My Colortopia — colorful living made easy Powered By Glidden Paint Tips on Choosing the Right Paint Brush Just when you thought you had your paint project figured out, you head to the home improvement store and are faced with a decision that you never expected to be so hard: choosing the right paint brush. As you stand in front of the shelf, looking at literally a dozen types of paint brushes, how do you know if you’re choosing the right paint brush for the job? You may think that a paint brush is just a paint brush and grab the one that is on sale, but this is not the best way to choose. The type of brush you use will determine how the painted surface turns out when it dries. To help you make sure that you’re choosing the right paint brush for the job, here’s a quick primer on what you should know. The Anatomy of a Paint Brush Brush Bristles: Synthetic or Natural? Synthetic-bristle brushes are made from nylon, polyester or a mix of both. A synthetic brush is best for painting projects that use water-based or latex paint.

Natural-bristle brushes are made with animal hair. They are too absorbent for latex paint and work best for oil-based or alkyd paint projects. How to Check for Quality Look at the tips of the bristles. A quality natural-bristle brush is flagged, meaning it has split ends on the tips. The best synthetic brushes have fuzzy-looking ends. Make sure the bristles have a tapered, chisel-shaped end. You don’t want the end of the bristles to be flat. The ferrule (the metal band that holds the bristles together) should be tightly wrapped around the bristles. To check for quality, tap the ferrule and then rub the end of the bristles over your palm a few times to make sure that no bristles fall out. Cheap brushes will lose their bristles. Loose bristles will drop into your paint and can dry in your painted finish, which will have to be picked out by hand and mess up the finish. The hole is one of the most important features. It is used to hang the brush upside down after cleaning to make sure all the water drips out of the brush.

Choosing the Right Shape Square-cut brushes are best when you need to quickly cover a large area. They are made with natural or synthetic bristles and are available in widths up to 5 inches. Angled/sash brushes are used for painting along window trim and moldings, hence the name sash brush. The angled shape makes it easier to paint a clean line than a square tip brush. Angled brushes are the best to use when painting furntiure, banisters, spindles and moldings. Short handle brushes are best for painting in cramped spaces. The short handle allows you to easily maneuver. If you have small hands, a short-handled brush may feel more comfortable. Chip and foam brushes are inexpensive alternatives that can be discarded after the job is done, eliminating clean up. Chip brushes are inexpensive, but shed bristles which could land in your paint. These types of brushes are best for touching up flat surfaces. Speciality brushes, or stencil brushes, are round packed brushes with flat tops.

They are best for stenciling a design on a wall or piece of furniture. Specialty paint brushes are great to have on hand to touch up or get paint into very tight spots. Cleaning Your Paint Brush Dampen a synthetic brush before use. Paint will be less likely to dry on the brush, which will help it last longer. To clean a synthetic-bristle brush, use soap and water and then rinse it thoroughly until the water runs clearly. robotic pool cleaner ratingsTap all the water out and then use the hole in the handle to hang the brush upside down so any water still in the brush will drip out. pool cleaning service chesapeake vaThis will keep the ferrule from getting damaged and allow the bristles to dry in their natural shape.steam cleaner for stair carpet

To clean a natural-bristle brush after using oil-based paint, pour paint thinner in a small paint tray so you can lay the bristles flat in the thinner and swish the tray around. Once the paint is removed, wipe the brush with a paper towel and hang the brush upside down. Don’t let a paint brush sit bristles down in a can of paint thinner or water. It will damage the edge of the bristles and create brush strokes and unevenness in your painted finish.host carpet cleaning machine prices If used and cared for properly, a quality brush can last for years.best carpet cleaners in birmingham Now that you know a little bit more about brushes, I hope you will feel confident choosing the right paint brush for your next project.good steam cleaner singapore

This post is sponsored by Glidden® paint, a PPG brand. All thoughts, opinions and paintbrushes are my own. Painting Tips, Planning Your Project — One of the most common mistakes homeowners make at the paint store is buying high-quality paint and cheap paint brushes.So says Dan Connolly, assistant manager at Sherwin-Williams in Lexington, Mass. "Then they come back and wonder why the paint isn't covering well."The word among professional housepainters: With brushes, you get what you pay for.Most top companies manufacture brushes in varying quality. The next time you're in a hardware store, compare an inexpensive brush with a higher-priced brush; you'll see and feel the difference.Think of a brush as a transfer tool. It holds and applies paint.First, decide on the job to be done.For touch-up work, a good sponge brush will usually do the trick. But for larger jobs, you'll want a wider-bristle brush that applies paint efficiently. Rollers and sprayers can come into the picture, but we'll save that for another article.

What should you look for in a quality brush?Bristle material is the first thing to consider. Nylon brushes are among the most inexpensive. But most experts recommend the combination of nylon and polyester for the best results with latex paint (natural bristles will absorb water.)Specifically, a 3- or 4-inch nylon-polyester brush with a wood handle and corrosion-resistant ferrule (the metal part) will deliver a good finish and will last a long time if cleaned and stored correctly.Natural "China" or Chinese (boar bristle) brushes are strictly for oil-based paints, enamels, and varnishes. The white China version is more supple than the black and would be used for more delicate projects such as staining an antique.The next thing to look for is the shape or cut of the brush. A 1- or 2-inch angled "sash" brush has a longer handle and is easier to use for trim and corners, "cutting in" work.Some brushes feature "flagged" or split ends for better performance, because they hold the paint better at the ends.

Wood handles are generally preferred over plastic, not only for grip, but for the handcraftsmanship. "You're just not going to get a nice brush with a plastic handle," says Connolly.And while several companies have come out with "Chinex" (a combination of natural and synthetic bristles) brushes designed for "any paint," many contractors aren't sold on the idea. Lou DiCicco, a painter for 45 years who now works at Home Depot, says he would only recommend those if "you're not really fussy." He adds that he favors Purdy brushes for their craftsmanship and durability.Sherwin-Williams recently introduced a "wave" brush, with wavy bristles. The company claims it holds more paint than other brushes. The upside is that the job goes quicker; the downside is that the brush gets heavy.Professionals might use a brush that features a lot more "pickup and release" than a do-it-yourselfer would be comfortable with, says Devon Bremner at Johnson Paint in Boston.Price presents another variable in the selection process.

Generally speaking, you can buy a small touch-up brush for less than $1; and pay more than of $28 for a professional-quality brush.When might you buy a cheap brush rather than an expensive one? If you're staining a deck or painting a shed, you may not care if you spot the occasional brushmark.Another factor to consider is the finish of paint. "The higher the shine or gloss, the more chance of seeing brush marks," says Mr. Bremner. In which case, you'd want a high quality brush.Like Connolly, Bremner sees a lot of folks buying good paint and then scrimping on their brushes. "I make the analogy that it's like buying a Porche with a VW engine," Bremner says.Once a customer chooses a particular brush or brushes, Connolly often gives instructions on two things: the correct way to dip the brush and the correct way to clean it."What you want is a loaded brush not a full brush," he says. Dip the brush so that the paint comes one-half to two-thirds of the way up on the brush. Don't scrape it on the edge!