A Guide to Picking the Best Painting Brush

The variety of paintbrushes on the market from various brands makes the process of choosing the right one more overwhelming than it needs to be. Many think that you can pick a big, fluffy brush and end up with a beautifully painted wall. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The paintbrush you pick will determine how good or bad of a paint job you’re left with. Which is why we’re here to give you all the information you need when shopping around for the best painting brush.

Brush Width

The width of a paintbrush will usually span between one inch and five inches. Certainly, you can apply more paint with a wider brush, but you should pick a brush size that’s appropriate for the job at hand to make the task more comfortable. Pick a brush that’s a bit narrower than the surface you’ll be working on to ensure the best application, particularly on thinner surfaces. Brushes that are too large for the task increase the likelihood of paint dripping everywhere.

Bristle Type

There are two main types of bristles for painting brushes, natural and synthetic. Naturally bristled paint brushes are made of animal hair while synthetic bristles are composed of nylon, polyester or a mixture of the two. Natural bristles are best used when with oil-based paints whereas synthetic should be used with water-based paints. A natural haired brush will absorb water-based paint, making it limp and impossible to apply paint onto a wall or other surface. However, there are a select few synthetic brushes that can be used with oil-based paints, just read the manufacturers label to find out.

Bristle Shape

When shopping for paintbrushes, you’ll find that square shaped brushes as everywhere, but there’s a good reason for that. Squared off bristles allow for a perfect grip and paint application to any surface area. But while they’re great for getting a majority of the work done, they can hinder you when trying to paint clean edges, adjacent surfaces, corners and narrow pathways.

If you’re dealing with those specific areas, it’s best to use a sash brush. The bristles of a sash brush are cut at an angle to allow for easy paint applications, especially when cutting a room’s perimeter.

And Bristle Tips

Good quality brushes have split end tips, which allow for paint to be applied more smoothly. Some paint brushes on the market, especially sash brushes, have tipped ends that come to a point to allow for more precise painting to occur in narrower spaces or along an edge. The tips for standard brushes are cut straight across.

At Monarch Paints, we’ve provided expert service regarding everything paint-related for over 50 years. The highly trained staff at both our North York and Bloor West Village locations in Toronto, Ontario are happy to help our customer pick the best paint choices possible. With reliable brands like C2 Paint, Benjamin Moore, Valspar and more, visit our store or go online at www.monarchpaints.ca for more information.