How to Save Paint Using a Sponge or Foam Brush

I recently purchased and used a few foam brushes from Lowes Home Improvement and The Home Depot. Here are two ways to save a lot of paint when using a foam brush for painting.

Both stores, Lowes and Homedepot, offer similar paint brushes that look like a black sponge on a stick. They are offered for low prices at home improvement stores and these low cost tools can save a lot of money on paint.

How can a sponge or foam brush save paint? I used a sponge brush to save paint in two ways, both directly and indirectly. I used the foam brushes directly for touch up and small areas like trim. They are great at getting into crevices and corners of stucco walls. You can dip them directly into the house paint can or use leftover paint in a roller’s tray. Paint stays at the tip instead of wicking upwards to the base like a bristle brush which means you use less paint. A lot of people use small brushes just for trim. I also used the foam type of painting brush indirectly in another way.

I was painting a room with another person. I prefer a painting edger or painting pad instead of a roller. Our Shur-Line kit came with both and other materials. A small 1 inch foam brush was purchased separately. My painting partner used mainly the roller and tray with liners. He covered large areas of the room and did most of the walls and ceiling with the roller. I find that rollers, even with covers, can drip. They have a large surface area which is a lot to rinse out and dry. So, I did a door and most of the closet with a paint pad and wheeled edger.

Instead of pouring paint into a tray and dipping an edger or paint pad into that, I applied paint to the pads with the foam brush to cover the surface. I used the edger to do the edges, a larger Shurline paint pad to do large areas and the foam brush for touch up and corners. I did two coats on the door with about a fourth of a quart of paint. When the roller was used for two coats on a similar sized area, almost a whole quart was used.

Later, we found out that the ceiling had dripped onto the walls. We didn’t have much wall color left but it was an easy fix to paint an edger with the sponge brush and touch it up and used very little paint. My taller painting partner now used the technique.

These cheap brushes can easily pay for themselves by saving paint. Also, a brush with a hole can still be used to apply color to a painting pad.

Comparing the same size areas, I saved a lot more paint than the painter who mainly used a roller and a painting tray. In addition to using less paint and not needing a tray or tray liner, there was nothing to pour out of a liner and less paint wasted when rinsed out of the small tool and pads compared to a roller or bristle brush. Now you know how to save paint in two ways with a sponge or foam brush.

Source:
Personal experience