How To Choose the Best Paint Brush for Your Project

At Freeland Painting, we provide professional painting services for residential, business, and multifamily properties &#; but we also know that sometimes people want to paint a room themselves.

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This is the first in a series of DIY  Paint Tip posts, in which we&#;ll provide tips on how to choose the best paintbrush for your project, how to tape like a pro (so it comes off smoothly), how to freehand a straight line of paint, how to paint walls like a pro, how to choose the right paint for each job, how to choose the right paint sheen for each surface, the ideal roller nap for your wall texture, how to clean your paintbrush like a pro, and how to dispose of old paint and paint cans properly.

First thing&#;s first: Choosing the right paint brush. When you walk into your local Sherwin Williams paint store, Home Depot, or Lowe&#;s, you&#;ll find a dizzying array of paint brushes. The important choices you need to make are: natural or man-made bristles, size of the brush, shape of the brush, and quality of the brush. We&#;ll break down all four to help you choose the best paint brush for your specific paint job:

Synthetic Bristles vs. Natural Bristles

Don&#;t spend too much time making this decision: If you&#;re painting a wall in your home, you&#;re most likely using latex paint, a water-based paint that cleans up easily with water, instead of solvents or mineral spirits.

The type of brush that spreads latex paint best is a synthetic bristle made from nylon or a nylon-polyester blend. A synthetic brush will spread latex paint smoothly and evenly. If you plan to paint more than one room over time and the cost isn&#;t prohibitive, consider buying a more expensive Chinex bristle brush, such as those from Purdy or Corona. When it comes to paint brushes, you get what you pay for; a high-quality brush can last for years if you care for it properly.

If you happen to be using oil-based paint, choose a natural bristle brush. Oil-based paints aren&#;t used as often lately as they were in the past because they can be environmentally and personally harmful because of their high volatile organic compound (VOC) content. On our blog, we&#;ve provided information about latex vs. oil-based paints and the pros and cons of each.

Why Paint Brush Size Matters

The size of your brush will depend on the size of your project. If you&#;re painting an entire wall, you wouldn&#;t want to use a small 1.5-inch brush because it would take too long, but if you&#;re painting a small area or a piece of furniture or mirror, that smaller brush would work well.

For wall and trim, we recommend either a 2.5-inch or 3-inch brush. When painting a wall, you&#;ll most likely use a roller for the bulk of the work and rely on your brush to &#;cut-in&#; around the trim and ceiling of the room. A 2.5-inch brush is ideal for residential painting in most cases.

A 3-inch brush is more ideally suited when you plan to paint large, flat surfaces, such as a fence or deck.

The Right Brush Shape For The Job

Both synthetic and natural bristle brushes come in angled and square shapes. The genius of the angled tip is that it gives you enhanced control of the paint as you apply it, such as when you&#;re cutting in around trim or a ceiling and want to paint a straight line. We recommend an angled brush for these tasks.

Are you interested in learning more about types of paint brushes for walls? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

If you&#;re painting a large flat surface such as a fence or deck, a square brush will work well.

Brush Quality: You Get What You Pay For

While your first instinct may be to buy a cheap brush and toss it after your paint job is completed, consider investing in a higher-quality brush and cleaning it properly. Not only is this an environmentally friendly choice, it&#;ll help you achieve a higher quality paint job.

When it comes to paint brushes, you get what you pay for. Here&#;s what Freeland Painting&#;s founder shared about brush choice:

&#;The quality of the paint brush is important. We recommend that you get the most expensive brush you can afford. The technology in the bristles will make a huge difference in your painting project, and whether or not you can paint a straight line with it,&#; explained Doug Ireland, founder of Freeland Painting.

Doug went on to say, &#;A good, high-quality brush will last for years if you clean it properly after each use. I bought a $25 brush over 10 years ago for our home painting projects, and it&#;s still going strong.&#;

Pro Tip on Brush Care

Doug also offered a pro tip about caring for your brushes: The key is to never let paint dry on the brush!

If you need professional help for your painting project, call Freeland Painting. We&#;ll provide you with a free estimate on your commercial, residential or multi-family painting project.

Give us a call today at 678.679. to schedule your free estimate!

Contact us to discuss your requirements of decorative paint rollers for walls. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.