How to find the best paintbrush on the market for interior painting
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A painters brush is something very personal to them. This handheld tool becomes an extension of the painter as they spend hours upon hours completing projects together. Okay, maybe this sounds a bit much like the tale of the bond between a boy and his dog, but its true!
The more you paint, the more you develop a sense for the type of brush you like and the type of brush that slows you down and makes work more difficult than it needs to be. Stay tuned to find out which is which for the founder of That 1 Painter and his General Manager.
how to find the best paintbrush on the market for interior painting
You really have two camps of brushes: the Purdy brand and the Corona brand. Both are fantastic, and each painter has their own personal preference between the two. Outside of those, other brands like Wooster or the big box store brands are generally a waste of time and money. What youll find with them is the brush bristles fall out as you use them, so you have to go back and pick out these hairs from the wet paint.
Brushes We Like:
Purdy
Corona brushes
Brushes We Dont Like:
Wooster
Big box store brands
how to find the best paintbrush on the market for interior painting
Purdy has about 5 different lines, with brushes in a variety of angled and non-angled, sizes, shapes, and the Purdy Pro Extra is founder Steven Montgomerys all-time favorite. The speed he gets brushing out walls with this brush is unparalleled! If youre a professional and wanna cut in quickly, this is the one for you.
Youll find that an extra stiff brush only really works well for heavily textured walls, while super soft brushes are only good for smooth walls and trim. The Purdy Pro Extra is a beautiful medium that works well on smooth and textured walls alike.
This brush comes in other sizes and shapes as well and while some painters prefer to use an angled brush for cutting in, our founder says that with the non-angled, thick Pro Extra, he can create his own smooth lines. The fact that this thick brush holds more paint allows him to work faster while maintaining quality.
Pros:
Cons:
White bristle brushes are usually made from a more natural fiber. These are great for working with oil-based paint because they clean out really well. Using any other brush for oil-based paints will essentially make that brush unusable for future projects because the paint wont ever fully wash out.
how to find the best paintbrush on the market for interior painting
Spend a little extra money on the proper brush for the job and youll work faster, have a better finish on your paint, and youll enjoy painting a lot more. This applies to you DIY-ers as well! Youll already save money on labor by doing your interior painting yourself, so invest a small amount in buying a good brush. Youll save yourself extra work hours and the headache of going back behind yourself to pick hairs out of your paint, scuffing up your beautiful finish.
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Standing in the paintbrush aisle in your local DIY store, it can be daunting trying to decide which type of brush to choose for your painting project.
Firstly, you need to consider whether youre going to use gloss or emulsion paint, as natural bristle brushes are better for solvent- or oil-based paints, such as gloss. Synthetic bristles are better for water-based paints as they are less likely to absorb water and swell. If youre planning to paint woodwork, such as skirting boards or window frames, consider buying an angled brush thats ideal for cutting in and giving a neat finish.
However, most DIYers start with a multipack of brushes for their everyday painting projects, so thats what we focussed on in this test.
Ideally, you should look for a pack containing a 25mm brush for cutting in corners, a 38-40mm brush for painting along skirting boards and door frames, and a 50mm brush for large, flat areas of wall. We tested packs of three brushes from the major suppliers to find out which gave the best results.
For more DIY paint tips and advice, we've put together expert buyer's guides about the best chalk paint brushes for your upcycling projects, 10 of the best painting tools and how to paint and gloss a door.
Score 10/10
Pros
Cons
The coverage was very good and we didnt experience any bristle loss during painting.
Kit contains 25mm, 40mm, 50mm paintbrushes
This general purpose paint brush set is suitable for any surface or paint type, but we felt it was ideal for emulsion paints due to its deep, dense synthetic bristles. After combing through the synthetic brush with our fingers before starting work, we were pleased to see there was no bristle loss.
The polypropylene handle and nylon ferrule are made using 100% post consumer recycled plastic, and the contemporary design was noticeably different form the other brushes we tested. The handle was rounded, quite chunky and was very comfy to hold over long periods of time, although if youre a messy painter, the lack of textured grips on the handle make it slippery to hold!
What we really loved about this brush was the resting feature - a raised lip on one side of the ferrule (see picture above) - which is designed to allow the brush to be placed onto flat surfaces whilst minimising paint transfer. Its perfect for when you need to put your brush down when you go to make a cuppa. There's also a hole in the handle for hanging it up.
Are these brushes any good?
The dense bristles meant this brush had a high paint hold and release capacity, meaning we needed to re-load the brush less frequently. The coverage was very good and we didnt experience any bristle loss during painting. Due to its streamlined design, the brush was really easy to clean with no tricky grooves where paint could build up.
Does this set offer value for money
Costing £9 for three, we felt these brushes offered great performance and comfort for the price.
Score 9/10
Pros
Cons
These brushes felt and performed like expensive professional brushes
Kit contains 25mm, 38mm, 50mm paintbrushes
With a good variety of sizes included, this set is suitable for use with all type of paint and varnish, making it a great all rounder.
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The fine-tipped flat brushes have solid, tapered synthetic filaments which help to reduce tramlines when painting.
The FSC-certified wooden beavertail handle was really smooth and comfy, making it easy top paint for long periods of time without any hand fatigue.
The long bristles, were firmly secured in the stainless steel ferrule and we experience no bristle loss when painting. Before painting, the manufacturer advices to wet the brush and spin it out before the first use.
The dense, yet fine bristles held a good amount of paint and gave a really smooth, even coverage with no bristle loss.
The bristles were very easy to clean, although the wooden handle may get stained with paint if youre not careful, as its unvarnished, so the wood may absorb colour more easily.
These brushes felt and performed like expensive professional brushes, so we think they were a bargain at £7.69 for the set.
Score 8/10
Pros
Cons
At £17.99 for a set for three, these brushes were the most expensive we tested, however they had the added benefit of coming with a one-year guarantee.
Kit contains 25mm, 38mm, 50mm paintbrushes
This set included a good variety of brush sizes suitable for all types of paint and varnish. The fine, synthetic bristles were the longest ones on our test and gave a very smooth finish and controllable paint flow. They were held firmly in a stainless steel ferrule which joined them to the very comfortable beavertail handle which is made from FSC-certified beech.
Before use, we combed through the bristles with our fingers and we were pleased to see there was no bristle loss.
These brushes are designed to hold their sharp shape for easy and flawless cutting-in and they didnt disappoint. The fine, yet dense bristles gave a smooth, even finish with reduced tramlines.
The bristles were very easy to clean, however, as its unvarnished, the wooden handle may get stained with paint if youre not careful.
At £17.99 for a set for three, these brushes were the most expensive we tested, however they had the added benefit of coming with a one-year guarantee. We felt their comfort and performance meant they were well worth the money.
Score 7/10
Pros
Cons
This set included a good variety of brush sizes which have been specifically designed and engineered to give good results when painting woodwork with all gloss, eggshell and satin paints.
Kit contains 25mm, 38mm, 50mm paintbrushes
This set included a good variety of brush sizes which have been specifically designed and engineered to give good results when painting woodwork with all gloss, eggshell and satin paints.
Before we began painting, we simply combed the brush through with our fingers to make sure there were no loose bristles, which there werent!
The brushes were light to hold, however despite the rear grip being made of thermoplastic rubber for comfort, the front of the brush handle was made of harder polypropylene and was less comfortable to hold for long periods of time. The handle was also quite narrow, which meant we found ourselves gripping it more tightly which made our hands ache over time.
The synthetic bristles were soft and pliable and held the paint well. They applied the paint smoothly and evenly and there was no bristle loss, which was just as well as they come with a guaranteed no bristle loss.
The deep stainless steel ferrule held the bristles firmly and would withstand plenty of washing and cleaning. Although the bristles were easy to clean, the numerous grooves on the ferrule and handle are trickier to clean if youre a messy painter and smear paint on the handle while working.
They also have a hole in the handle for hanging up.
At £10 for a set of three, we felt these brushes offered fair value for money if you have a lot of woodwork to paint.
Score 7/10
Pros
Cons
This brush did give a good, even finish, however due to the bristles not being very dense, we found we had to reload the brush with paint more often to get a good coverage.
Kit contains 25mm, 38mm, 50mm paintbrushes
This versatile, lightweight brush set is ideal for covering a wide range of painting jobs, from cutting in to general painting and can be used with all paint types.
Compared to the other brushes on our test, the bristles on these brushes were the shortest and least dense, meaning they needed to be reloaded with paint more often. However, it meant they were good for cutting in.
We combed through the bristles before use and were pleased that there was no bristle loss. The bristles were held firmly in place by a stainless steel ferrule which joined them to the plastic handle.
The handle had ridged side grips and raised dots on the thumb area to help give greater grip while painting - very handy if youre a messy painter who often gets paint on the handle, making it slippery!
This brush did give a good, even finish, however due to the bristles not being very dense, we found we had to reload the brush with paint more often to get a good coverage.
When it came to cleaning, the bristles were easy to clean, however the grip grooves on the handle were fiddlier to clean if youre a messy painter and get paint on the handle while working.
At under a fiver - £4.50, this set of brushes is ideal if youre a first-time decorator on a budget.
Get more detailed tips on how to clean paintbrushes here.
Looking for something to paint? Check our roundup of the best decking paints, or why not give your shed an upgrade with the 6 stylish shades for sheds? We've also been busy with our tried-and-tested review of the best wood primer.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Flat Paint Brush Manufacturer China.