It seems like the simplest part of painting, doesn’t it?
What do you need for a commercial painting or residential painting job?
A paint brush.
A toddler could tell you that.
And yet, as you can see, this article goes on for some time, so obviously there’s more to it.
But a lot of folks aren’t sure about this when they get started considering painting their house.
That’s why we write this article today.
We’re PurcellPro Painting, professional painters in Montgomery County, PA.
And today, we want to talk about paint brushes.
There Are Different Kinds Of Paint Brushes???
There sure are.
It’s not just about grabbing the cheapest brush off the shelf at your local store and hoping for the best.
Let’s take a look at the different ways paint brushes can vary, and how to decide which one best fits your needs.
How To Choose Paint Brush Size
Paint brushes vary in size from the tiniest of tiny to quite broad.
In general, the tiny brushes are only for fine artists, so unless you’re making some art, you can put those aside.
A one or two inch brush can be useful if you’re painting windows or small trim.
Three inch brushes are ideal for larger flat surfaces, like if you’re painting a door.
Four inch brushes are for larger, flat areas, like if you’re painting a fence.
If you don’t want to overcomplicate it and just want a good all purpose brush, go with a two inch.
How To Choose Paint Brush Bristle Material
There are three different main types of paint brush material.
Natural bristle brushes are made with animal hair, often horse hair but not always.
They’re great for if you’re painting with oil based materials, like oil based paint or varnishes.
Polyester brushes are great for latex paints, since they hold their shape better.
Nylon polyester blend brushes are good for latex paints as well, tend to be more durable, and are easier paint brushes to clean.
Most people don’t paint with oil based paints anymore, since it’s too much of a hassle.
So in your case, we recommend one of the latter two.
Polyester brushes tend to be the cheapest, so if you’re only planning on doing this one paint job and never painting again, they might be your best bet.
How To Choose Paint Brush End Type
There are different shapes of brushes too – what’s the deal there?
There’s the classic square trim brush – these are the ones with nothing fancy, just a flat, square head.
They’re great for applying paint to large surfaces, but since most people these days use rollers, they’re not as popular as they used to be.
If you’re just doing a straightforward interior residential paint job, you’ll want to opt for a chisel trim end paint brush.
A chisel trim end paint brush has an end that slopes down on an angle.
This makes it easier to cut along edges and into when you’re painting.
There are also angled brushes, which make cutting window trim a bit easier.
How To Choose Paint Brush Cost?
So you’ve decided on the size, the shape, and the material of your paint brush.
Now it’s time to paint, right?
Not quite.
There’s one more consideration – price.
Now of course everybody wants to save money.
So if you look at that thirty dollar paint brush and that three dollar paint brush, it’s easy to find yourself wondering if it’s really that big a deal to cheap out.
And in some cases, the cheap brush makes sense.
If, for example, you’re spot priming an area with an oil based product.
If you use a nicer paint brush, you’ll naturally want to clean it and preserve it for your next job.
But that would require some sort of oil based paint solvent, which a lot of people just don’t want to mess around with.
It smells terrible, it’s bad for the environment, it’s difficult to dispose of, and it can cause damage if you spill it.
In such cases, go ahead and buy the cheapest brush you have and toss it away after one use.
But if your painting project is going to take longer than an hour or two (hint: most projects do, even if it’s just a single room) we recommend spending the extra few bucks on the nicer brush.
Better brushes tend to hold more paint, which will save you time while you’re painting your house.
They also provide smoother results, and are less likely to have bristles falling off while you’re painting and becoming stuck on the wall as you go.
They’re usually easier to clean as well.
For an extra twenty bucks? Save yourself the headache.
Call PurcellPro Painting Today
Does that all sound like too much of a hassle?
No problem. Call the pros.
