Different Strokes: Get a Grip on the Best Paintbrush for the Job
Ensure your next DIY paint project gives you a result to make a pro proud by choosing the right tools for the job
Any painter knows good groundwork and the right equipment are the secret to successful paint jobs. After filling, sanding and cleaning, pause before flipping open a fresh can of paint and loading up a brush or roller. What you use to apply that gorgeous new colour makes the difference between a first-rate finish and one that screams bad DIY. Take these tips for brushing up on your painting know-how.
Size up the job
Are you tackling a bedroom wall, a narrow trim, an entire room, or just touching up a shabby cabinet? Let the area to be painted guide you to the best brush width.
Are you tackling a bedroom wall, a narrow trim, an entire room, or just touching up a shabby cabinet? Let the area to be painted guide you to the best brush width.
- Narrow frames and mouldings: 25-38 millimetres
- Doors, railings, cabinets, gutters, eaves: 50-63 millimetres
- Floorboards, skirtings, fascias: 75 millimetres
- Large, flat areas such as walls: 100+ millimetres, usually called ‘wall’ brushes.
Pick a bristle
DIYers often ask whether natural or synthetic bristles work best:
Natural bristle brushes, mostly hog, ox or badger, are typically more expensive than synthetic ones and are used for oil-based paints, varnishes and shellacs. Don’t use for water-based (latex) paints, as they absorb water from the paint, softening and changing shape. This also affects the composition of the paint and may cause ‘tramlines’.
7 top tips for painting interior walls
DIYers often ask whether natural or synthetic bristles work best:
Natural bristle brushes, mostly hog, ox or badger, are typically more expensive than synthetic ones and are used for oil-based paints, varnishes and shellacs. Don’t use for water-based (latex) paints, as they absorb water from the paint, softening and changing shape. This also affects the composition of the paint and may cause ‘tramlines’.
7 top tips for painting interior walls
Nylon bristles are very soft and give a smooth finish with few visible brush marks. They soften further in hot weather, which may make them hard to control.
Polyester bristles are stiffer and give better control for fine detailing. They are only suitable for water-based paints.
Nylon/polyester blends will outlast natural bristle by a long way, and are recommended for both oil- and water-based paints. They are great all-rounders, combining the softness of nylon with the stiffness of polyester for a versatile medium-flex brush.
Polyester bristles are stiffer and give better control for fine detailing. They are only suitable for water-based paints.
Nylon/polyester blends will outlast natural bristle by a long way, and are recommended for both oil- and water-based paints. They are great all-rounders, combining the softness of nylon with the stiffness of polyester for a versatile medium-flex brush.
Go for quality
For silky smooth application with minimal visible brush strokes and ease of use, quality counts. Here’s what to look – or look out – for:
For silky smooth application with minimal visible brush strokes and ease of use, quality counts. Here’s what to look – or look out – for:
- Shedding: Do the tug test. Ruffle up the bristles and pull firmly. If any come out, don’t buy.
- Density: Closely packed bristles mean the brush holds more paint and you don’t need to load up as often.
- Taper: A good brush with better control is thicker at the ferule (the metal strip at the base of the bristles) than the tips.
- Flagging: Flagged bristles have split ends, which means the brush holds more paint. Natural bristles flag naturally – ‘flagged’ tips in a synthetic brush indicate quality.
Handle with care
Handles come in all materials and grip comfort is the most important factor. Test by holding the brush like a pencil, close to the ferule. A shorter handle gives you more control and precision than a long one.
Tip: A ‘beaver tail’ shape with a bulge in the middle is comfortable for larger jobs, while a ‘rat tail’ straight handle gives more control for finer work.
Handles come in all materials and grip comfort is the most important factor. Test by holding the brush like a pencil, close to the ferule. A shorter handle gives you more control and precision than a long one.
Tip: A ‘beaver tail’ shape with a bulge in the middle is comfortable for larger jobs, while a ‘rat tail’ straight handle gives more control for finer work.
Image sourced from Flickr
Don’t mix brushes
Water-based paints are popular with home painters for their fast drying time, low odour and easy clean-up. Solvent-based (oil-based or alkyds) have excellent surface adhesion, but dry more slowly and have a stronger smell. Clean-up requires solvents and careful disposal of rags. Their different chemical properties mean it’s best to use dedicated brushes for each type.
Choose the right paint for the job
Don’t mix brushes
Water-based paints are popular with home painters for their fast drying time, low odour and easy clean-up. Solvent-based (oil-based or alkyds) have excellent surface adhesion, but dry more slowly and have a stronger smell. Clean-up requires solvents and careful disposal of rags. Their different chemical properties mean it’s best to use dedicated brushes for each type.
Choose the right paint for the job
Wrap it up
Many jobs can’t be completed in a single day, or you may need to take breaks every few hours. To keep brushes pliable during time-outs and save cleaning, wrap them in foil, plastic film or pop in a ziplock bag. Overnight is fine. Brushes may start to dry out and stiffen if wrapped for longer.
Many jobs can’t be completed in a single day, or you may need to take breaks every few hours. To keep brushes pliable during time-outs and save cleaning, wrap them in foil, plastic film or pop in a ziplock bag. Overnight is fine. Brushes may start to dry out and stiffen if wrapped for longer.
Get edgy
Wall brushes aren’t precise enough for painting up to cornices, edges, power points, door hardware and skirtings where colour changes. ‘Cutting in’, which is simply painting a straight line freehand against an edge using an angled or flat ‘sash’ brush, is a great skill to borrow from the pros. Internet tutorials and home renovation programs show how, and plenty of practise and a steady handy makes perfect.
Tip: If you master cutting in, you’ll save time and money by not using masking tape.
Wall brushes aren’t precise enough for painting up to cornices, edges, power points, door hardware and skirtings where colour changes. ‘Cutting in’, which is simply painting a straight line freehand against an edge using an angled or flat ‘sash’ brush, is a great skill to borrow from the pros. Internet tutorials and home renovation programs show how, and plenty of practise and a steady handy makes perfect.
Tip: If you master cutting in, you’ll save time and money by not using masking tape.
Another implement used for painting straight lines along edges is a paint pad. This is a pad with a handle and guide wheels to keep it straight as paint is applied. Paint is loaded onto the pad, the guide wheels are aligned, and paint is applied with long even strokes and firm pressure.
Tip: Pads need to be loaded often for big expanses. Some have paint reservoirs to refill the pad.
10 rules for your next painting project
Tip: Pads need to be loaded often for big expanses. Some have paint reservoirs to refill the pad.
10 rules for your next painting project
Roll with it
For big areas, a roller eliminates streaks, saves paint and significantly reduces work time. After cutting in with a brush or paint pad, a roller is used to apply paint to join up to the painted area without overlapping onto adjacent surfaces. Rollers are available in various sleeve materials.
Foam rollers come in coarse, medium or fine and produce slightly stippled textures. A gloss foam roller can be used when a mirror finish is required. Woven polyester is good for all surfaces and most paints. Flock rollers, such as lambswool or mohair blends, are general purpose and work well with water-based paints.
For big areas, a roller eliminates streaks, saves paint and significantly reduces work time. After cutting in with a brush or paint pad, a roller is used to apply paint to join up to the painted area without overlapping onto adjacent surfaces. Rollers are available in various sleeve materials.
Foam rollers come in coarse, medium or fine and produce slightly stippled textures. A gloss foam roller can be used when a mirror finish is required. Woven polyester is good for all surfaces and most paints. Flock rollers, such as lambswool or mohair blends, are general purpose and work well with water-based paints.
The nap, or fleece, on flock rollers comes in different lengths.
- Short (6 millimetres) for a smooth finish on high-gloss paints.
- Medium (10-12 millimetres) for low-sheen and flat paints.
- Long (20+ millimetres) for rough surfaces such as concrete or brick.
Don’t overspend
A top-of-the-range brush costs $25 and upwards. Don’t splash out for an isolated event like a craft project or a tiny touch-up if you’re not a DIY painter in your soul. There’s lots of choice in budget brushes for just a few dollars.
Projects using one tin of paint
A top-of-the-range brush costs $25 and upwards. Don’t splash out for an isolated event like a craft project or a tiny touch-up if you’re not a DIY painter in your soul. There’s lots of choice in budget brushes for just a few dollars.
Projects using one tin of paint
Discard or recycle
Sometimes a paint job is so messy and clean-up so arduous it’s easier and cheaper to throw a brush away, often the case when using primers, varnishes, glues and epoxies. One type of disposable brush is the ‘chip’ brush, a square-cut natural bristle brush cheap enough to toss after use. At the price, disposables aren’t designed to last. They save time on clean up and the cost of cleaning chemicals, but don’t expect a fine, high-quality top coat result.
Tip: Foam brushes don’t last and are best for small, quick jobs and craft projects.
Sometimes a paint job is so messy and clean-up so arduous it’s easier and cheaper to throw a brush away, often the case when using primers, varnishes, glues and epoxies. One type of disposable brush is the ‘chip’ brush, a square-cut natural bristle brush cheap enough to toss after use. At the price, disposables aren’t designed to last. They save time on clean up and the cost of cleaning chemicals, but don’t expect a fine, high-quality top coat result.
Tip: Foam brushes don’t last and are best for small, quick jobs and craft projects.
As responsible recyclers, we should be minimising the non-degradable material we throw out. With some time and effort, a well-maintained, medium- to high-quality brush will see you through multiple projects. Brushes truly past their prime can have useful lives as nook-and-cranny dusters or can be donated to schools, workshops or an artist or art school in your area. Or maybe your kids would like to do a creative job like this on your front fence!
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Using brushes with stiff, shaggy-dog bristles clogged with remnants of a previous colour, rather than buying a new tool for the job, is a false economy. Clean them up before you start, or invest in new brushes.
Resurrect synthetic brushes caked with water-based paint by soaking in very hot water with a little detergent. Rinse well, reshape by hand, wrap bristles in kitchen paper and hang to dry. Follow clean-up directions for brushes previously used with oil-based paints. Brush combs for removing paint residue and realigning bristles are sold at paint stores.