Whether you end up with stripes or none comes down to the roller in your hand. At re-box you'll find seven parts that work together: two roller sizes, the matching frames, replacement rollers to top up your kit, and a fine roller for lacquer. Not a huge range — one where everything fits together.
Buy paint rollers: seven parts that work together
The starting point is the two sets. The Paint Roller with Frame Large - 25cm is the roller for walls and ceilings, for anything where you need to cover ground. The Paint Roller with Frame Small - 11 cm is the roller for edges, recesses, radiator niches and small wall sections. With both to hand, you never have to improvise mid-job.
Everything else is for topping up: rollers and frames are available separately, so after a project you only replace the worn part. That's the practical reason for a well thought-out system — you don't buy everything new each time.
25 cm or 11 cm: the width decides the rest
The width determines how many passes you need for a wall, and with it, how many joins you create. Every join is a potential visible line in the finished coat. On a wall 3 metres wide, the large roller needs around a dozen passes, the small one more than double that — and with every extra pass, the risk grows that a spot has already dried by the time you come back to it.
So the rule is: large surfaces always with 25 cm. The small roller isn't a substitute, it's a complement — it goes where the large one won't fit, and it's the better choice for touching up individual spots, since you need less paint.
The rollers in detail
Replacement roller large, 25 cm
The Paint Roller Large – Replacement Roller, White, 25 cm is the wearing part of the large set. You'll see when it's time for a new one in the result: hardened or matted fibres pick up less paint and leave visible stripes. If you keep a replacement roller in the cupboard, you won't end up working with one that's lost its shape.
Replacement roller small, 11 cm
The Paint Roller Small - Replacement Roller - 11cm fits onto the small frame. Handy if you're working with two colours on one project and don't want to wash out in between — just fit the second roller and carry on.
The frames on their own
Frames rarely break, but they do go missing. That's why the Paint Roller Frame Large - Replacement Frame, 25 cm and the Paint Roller Frame Small - Replacement Frame, 11cm are also sold without a roller. If you paint regularly, it's worth having two — one for light shades, one for dark.
The fine lacquer roller
Lacquer needs a different surface to the wall. The Lacquer Roller Small - Replacement Roller, 11 cm is made for smooth surfaces: doors, fronts, shelf panels. On a wall roller, lacquer would dry with texture — something you'd notice on a door straight away.
Which roller suits which paint
For re-box base one (matt) and re-box silk matte WHITE (silk matt), use the 25-cm roller on the surface and the 11-cm roller at edges and transitions. Both wall paints are applied the same way; the difference lies in the finish, not the technique.
For re-box protect, the fine lacquer roller belongs in your hand. Furniture lacquer should give a smooth, closed surface, and that calls for a roller that leaves little texture. Complement it with a lacquer brush for edges and profiles.
Wall, ceiling, edge, door: where each roller does its job
Ceiling
The ceiling is painted first, with the large roller and in passes towards the window. An extension takes the strain off your arms — the Telescopic Pole - Large 78.5 - 131.5 cm saves you constantly repositioning the ladder.
Large wall surfaces
Here, speed counts. Apply the paint in a W-shape, then spread it evenly in vertical passes and start the next pass while the previous one is still wet. Pass by pass, without stopping halfway across the wall.
Edges, recesses and narrow strips
Anything narrower than a hand's width belongs to the small roller. It gets you cleanly over doors, alongside windows and into recesses without touching the adjoining surface.
Doors, fronts and furniture
Lacquered surfaces get the fine lacquer roller and thin coats. Two thin coats always look better than one meant to cover fully — and they dry more evenly.
What else belongs in the tray alongside the roller
A roller alone rarely does the job. The Paint Tray - Small holds enough paint for one wall pass, and with the Professional Metal Roller Grid you strip off the roller so it's evenly loaded instead of dripping. For corners and edges, keep the Paint Brush 70 mm – Wooden Handle close by.
Before the first roll, you mask up. The tesa® Precision Mask – Precision Masking Tape holds the line between wall and ceiling. You'll find the rest of the kit — filler, sanding blocks, dust sheets, stirring stick — under Paint Accessories.
Rolling without stripes: the technique
The most common streaks aren't caused by poor tools, but by pauses. Working wet-on-wet means finishing a wall in one go, not doing half of it and the rest after a phone call. The overlap at a dried edge stays visible, no matter how good the roller is.
Second: don't roll too dry. A roller that's run dry pulls paint back off the wall. Third: work slowly — fast rolling causes splatter. More tips like these are in Painting walls without streaks and in Taping properly without paint bleeding underneath.
Frequently asked questions about paint rollers
What roller size do I need for a normal room?
The 25 cm roller for walls and ceiling, the 11 cm roller for edges and narrow areas. With this combination, you can get through a standard room without changing tools. A brush for corners and joins rounds it off.
Can I also use a wall roller for lacquer?
Better not — the fine lacquer roller is designed for that. A wall roller leaves a visible texture on smooth surfaces that you can't get rid of again on a door or kitchen front. For furniture and wood, use the 11 cm lacquer roller.
Do I have to buy the roller and frame together?
No, both are available separately. The sets are the easy way in — after that, you only need to buy the roller again, since the frame usually lasts longer than the sleeve. Replacement rollers are available in both sizes as well as a fine lacquer roller.
How many replacement rollers do I need for an apartment?
For an apartment, one large roller plus a spare is usually enough. Plan generously if you're working with several colour shades: a fresh roller for each shade saves washing up and stops leftover paint from clouding the next shade.
Do I need a telescopic pole for the ceiling?
It's not essential, but it makes the ceiling noticeably easier. With an extension, you can roll longer stretches in one go and need to move the ladder less often — both reduce overlaps. In low rooms, a sturdy ladder is enough on its own.
How much paint do I actually need?
One litre covers about 6–8 m² per coat. For two coats, that means: 2.5 L for about 8–10 m², 5 L for about 15–20 m², 10 L for about 30–40 m². The exact calculation for your room is in How much wall paint do I need?.
Can I see the colour beforehand?
Yes, with the Farbmusterbox 65 Stk. It contains all 65 shades as samples, so you can decide in your own light before the roller comes into play.
