Splatter can be minimised by technique and a quality paint like Ben Moore etc.

[Buck Turgidson]

Years ago, before I had much experience with painting, I used one to edge the blue wall where it met the white ceiling. But you'll find it is much faster to roll, and use a good brush masking tape to do your lines. The key is a steady hand, so don't have a hangover with the coffee shakes...

[Buck Turgidson]

That should read "brush without masking tape".

[Martin]

They can really work well for the wall ceiling corners, especially if you use them in the holders with the little guide wheels. Roller or brush are much better for the rest of the job.

[Joseph Meehan]

I have used them. They are slower than a roller, but if you want a nice smooth surface without the orange peel effect of a roller (even a short nap roller) they may be what you want.

It seems you are looking for less bother and clean up, and I would say, no. You may have a little less splatter (you don't get that with a roller unless you are using poor rollers and or rolling too fast), but likely will have more drips and will take more time.

[Tom Miller]

I use one when I paint our kitchen cabinets. I put on the paint with a brush, and then (before it dries) smooth it with a paint pad filled slightly with the same paint. This makes a nice smooth finish without brush marks or roller orange peel. But it is quite slow going. I'd never use one for much else, and certainly not walls or ceilings. Maybe for edging or for woodwork.

[c_kubie]

I've tried the painting pads and also masking tape. I have come to the conclusion,

Paint the ceiling and walls with the same paint.

This way it is always even, and having a clean edge where the walls and ceiling meet.

C_kubie

[Bowzer]

I painted my pad once. Back in the '60's. Unfortunately I got evicted by "The Man" shortly thereafter for playing "Hot Tuna" at full volume.

HEVVVVVV-VYYYYYYY!

(sorry couldn't resist...)

Bowser

[WonderfulFellow]

Aaargh! I can't believe the replies in this thread. JM above is the only one who IMO correctly states why you should NEVER use a roller. Unless of course you're a NYC landlord, or a commercial establishment, or you just plain don't care about the finish.

Twenty years ago, horrified by the orange peel or stippled finish on my kitchen walls which had resulted from the use of a roller (or several), I turned to paint pads. Almost as good as a brush. Then, lulled into a sense of security by the ads and reasoning that they must have made some technological improvements in the rollers, a couple of years ago I used one of those small ones on the brand new slab back door. This type of roller, available in HD, actually boasts as to the smoothness of the finish. BS! Orange peel all over and very low coverage. I ended up finishing the job with a three inch Purdy.

Being a sucker for punishment, this year I listened to my son who mocked my use of the paint pad telling me that real men use rollers and did the ceiling of a bedroom with a roller. Arggh! Horrible. Fortunately it's ten feet in the air and no one will notice. For the walls I reverted to an efficient high quality spreader: a paint pad. Oh yeah as to clean-up, I'm still removing the roller spatter (a fine mist) from the baseboard, floor, door... It probably would have been cleaner to use a sprayer.

More time is true. And you need to thin the paint a little so that it doesn't dry before you can blend it into the next section.

The problem today is that most people live in hovels and can't afford to take a room out of service for the required time which is... Presuming the walls in 100% perfect shape: Primer, let dry one day (ignore the directions and no cheating: 24 hours!); first color coat, let dry one day; second color coat, let dry three days; then re-install switchplates, light fixtures, cove molding around windows, doors, and baseboards, etc. (you have removed all these things I hope). It is impossible to make a one-coat-covers-all paint despite the heroic attempts of the mfgs. All they do is reduce the self-leveling effect.