Best Paintbrush For Trim
Paint nice clean line the along the edges of your wall, casing, and trim by using a cutting in brush. What Is The Best Paint Brush For Edging? A sash paint brush, like the one used in the video above. To give you more control, wet the bristles before loading up the brush with paint. This helps the paint adhere to the bristles more evenly. The chiseled wedge paintbrush is perfect for any edging, trim, and flat surface jobs. Get comfort and performance all in one paintbrush with Zibra's chiseled wedge edging paintbrush.
Ever wonder just how to paint a smooth surface without leaving brush marks?
You see all these items in your house that are painted with a brush, such as cabinets, furniture, railings, trim, baseboards, and other woodwork, yet you don’t see brush marks when a professional does it.
What’s their secret?
When you do it, after everything dries, you see a line-up of deep canyons left behind by the brush. They show your every move, each bristle and strand of brush marks going where you went with your brush.
The truth is there’s no magic going on with the pros. They just use the tricks of the trade. Knowledge + technique + a little experience goes a long way to getting your professional painting look.
Covered below, we open up the book on how to avoid brush marks and also see if you can fix brush marks that are already there.
5 Steps to No More Brush Marks
Here’s the best 5 tips to use to get the most professional look out of your brush painting.
1. Fast Isn’t Always Best
When it comes to painting fast, the most important speed we’re talking about is paint drying time. What’s that old saying about something extremely slow and boring– “it’s like watching paint dry!”
The main reason you get paintbrush marks in the first place is because the paint hasn’t flowed out completely before it’s dried.
Download vendor network & wireless cards driver. So, the first tip in avoiding paintbrush lines is to buy slow-drying paint. This is usually higher quality paint that is labeled to take up to 24-hours to dry.
Beware of labels that say “dry to the touch” after a couple hours, or Quick-Dry. While this might be helpful if you’re in a hurry to complete a project, it may not lead you to the best results.
You really do want to remember that phrase from above about watching paint dry. Remember an even better phrase too when it comes to painting: “Slow Makes Paint Flow!”
And flowing paint means a smoother finish.
The only word of caution here is to be careful not to bump the paint or handle painted surfaces while they’re drying since you may be used to faster drying times.
2. Go Horizontal
A second trick to help you avoid those unwanted brush marks is to always paint on a horizontal plane if possible.
In other words, take down doors for painting or paint trim before installing. This will allow you to lie them flat and paint on top of them, so paint can flow evenly as it dries.
One of a painters best tools is actually a pair of saw-horses. These also help make painting large or long pieces easy as they can be positioned at just the right level.
This tip really piggy-backs off of the first one above about paint flowing. A nice, flat surface will allow gravity to pull the paint in all directions evenly…like a small pebble dropping in a placid lake.
So what happens when you paint vertically?
When you paint up and down with a brush those vertical brush lines just stay there as nothing allows them to spread out into each other.
You want those ridges from your brush strokes to flatten out, going side-to-side.
3. Go with the Grain
Another tip that you may already know (but need to do!) is to paint with the grain on wood surfaces.
Go in the same direction as the grain so that any brush strokes that do end up showing, will not be as noticeable.
4. Don’t Skimp, Do Two Coats
Next, realize that just about every paint job, done well, will need at least two coats. This is exactly whatgood, professional painters do.
That means, don’t try to lather it on thickly and soak it on in one coat.
Just make sure to cover the surface area with a good amount of paint evenly. Let it dry, and then come back and apply the second coat.
5. A Quality Brush Means a Quality Job
Finally, always (a big always!), buy a quality paintbrush. You’ll know it’s good because it’ll be a little more expensive than the rest on the shelf.
With proper paintbrush cleaning and care, you’ll have your brush for a long time. Bristles and hairs on these brushes will be of varying lengths and have a “slit-end” look at the ends of them instead of coming to a small point.
This “non-uniform” end lets paint clump more there, giving you a smoother application as paint glides on. Think of layered bangs in a good haircut, or carpeting with many fibers of different lengths – that’s what you’re after.
Now, if for any reason you didn’t end up with a really smooth surface and the paint has already dried, you can carefully sand down the fine grooves and ridges left by a brush with a fine, 120-grit type sandpaper.
Go over with a lint-free damp cloth to clean and try painting again keeping the tips above in mind.
There you have it, a few basic how-tos on avoiding paintbrush marks.
Like other tradesmen, paint pros are creatures of habit. The tools a mentor uses can often become a go-to for a younger painter as well. When it comes to brush preferences, many pros quickly learn what brand, size or style works for them, and end up sticking with it for the long haul.
“Your dad may have been a painter for 40 years and you started working with him when you were eight or nine years old … there’s that level of comfort, that brand loyalty that builds up,” said Rick Watson, director of product information and technical services for Sherwin-Williams, which also owns Purdy Professional Painting Tools.
Paint pros will feverishly debate which brand or particular style brush holds the most paint and releases better. All are looking for the perfect balance of fewer dips into the paint can, great coverage, and durability as well. And if you ask them, there are many hotly debated answers.
“The key here is, ‘what tool makes you feel more comfortable when you’re using it?’” Watson added.
PURDY POWER
Best Paint Brush For Trimming
Nearly 100 years old, Purdy is hands-down one of the most popular and widely available brush brands on the market today. For 30 years, it has been a go-to for David Wood, owner of Wood’s Painting and Wallpaper of North Adams, MA.
“I’ve tried all kinds of different brushes, but Purdys last the longest, keep their shape, and allow you to do what you want to do,” he added. “I’ve had some for 10 years. The paint bristles are still as fine as ever.”
Today, Wood primarily uses a 3½” nylon-polyester-blend angled-sash brush for most of his trim work, but one of his workhorse brushes is a now-discontinued model called the ‘Wobbler,’ he says. The 3½” brush’s ability to load plenty of paint while cutting clean lines is the reason the pro went on a quest to find as many as possible once he learned they were discontinued. He called hardware stores throughout the region to find them.
“I found a place in Connecticut and I bought the last of what they had. I got those about 10 years ago and I still have them,” he said.
While many pros prefer longer handles, Wood gravitates toward shorter Purdys. “Some guys like more reach but I just like that shorter, thicker handle. … I’m kind of self-taught and that type just works for me,” he explained.
DEMONSTRATED SUCCESS
A few years back, Mike Shaffer, owner of Five Star Painting in Temecula, CA, was at a conference where he saw a Wooster brush demo. He had never tried Wooster before but found the demonstration convincing enough to give the brand a try.
“I found the Wooster holds a lot more paint and releases a lot easier,” he said. “That’s a whole lot less of dropping it in the bucket and more laying down without a reload.”
The pro also said because he is 6’4″ tall, he prefers to get as much extension to his left and right before moving over to the next section of a job, and a brush that holds more paint allows him to do that.
Shaffer is also a fan of the 3″ oval-brush style, known as the ‘Pippin.’ “That style holds so much more paint than other brushes,” he added.
SILVER TIP, MORE WOOSTER
Kevin Kees, the paint and hardware manager at Curtis Lumber in Hoosick, NY, has painted for more than 10 years. His loyalty also lies with Wooster, and two particular brushes, the ‘Silver Tip’ and ‘Shortcut’ models are the most popular at his store.
Pros like the ergonomically designed handle of the Shortcut, and the nylon-polyester-blended Silver Tip models because the chemically treated tips, “just lay out better, and after you use them, the surface looks like it has been sprayed.”
Pros also prefer the hardy steel ferrule on Wooster, as well as the variety of thin and thick handles that can be found with the brand, Kees said. Toshiba mobile phones & portable devices driver download.
Sergio San Roman, with SR Maintenance & Management Services, Inc., in Downey, CA said he uses angled and straight 1½” to 3″ Woosters. San Roman admits to not always having a lot of time to clean properly and will often soak his brushes at night. The Woosters have stood up to the test for a long time without fraying, he added.
San Roman works with a lot of complex cutting situations on exterior trim, he says. He likes to slow down on the job to get his cuts right and the Wooster handles and bristles feel right for his technique.
“If you just take your time, stay patient, and have a steady hand, that’s important. … You can have the best brush in the world, but if you don’t have the integrity and value in the job, your work is still going to look terrible,” he said.
PRICING FACTORS, CORONA
Autumn Bucchieri, manager of Different Strokes Paints & Decorating, in Bennington, VT, said the Wooster-made Benjamin Moore’s 2½” angled-sash nylon-polyester-blend brushes have been a hit for years at her store.
Pricing is a key driver, the longtime painter also says, as the brushes are sometimes up to $10 less than competing styles. “They’re equally durable and work just as well. It’s really a no-brainer,” she said.
To get more out of the Benjamin Moore brushes, she uses a brush comb instead of a wire brush to strip out old paint. It’s something she encourages other pros to do as well. “It really helps any brush last a lot longer,” she added.
For Robson Portes, a crew leader for Five Star Painting of Boston North Shore, MA, price is less of a factor.
Gloss Or Semi Gloss For Trim
Portes, who has worked predominantly on high-end custom homes for more than a decade, is happy to pay an extra $7 or $8 over the competing Wooster or Purdy brush for his Corona brushes.
Portes’ go-to is the 2½” angled ‘Cortez’ model, with its hardwood handle and stainless steel ferrule. “It’s a lot more than the Purdy, but I can cut a nice line no matter how much I wash it and use it,” he explained. “And the Corona can hold so much paint, and it doesn’t splatter. You don’t get those drips on the floor. It just holds that paint in the bristles better. It’s really amazing how it does that.”
The paint pro said many painters shy away from Corona partly because of price, but also because the brand is harder to find. “There are only a couple of stores around where I can find them, but the Purdys you can find everywhere. That’s why, I think, a lot of people stick with them.”
What Is The Best Brush To Paint Trim
Portes also finds that Picasso brushes bring a similar quality to Corona when it comes to paint hold and release, but says he finds the Corona to be more durable. “The Picassos are similar in price to Purdy,” he added. “They are very good. I just know my Corona can last a lot longer.”