Speed Demons

Nothing is faster than a roller or a pad for getting paint out of the tray and onto the wall. Made from absorbent fabric or foam, rollers and pads hold more liquid than brushes and distribute it more evenly, and sometimes more neatly, than their bristled counterparts.

Painting contractor Jim Clark, who has worked on many This Old House projects, uses rollers on almost every job. "They transfer and spread a lot of paint in a hurry," he says. He keeps an array of them in different sizes with covers of various materials, including polyester, lamb's wool, and spongy foam (see "Choosing Roller Covers.").

Pads can't transport as much paint, so only the largest are good for an entire wall. But unlike rollers, they don't spatter. And while Clark prefers a brush when cutting in or painting window muntins, for the unsteady hand, small pads can be a neater option.

Most rollers and pads are either completely disposable or come with disposable covers. When buying a roller frame — the handle and spinning cage on which the cover fits — Clark looks for a strong wire cage that seals to keep paint out of the cover's core. For pad handles, a tight connection with the pad is key so it won't slide off. A decent roller frame or pad handle runs around $7, and covers cost from $2 to $5. Clark makes the most of his investment by sealing used covers in plastic wrap or zipping them into a freezer bag, then storing them in the fridge for up to a week until he's done using that color.