Nice 12" and 4" medium pile roller sleeves for doing a ceiling with Tikkurila AR2

[DaveyH]

Hi,

In a few weeks time I will be painting a bedroom ceiling with Tikkurila AR2 (fantastic stuff ).

I'm only a DIY'er, and this is what works for me. I first cut in with my Arrowworthy 2" classic slash cut brush. I then roll over the cutting in with a 4" medium pile Hamilton sleeve (the green one) I then roll with a 12" Hamilton medium pile sleeve (again the green one) on an adjustable Purdy frame. Here is my ceiling (and wall) tackle

IMG_5391.JPG (307.48 KiB) Viewed 421 times

The Hamilton green sleeves have a great finish, but I've found they go a bit "crispy" after a few uses (something Phil Beckwith has also said on his youtube videos, so it's not just me ).

PS. I've tried a few times, and I just can't get away with 9" sleeves. I find that they start slipping off the frame and/or I get a thick line on one side or the other, I believe this is because 9" sleeve are only supported on one side, whereas the bigger 2 sided frames allow equal pressure on each side of the sleeve. But it's probably all really just down to my bad technique .

Anyway, what 12" rollers are you guys using with AR2, and will they fit the adjustable Purdy frame ok? And is there a matching 4" roller so the orange peel effect is the same as the 12"?

Thanks in advance.

[dynamod]

12" sleeves (in double arm cages) are perhaps easier to use, but 9" sleeves in a single arm cage are also fine. A decent quality material (I prefer polyamide and microfibre) combined with proper technique will eliminate tram lines. Back-rolling is a good habit to get into.

I tend to stick to mainly Purdy frames and sleeves, though I normally use 9" sleeves for domestic work. Older houses can have very uneven walls, and a smaller sized sleeve stops bridging over low spots, though a decent pile helps with that to be fair. I have a handful of 14" sleeves for the Wooster Sherlock, but I seldom use gear this large. The cam locks on the Wooster cage aren't the best, and have an alarming habit of coming loose, and throwing the roller off.