Whizz

Whizz rollers are the 4-inch mini rollers and covers you use on trim, doors, cabinets and the tight spots behind a toilet or a radiator cover. They’re made for painting pros and homeowners alike. Whizz matches its covers and frames to the coating and the surface, so one brand can outfit the whole job.

Whizz is made by Work Tools Applicators Co., which started in 1988 in a small garage under its founder, Tom Typrowicz. A pack of small covers can look like a no-name item, but this one has a named business behind it: Work Tools Applicators Co. is a DBA of Behr Process LLC, and retailers in all 50 states carry the WHIZZ brand. The company does its own research and development to design painting tools for the way people paint today.

Pick the cover for the coating

Whizz makes the roller, so let the paint you already have and the surface it’s going on decide the cover. Each cover’s package label names the coatings it’s made for, so read it before you open the can. Foam is the cover for oil paint and varnish, and it gives the smoothest finish on a flat cabinet door. Foam also puts on a thin coat, so skip pre-wetting it and plan on an extra coat. A fine woven cover lays latex down smooth on trim and cabinets, with the light orange-peel texture every woven material leaves. Microfiber holds more paint and gets down into texture, so use it to touch up nicks and dings on a textured wall.

The 4-inch replacement covers come in 2-packs and 10-packs. There are also jumbo 4-inch replacements and a 2-pack of 4-inch microfiber covers. For one room of trim, the 2-pack is enough. For a house full of doors, get the 10-pack, because a fresh cover beats cleaning one that’s been in oil. Before the first dip, pat each new woven or microfiber cover with painter’s tape to lift loose fibers, because any stray lint shows up on a cabinet door.

Frames, combos and the tray

Whizz builds for the whole job, from cover to frame to tray. The 4-inch cover and 13-inch frame combo and the 4-inch foam cover and 13-inch frame combo are ready to paint right away. The 13-inch mini roller frame also comes by itself. The long, thin frame reaches behind toilets and radiator covers. A mini roller now does a lot of work that used to take a brush, and it leaves a flatter finish than brush strokes. The mistake to avoid is loading the cover heavy. Spread the paint out even, because how thick it goes on comes mostly from technique.

For bigger flat areas like cabinet sides, closet doors and a small bath wall, the 6-inch covers and frames lay down more paint per pass, and the 24-inch frame reaches up a wall without a ladder. The gallon paint grid hangs inside the can so you can roll straight out of it.

The clear, solvent-resistant paint tray measures 6 by 11 inches, which fits a mini roller. You can see through it to check your paint level, and it holds up when you roll oil or varnish, because thinner softens an ordinary plastic tray.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you use a Whizz mini roller?

Dip about a third of the cover, then roll it back and forth on the flat of the tray until the paint wraps the whole nap and nothing drips off the ends. Lay the paint on with light pressure, then finish each section with one straight pass in the same direction, such as down the length of a door stile, so the final texture lines up. Keep a wet edge and don’t go back over paint that’s started to set, because the roller will pull it and leave marks.

Can you use a foam roller with latex paint?

You can, but roll slowly and press lightly. A foam cover pushed fast whips air into latex and leaves small bubbles that dry as pinholes, so go back over each fresh section once with a nearly dry cover to pop them before the paint skins over. Throw the cover out once the foam starts tearing or crumbling at the edges, because those bits end up in the finish.

When should you use a microfiber roller cover instead of a woven one?

Microfiber carries more paint and covers faster, but it leaves more stipple on smooth trim than a fine woven cover does. Use it where speed and coverage matter more than a glass-smooth look, and switch to woven or foam for the final coat on doors and cabinets.

Can you clean and reuse Whizz roller covers?

Covers used in latex rinse out in warm water. Work the paint out with your fingers until the water runs clear, then spin or blot the cover dry and store it on end so the nap doesn’t crush flat. If you’re putting on a second coat the same day, wrap the wet cover tightly in plastic and it’ll stay ready without washing.