Sponge Roller, Large, Yellow, for Paint and Oil

A sponge roller lays a flat, even coat over a broad area far faster than a brush, and with no brush marks. The foam picks up paint across its whole width and releases it in one pass, which is how you get a smooth ground on board, a base coat on a large surface, or an even fill behind a stencil.

Load it by rolling it out on a tray, not by dipping — a dipped roller floods and drips. Work in one direction and lay off lightly at the end of each pass to avoid a ridge where two passes meet. Foam suits acrylic, gouache, poster colour and oil; rinse it before the paint dries, because like a sponge, a foam roller that sets hard cannot be brought back.

The large roller covers a wide area in fewer passes — the one for boards, backgrounds and any surface where speed and an unbroken flat coat matter more than getting into detail. Fewer passes also means fewer join lines to lay off.

• Foam roller — flat even coat with no brush marks
• For base coats, grounds and stencil fills
• Suits acrylic, gouache, poster colour and oil
• Rinse before the foam sets hard