Paint Like a Pro Contractor with the Right Tools
Use Square-End and Sash Brushes with Natural or Synthetic Bristles
Sep 17, 2009
No one would expect a Nascar racer to be competitive in a go-kart, or a home framer to be productive using a hand saw rather than a circular saw to cut studs. The same thing is true of professional painting contractors. High quality painting tools are essential.
Use the Right Bristle Brush
There are a wide variety of paint brushes available. Altogether too often, when a homeowner decides to tackle an interior or exterior painting job, the brush purchasing rationale is that when doing just one job, why spend the money on expensive brushes?
Nothing could be further from the truth. Buy quality products like Purdy. It will go a long way towards professional results, and with care, the brushes can be used in multiple projects in the future. These are the 2 most common types of brushes:
- Sash brushes. These are the ones that have the bristles tapered from one side to the other. They're great for getting into corners. Another basic use is cutting in edges and corners. The term sash originates from window sashes (window frames).
- Square-end brushes. These are used for flat surfaces. Like their sash cousins, they come in a variety of widths.
Characteristics of a Quality Paint Brush
The best ones cost more because of the time and materials that go into their construction. There are several things to look for:
- Packaging. It sounds silly, but how the brush is packaged at the store is an indication of quality. The ones that are simply laying in a bin are junk. Look for packaging that is essentially a container for the business end of the brush, with a hole at the bottom to slide the handle through. Do not throw this away. This is for storing the tool after use to keep the bristles straight.
- Multiple wood spacers between bristle rows. These are located in the heel and are there to hold more paint when it's loaded up.
- Reinforced metal ferrules. This is the metal transition piece between the handle and the bristles and it holds the bristles in place. Look for a one that holds them securely; no one wants to pick loose bristles out of just-spread paint or see one encased in dry paint like a fossil.
Natural Bristles or Synthetic?
Generally speaking, use natural bristles for oil-base paint and synthetic bristles for latex-base paint. Using a natural bristle brush in water-based paint will damage it.
Other than that, the reason for using different materials in different bases has to do with how well they hold and spread the product.
Use Paint Rollers for Larger Areas
These are used for painting walls or ceilings. Always look for a uniform nap on rollers, as well as beveled edges, not square, so as not to not leave a bead at the edges. Also, use a resin tube that won't saturate and break down when subjected to wet paint.
How long should the nap be? The general rule is the smoother the surface, the shorter the nap. For smoother walls and ceilings, use a 3/8” nap. For semi-rough surfaces like concrete, use a 1/2” - 3/4” nap. For rougher surfaces like stucco or brick, use 1” – 1 1/4”.
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