Something I am asked to talk about a lot as a professional painter is how to make sure that you are using the best brush for the project that you are trying to tackle. Today I am going to go over what I consider to be the most essential brushes in my tool-bag. Now these are brushes that I use on professional job sites as well as projects just around my own residence. But before I get to talking about what products I use I wanna talk a little bit about brushes in a broader stroke (no pun intended), as I know it can be hard to justify spending the money for a high quality brush when you don’t understand what makes a high end brush.

There are a lot of different types of bristle and filaments out there and they make for an overwhelming number of options to choose from when you’re looking at brushes. Brushes can be broken down into two main categories though, synthetic (filaments) and natural (bristles). Natural bristles come from animal hair while synthetic are often nylon, polyester, or a combination of both. When I am buying a brush I always like to find one that not only suits my project needs but also has Dupont filaments. The reason I like the Dupont filaments is they actually absorb water slower than your typical nylon or polyester filaments do which allows them to maintain their stiffness and shape a lot longer. How they are able to do this better than any other bristle or filament is because Dupont manufactures their own special versions of synthetics. They have their nylon called Tynex, polyester which they call Orel, and finally Chinex which is a modified nylon that is often compared to a natural bristle feel.

Ruining your brushes from lack of proper care can end up being a costly mistake especially when the higher end brushes, you want to make them last as long as possible. Modern paints tend to dry a lot faster these days, especially if you live in a climate similar to mine where it's very hot and dry in the summers it can be hard to keep your brush from drying out. The best practice for keeping you brushes in tip-top shape during your projects is to clean them every hour while painting. This will ensure that your bristles are staying stiffer and holding shape longer, regardless of what kind of bristle you are using. With that quick crash coarse in bristles, filaments, and maintenance of the brush under you belts lets start talking about the brushes I always keep in my bag.

If your next project is involving the painting of an exterior of a house then you are going to want to get a Chinex brush for their stiffer filaments. On any of my jobs where I am working on exteriors I am using a 3 inch angel sash 100% Chinex filament brushes. My personal favorite choice for this type of brush is the Premier Riverdale. I usually tend to go with an angled brush on jobs of this nature as they make it a lot easier to get paint into corners and feel more versatile to me than your typical flat brush in my opinion. You can just as easily use a flat angle brush as well, it really just comes down to personal preference.

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