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There are two types of brush on the market -- filament and hog's bristle. The new filament brush is said to make painting easier as it doesn't lose bristles and leaves less brush marks.   Kevin Solway (173)

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A good brush is worth buying so look for one in the mid to upper price range.   Kevin Solway (173)

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If you're painting a large surface like a wall, it makes sense to use a large brush. Choose a brush you are comfortable handling for a long period of time. Tradespeople recommend a 100mm brush.   Kevin Solway (173)

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Brushing tips:
  • Mark off adjacent areas that you do not want to paint, eg. Skirting boards, switches.

  • Do the edges first. With a little practice, you can "cut in" your paint so that you don't have to mask. Cutting in refers to painting the edges of the area you are covering.

  • For best results when cutting in, use a long handled cutting in brush, with a round handle for curved work and a square handle for general painting.

  • To cut in, load the brush normally, leaving plenty of paint at the tip. Hold the brush like a pen with the narrow edge facing the line you are cutting in. Guide the brush along the area you are painting. Apply slight pressure to bend the bristles towards the cutting in line and allow a few bristles to overlap the adjacent surface.

  • Paint with the grain of the wood for an even line.

  • Use short strokes to distribute the paint, then go over the area with longer strokes for an even finish.

  • When using water based paints, load the brush well, but don't use all the paint in the brush. It is best to lay off while the brush is still quarter full.

  • Always paint into corners while your brush is fully loaded.

  • Gloss paints look best when applied with a brush, rather than a roller.

  • Clean you brush with an appropriate solvent, then wash in warm soapy water and rinse. Wipe the bristles with kerosene and store wrapped in newspaper.
   Kevin Solway (173)

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Miscellaneous tips:
  1. Load the brush by dabbing the tip into a shallow dish of paint a couple of centimetres deep, several times. This forces paint onto many of the bristles, instead of the only outside bristles as occurs when dunking the brush into paint once.

  2. Apply paint diagonally to the left, then spread it more evenly across the surface by painting diagonally to the right, then lay off with long vertical strokes. The beginning and ending of each stroke must be gentle and along the same trajectory like a very shallow parabola, to avoid puddles and scuffles of paint. Work quickly so that strokes start in wet paint of the previous section and melt in.

  3. Always lay off in the same direction, i.e. always top-to-bottom, not in alternating directions. Otherwise there will be stripes.

  4. Avoid painting when there are lots of small insects about, such as in Spring. Also avoid windy days, to reduce the amount of dust collecting on wet surfaces.

  5. Switch to a new brush when the brush starts to feel gummed-up and stiffer. Continue with a new brush, leaving the previous brush in water.

  6. A good quality paintbrush should last a couple of years by being used carefully, washed out well after each use, and stored in its original packaging to retain shape.

   kellyjones00 (593)

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