How to Choose the Right Paint Brush for the Right Paint Job

Most people think every paint brush is the same no matter what material its made of. They only take into account the size of the brush. However, different brushes are made for painting different surfaces and different types of paint.

Natural-bristle brushes-

These are the brushes that are made from animal hair. They are best for applying oil-based paint. The natural split ends of the bristles hold more paint and allow for a smooth finish. They unfortunately are not nearly as durable and there nylon/polyester counterparts.

Blended nylon/polyester brushes-

If your looking for a brush that will last forever nylon/polyester brushes are the what your looking for! Nylon is extremely durable and polyester holds its shape and when combined they make great bushes. They are easy to clean too! Unfortunately unlike natural brushes, nylon/polyester brushes don’t have split ends and since oil paint is very thin it tends to just run off the ends of the bristles. Latex paint is much thicker and thus holds great on nylon/polyester brushes.

Polyester brushes–

These brushes are best for latex paint and because polyester holds its shape you can count on a smooth even paint job every time with these brushes. They are nearly as durable the blended bushes because is doesn’t have the strong nylon.

Now that we’ve covered brush types we now need to talk about brush sizes

4″– These are best for apply paint on large surfaces
3″– The middle ground of sorts These brushes work best for cabinets and other smaller surfaces
1″ 2″– You mainly will want to only use these brushes for small areas and cutting around windows

Personally I try and use only nylon/polyester blend brushes because they last forever and they are versitile. You will notice they usually cost a fair amount more but they are well worth the cost. If your painting the exterior of your house you might go through one or two polyester brushes whereas if you used a nylon/polyester brush you’d only use one and you could also use that same brush again to paint your house all over 10 years later.

I also try and use only a 3″ brush. You can still paint large areas with it and you can still cut around windows with it. Many people think they need a smaller brush to cut around windows otherwise the paint runs. The solution is to just put less paint on the brush and move faster. Yes faster then you give the paint less time to drip.

I hope this guide has helped you find the perfect brush for your project and please check out the rest of my painting articles.