Bates Paint Tray Liner: what the feedback sample supports

In brief

These are Bates disposable paint tray liners, thin clear plastic inserts sold in a large pack so you can line a roller tray, paint, and throw the liner away instead of scrubbing the tray. The marketplace average is 4.5 out of 5 across roughly 4,800 ratings, with 74 percent at five stars, 15 percent at four, and a one-star tail of about 3 percent.

Thirteen comments were captured. Note that the comments mix remarks about more than one size and pack count, so anything specific about fit should be read with that in mind.

What the sample agrees on

The point of the product is to save cleanup, and that is exactly what buyers say it does. They describe lining the tray, painting, and binning the liner instead of washing out a tray, and call it a real time saver. Value is the most-mentioned theme in the rating data, and buyers in the sample back that up, describing the pack as a better deal than buying liners singly and worth keeping a stack around.

Buyers also like how quickly the liners let them switch colours and how neatly a tray of leftover paint can be covered to keep it fresh for the next session. Several say they would buy again, which for a disposable item is the clearest endorsement there is.

The trade-off: fit and thickness

Fit is the most-discussed theme in the rating data, and it is where the sample splits. One buyer says the liners fit a very specific tray that is a little smaller than what paint stores usually stock, and warns you to confirm the size before ordering. Another says they fit neither their metal nor their plastic tray snugly and were too flimsy to reuse, though they add that for one-time use they work well enough. Against them, several buyers say the liners fit their tray nicely and are sturdy and stable once seated. Because the comments cover more than one size, the honest reading is that fit depends on matching the liner to your particular tray, and that the sizing here is not universal.

Thickness is the related gripe. One buyer says the liners are thin and slippery enough that the roller did not grab paint cleanly and the liner slid in the tray; a couple of others say the plastic is light but not brittle and holds up while it is in the tray. The one place the sample contradicts itself outright is on using the liners standalone: one buyer says they were solid enough to paint with on their own with a little care, while another says the liners are not thick enough for that at all.

We have not tested this paint tray liner.

Bottom line

Worth considering if you paint often enough to want to skip cleaning the tray, and you can match the liner to the tray you own. The reservation is fit: sizing is the most common complaint, so measure your tray first and expect the plastic to be thin enough to use only as a liner. The score shown for this product comes from the marketplace-wide rating and its rating count, not from these 13 comments. No individual customer review is reproduced here.