The Right Paint Brush Is the Best Painting Investment
Everyone has undertaken some kind of painting job at one point in their life. Whether it’s a new home, apartment or a dorm room, painting is part of the rite-of-passage and selecting the right paint brush can make or break your project.
If you are on a budget and have a painting job, you have probably already gone through the horrors of purchasing the cheapest paint brushes. These are usually in a pack of twenty, all sizes, and you congratulated yourself for getting the best deal. Your painting job may have started out nicely, but you will quickly begin to notice the cheap paint bristles that are being left on the walls and door jams. The cheaper type are not made well and both the painting action and the liquid paint itself will allow the bristles to dislodge, thereby ruining your efforts.
Paint brushes made with natural bristles are best for oil-based paint. The use of oil-based paint is now being limited or completely banned in many states, as it is not good for the ecology. Natural bristles are softer than synthetic bristles, but the best paint brushes will not be the cheapest. The features that you should look for in a good paint brush should include: a chiseled or tapered end to create a finish that will be smoother, split or flagged bristles so that they can hold more paint and thereby allow more precise edging and stay away from hollow bristles; sold bristles are best as hollow bristles tend to bend. Wooden handles are better than plastic for longevity and those brushes that are better quality usually have wooden handles.
Longer bristles will hold more paint and you won’t have to keep dipping into the paint, and they are better for the larger jobs. Smaller brushes with smaller bristles will allow more detail and are much better for edging.
Like everything else, if you do a good cleanup job with your brushes, they will last for a longer time. The better brushes are designed for repetitive use and the investment will be worth it for quality as well as long time use. Since most paints are water-based, the most ecologically-conscious way to clean them is with a natural, plant-based kitchen dish soap.