Roll on the hassle of painting (Paint Runner System)

Member Name: blissman70

Product:	Paint Runner System
Date:	18/02/09 (265 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No mess,easy to use and does the job in half the time

Disadvantages: can be a little heavy if filled to the top

The other week the wife informed me that she wanted to redecorate the house... translated in real terms, she wanted me to re -paint every room... either that or she would hire a painter to come in and do the job for a remarkably large amount of readies...
As I can be quite handy with a brush I decided to save hundred of pounds an do the job myself... especially as I knew of a quick method which would get the results required and keep the wife happy...and save me lots of money in the process...
This method being the brilliant paint runner system...

** WHAT IS IT..?

It is a painting tool, which looks a little like a fat paint roller, that you simply fill up with paint and then use as you would a normal roller...only without the hassle.
Its apparent unique design allows it to paint evenly without the drips and the mess, thus helping you to paint a room in a fraction of the time that you would normally take with a normal paint roller.

** WHAT'S IN THE BOX..?

When you open the box you are met with the actual paint runner system which, as I said, looks like a fat paint roller trapped inside an orange frame, locked in by two blue plastic caps...
Also, you get three short lengths of hollow tubes which screw together and attach to the orange plastic frame on the roller to give you a good couple of metre reach for those higher areas...
A rather strange looking foam covered miniature roller system which is for the edges of walls
A jug with which you can fill the paint roller up with and some instructions to use the thing.

** SETTING IT UP...

Again, another simple task which, if done properly, will save you a lot of time and mess.

1) Stand the roller on its end and pop open the blue plastic cover on one end...
2) Fill the plastic jug with your chosen paint and then pour this into the open end of the roller, the roller can take up to 1 litre of paint at a time.
3) Push the blue plastic cover back into its place until it clicks
4) Roll the roller up and down the wall you are about to paint until the paint starts to appear on the foam surrounding the roller...
5) Continue to paint the wall/ceiling until either you finish the job or the roller needs refilling...

To refill the roller follow the 5 steps again...

That's it... once you've 'primed' the roller then you'll soon be whizzing along with the painting...

** HINTS...

1) If you are using 'thicker' based paints (non water based) then simply add a little water to the jug to allow the paint to flow through the roller...

2) To quicken the 'priming' process spray the roller foam with a little water before 'priming'

** CLEANING...

This is the only slightly messy process in the entire painting procedure...
What I tend to do is clear as much paint from the inside of the roller as possible, either by pouring it back into the paint tin or rolling it onto the wall... then I run some cold water into the roller, squeezing the foam slightly to release the paint... as the water runs through you will see the clean bits of foam appearing...This does take a little time to clean but then again, so do normal rollers.

Then I tend to leave it soaking in a tub of slightly soapy water for at least one night, once cleaned I allow it to dry before putting it away...

That's it... job done and you're ready for the pub...

** NEGATIVES...

I would love to say that this is a perfect idea but I would be telling porkies... although the positives do vastly outweigh the negatives...

The few downsides to this product are...

1) The little edging roller which is a waste of space and should be thrown straight in the bin... (use a brush to get round the edges, it's a lot easier)...
2) When the roller is filled to the top it can become a little heavy, especially when painting ceilings ( I recommend filling three quarters as it works the same regardless of the amount in it).
3) The hollow tubes which become an extension handle are so flimsy when screwed together, bending and giving you no real control over the roller..( I tossed these aside and used a broom handle which seemed to slot into the handle perfectly well).


** IN CONCLUSION...

This device really does save you time and is so easy to use you'll wonder how you managed to paint without it..
I have used it several times and have found it halves the normal time I usually spend painting a room with a conventional roller.
Although I still have to paint around the edges with a standard brush, this taking up most of the decorating time, once I have 'primed' the runner system, which takes maybe a minute to do, then the rest of the painting is a breeze... and it really does take minutes rather than hours to completely finish a room, allowing the recommended drying time between coats... and as this little tools doesn't drip any paint at all there is no need to cover everything up with your wife's best sheets... Seriously, it doesn't drip at all... you could go about the painting in your best suit, (although you'd look a little daft if you do) but you wont drip any paint on it form this splendid roller...

As I said earlier, the roller can hold up to a litre at a time, although the more you put in the heavier it becomes and this can become a little arm aching after a while... (but if you keep swapping hands you can carry on regardless), and it will give a good 10 minutes of constant painting during re-fills, which is plenty of time to cover a lot of wall...

If you have ever uses a standard roller and tray then you know how tricky this can become, balancing on ladders as you reach for the tray, wobbling about as you run the roller through the paint, cursing as a big blob of paint hits the only part of your expensive carpet that wasn't covered by the dust sheet, wondering if your house insurance will cover the damage?... but with this ingenious invention you get none of that hassle, unless of course it drops out of your hands of course, but the good sized orange handle really does make dropping it very difficult indeed...

In all, it is simple to use and will save time and mess... and for around £30 for the lot it is a very good investment indeed...ii for one am glad I bought it when I did...

This can be bought from places such as ideal world, amazon.com and sometimes from the mirror newspaper... so if you do have plans to get some painting done then get yourself one of these.

Summary: painting made easy for everyone