How to use a paint brush like a professional

At Vintique we may supply great products for your paint and renovation project but we also want  you to choose the best paint brush so you can do the job better, easier and affordable.

Here are some handing hints on how to use paint brushes for a professional finish.

Choosing the right Brush

We have a large range of brushes and we know it can be confusing so to make it simple

  • Chip brushes-are throw away single use brushes for adhesive, resin fibreglass and paints
  • Industrial brushes-are much like Chip brushes but better quality, natural bristle and designed for reuse
  • Redline Brushes are for rough projects like fences,decks, concrete and concrete Block and are very affordable.
  • Classic -is the best all round brush- nice filament, personally wouldn't use on acrylic enamels where you are looking for a superior finish
  • Tradesman-Our best all rounder, great for acrylic enamels and all paints
  • Pro-Series trully a professional brush, it picks up more paint than most competitors and delivers more paint with an extra fine bristle that leave little in the way of "Train Tracks"
  • Artisan, Chalk Brushes these are designed for the artisan and tend to have special purposes rather than general use.

Type of Brushes

  • Oval -a Traditional english design for making cutting in and achieving sharp lines easier to achieve
  • Rectangle-most brushes are rectangle in shape and designed for general purpose painting.
  • Sash Cutter-designed with a linger handle and narrower ferrule to get in tight places and acheive good sharp lines
  • Angle cutter-best for cutting in
  • Oval sash-same as sash but gives a better cutting in line achieving nice clean edges
  • Radiator brush-or offset brush for painting in hard to reach areas
  • Round Brush-(Chalk brush) grrate for dapping paint with a heavy load of paint also great for waxing.

Now for the painting help-

Loading the paint brush

There is a proper way to load paint onto the  paint brush .You can either use paint straight from the tin or ‘decant’ some paint into a painting pail. If you are using a brush (rather than a roller).

To properly load a paint brush

  •  To stop the brush from being overloaded with paint and prevent dripping, only dip the brush into the paint up to 1/3 of the length of the bristles.
  •  Then tap both sides of the brush against the side of the paint tin or pail. This has the affect of loading the paint on the interior of the brush. Do not scrape the paint off by dragging the brush across the edge of the tin or pail. That merely removes the paint making the brush less efficient.

Cutting-in

For large flat wall areas it’s best to use a roller and tray. A paint brush is used for "cutting in".
This is where you paint the corners at walls and ceilings and around baseboards and door/window trim etc. A paint brush is normally used to cut-in because it gives most control.
• Cut in the wall at the ceiling corners from left to right if you are right-handed. If left-handed, do the opposite. This way you’ll be able to see how well the paint is flowing.
• Pressing the brush against the wall with just enough pressure to flex the bristles, use the narrow edge of the paint brush when cutting in.
• If the cut-in corner has two different colours – like a wall/ceiling, then the lighter colour paint should extend into the darker colour area slightly. The darker colour paint would then be cut -in and painted on top of the lighter color.

Painting larger flat areas with a brush

This normally best done using a roller and tray, however if you need to paint a larger area using a brush then a different technique in applying and distributing the paint is required.
• Hold the brush at a 45 degree angle then paint the area using diagonal strokes. Again use just enough pressure against the wall to flex the bristles. The paint will likely go on a little heavy here.
• Next use horizontal strokes to distribute the paint on the large area.

Smoothing out

Once the paint has been applied the next step is to smooth it out. This part is all about finesse, so take your time.
• Draw the brush lightly across in long smooth strokes to make the painted surface even. The objective here is to eliminate brush strokes going in different directions. Always work the brush into the wet paint.
• At the end of each brush-stroke, lift the paint brush from the surface. This lifting action helps to feather the paint and obtain a smoother finish.

Finished -How do you look after your paint brush

Storing for Long Interruptions or overnight

For intermediate storage of the brush—several hours or overnight—an easy way to keep the brush fresh is to wrap the bristles and ferrule in plastic wrap or plastic bag . Plastic wrap is cheap, easy to use and gets you a nice airtight seal, 

Another technique, although it involves a bit more work, is to get a glass jar or paint bucket and fill it with the appropriate solvent for the paint you are using. This would be water for latex paint and Turps with oil-based paint.

Take a 1-foot Masking or Painters tape Then place the brush against the jar or bucket, extending into the solvent so the bristles are fully immersed. Tape the brush to the jar looping the tape around the brush handle and taping the ends against opposite sides of the jar or bucket.

Storing for an Extended Time

Now you're done with your paint job and want to store your quality paintbrush. Here's what you do:

  1. First, Clean the brush by removing excess paint. Scrape the brush against the edge of the paint can to remove any large amounts of paint.
  2. Then, work out most of the remaining paint by painting sheets of newspaper brushing back and forth in an "X" motion until the brush is pretty dry.
  3. Remove all remaining paint by cleaning the brush with the appropriate solvent. This would mean water for water based  paints and turps for oil-based paint.
  4. Dispose of the solvent in an ecologically responsible manner such as the garden.
  5. Once cleaned of paint, wash the brush with soap and water to clean off any remaining paint or solvent, and rinse well.
  6. Slap the brush against your hand a few times to bring the bristles back into alignment and then reshape the brush so it looks like new. A good way to do this is with a paintbrush comb, available at decorating and hardware shops.
  7. Wrap the brush in ​a paper towel or a sheet of newspaper and secure with tape or a rubber band.

We hope your project goes well and hope our hints help but always take advise from your paint merchant and read the paint manufacturers insructions on the can before use,.