Paint roller

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Paint roller" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

A paint roller is a paint application tool used for painting large flat surfaces rapidly and efficiently.

The paint roller typically consists of two parts: a "roller frame," and a "roller cover." The roller cover absorbs the paint and transfers it to the painted surface, the roller frame attaches to the roller cover. A painter holds the roller by the handle section. The roller frame is reusable. It is possible to clean and reuse a roller cover, but it is also typically disposed of after use.

The roller cover is a cylindrical core with a pile fabric covering secured to the cylindrical core. Foam rubber rollers are also produced. There are both foam and fabric roller covers that can be purchased without a frame, to replace worn out roller covers; once the old cover is removed, the new one can be fitted onto the roller frame for use. An innovation of the cylindrical core has allowed it to contain paint inside, with the cover absorbing paint from the inside and filtering it through (naturally by wicking) to the cover's exterior when the roller is rolled, and thence onto the surface being painted.