18'' Roller Cover: Temporary Storage

Purdy Colossus 18" Roller Covers are so fast that it makes sense to use them on every painting project. However the cost of the covers makes it painful to toss them away after each day on the project. I like to clean out the roller covers and don't always have the opportunity to clean on site. Sometimes there isn't a source of water. So I have come up with this nifty way to seal the cover from the outside air, that would dry out the paint, until I can clean it properly.

Barber Shop Plastic Wrapped

Short Video Explanation

After ringing out all the paint from the cover into a bucket I like to use a piece of 3M plastic film to wrap the rollers. Its readily available and always on site. The 3M film is thin, light, and strong. I like to use the longer plastic to do this. Preferably a 72'' or longer prefold plastic. I will roll the cover into an end of the plastic, take the lose end wrap it around the cover and tie it off. Simple and easy. You will use maybe spend 5 cents on materials and cost your self 52 seconds of time to accomplish this task.

Use the resources you brought on site to save money on covers. 

Some painters will clean out roller covers and some do not. I am a painter that does. Personally I feel that most professional roller covers can be used multiple times. There are several reasons I justify keeping covers. One reason is that some of Purdy Roller Covers "break in" and work better with age. Its like a fine wine. The cheap big box store covers are crap and just need to be tossed after use so don't bother with inferior painting products. The nap on these rollers does not wear well and will be worse the second time around. There are some covers I will wash and keep like the Colossus from Purdy, The White Dove, and several others from manufactures like Wooster.

9'' and 18'' professional grade paint rollers are generally costly. The two rollers above are above 10 dollars in cost. They cost more because they don't shed, they lay the paint out uniformly, they don't fall apart, they are generally pre-tapered on the ends, and load well. The dollar store sells roller covers. However these covers suck. They fall apart, don't absorb paint, and make your project a nightmare. I have tried to find a good use for these covers. Just avoid them altogether.

Do I keep every roller cover? No. The days of using nine inch rollers are fading from my memory as I continue to rely on larger rollers. The only time I still break out a small 9'' inch roller is to paint a tiny bathroom, apply a oil based primer to select spots then toss the cover, or to cut it down to a smaller 4'' size. By the way if you have not read 4'' Paint Rollers: Home Built  I suggest that you do. There is a neat trick for cutting down larger rollers to make smaller ones.