Paint Brushes

rhysduck

rhysduck

rhysduck

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Joined
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Caerphilly
Moving into a new house in a few weeks and the inevitable will need doing... painting.

I've got a set of cheap Rolson paintbrushes that will do for small tasks but I want something that;

Is finer (no bristle marks after painting)
Doesn't lose its bristles
Good quality

Anything I should look at? I HATE rollers, I've not tried painting with a pad. I don't need a brush "set" as one or two good quality brushes will do, a big one for the walls and a smaller one or two for edging, skirting boards etc.
 
Depends what you're painting and with what paint, but...

I fing B&Q or Wickes' own brand good quality (ie not cheapo) brushes to be good. The B&Q ones especially have good soft synthetic hairs and are pretty much no-loss. Perfect for glosswork & cutting-in. If you're emulsioning large areas then get a proper emulsion brush with finer, softer & longer hairs.

Have a try with pads though, they're pretty good.
 
Cheers guys,

I'll be painting skirting board and walls.. not sure on the paint but something from probably the Crown or Dulux range.

Are the Harris Emulsion brushes ok for other types of paint or are they strictly for emulsion use only?
 
Harris or Purdey are great, don't bother if you aren't going to clean them out properly as they will be a waste.

The joy of keeping brushes clean and dry is that after a decent use the bristles become even and sharp giving you a better cutting in brush and better finish, with a new brush paint a wall with emulsion that will take any uneven edges off the brush and give you a lovely edge, if you just throw brushes away then you won't ever get a nice finish.

Try this

Mist coat or 1st coat all walls and ceilings > 2nd coat ceiling > undercoat if required and two top coats on the skirting boards not really worrying about cutting the top of the skirting board in > final coats of wall emulsion then you can wipe off any paint from the finished skirtings with a putty knife and rag, you only then really cut in the top and bottom of the wall colours rather than trying to cut in everything twice.
 
@Macca, regarding the Purdeys. Ive yet to use any other brand that come close for keeping a great edge for cutting in along the wall-ceiling line.

@the op, im surprised that in a new house the builders wont have employed their own on site painting contractor to finish the internal woodwork. Quite a lot of my work is internal woodwork on new builds where the customer can choose their finish for the joinery.
 
setter said:
@macca, regarding the Purdeys. Ive yet to use any other brand that come close for keeping a great edge for cutting in along the wall-ceiling line.
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I hug my Purdy slashed 2.5" brush and lovingly wash it out and dry it wrap it and store it for next time :)

Rollers however get wrapped in cling film or slung in the bin :p
 
For rollers, i put them on a shaft and wash them with a hose. Thorougly soak the pile, then with the hose, direct the jet of water at the edge of the roller until it starts spinning. This cleans them out very quickly. If it's going to be used again in the same colour, i also use cling film or wrap it in several plastic bags.
 
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setter said:
@the op, im surprised that in a new house the builders wont have employed their own on site painting contractor to finish the internal woodwork. Quite a lot of my work is internal woodwork on new builds where the customer can choose their finish for the joinery.
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It's not a NEW house, but it's NEW to us you see?

Thanks for all the info guys, thinking of ordering a set of Harris No Loss brushes that are good value on the Rainforest and maybe a Purdy 4" for the walls.

Looking into painting with a paint pad too..
 
Pads have their place just as Vauxhall Corsa's have their place in OCUK motors, they do the job just not very well and there's better products for the same money.

I have a friend who is a decorator, a proper decorator he spends Monday to Thursday preparing and Friday painting, he doesn't advertise everything is word of mouth and he is fully booked till the summer where he has a list of external work people are waiting for, if I look in the back of his Vauxhall Combi there isn't one paint pad just good quality brushes and rollers.

The firm I work for t/o £1.2bn a year in housing / schools / health care / refurbishments and I'll bet my pay slip that not one site will have a paint pad on it being used.

I've worked in construction for 12 years built many projects and never ever seen a paint pad being used on site.

I have seen people go to homebase buy a vile coloured low quality washy paint and apply it direct to the walls with a paint pad with no preparation or cutting in and be finished by lunch time.

I suppose in their eyes the jobs done the magnolia is now winter fruit berry purple and who cares if the pipes / ceiling / skirtings have paint on.

Do a nice proper job and it will last longer and be something to be proud of

80% preparation 20% painting
 
rhysduck said:
It's not a NEW house, but it's NEW to us you see?

Thanks for all the info guys, thinking of ordering a set of Harris No Loss brushes that are good value on the Rainforest and maybe a Purdy 4" for the walls.

Looking into painting with a paint pad too..
Click to expand...
Ahh got ya, thought it was a new built house. And ill echo what macca says, no pads for applying paint. The only pads i have for work are sanding pads and knee pads.:D

Good luck with the work and the new home.:)
 
I've tried a paint pad (not given the option, was helping out a relative and they didn't have any brushes). It was OK I guess, just annoying to use and obviously useless at the edges.

Best tool I have is a HVLP sprayer, does a wall of magnolia in less than a minute, uses almost no paint and the finish is flawless. Can do a whole house in a day if everything is prepped and ready to go.
 
I'm going to have to get a set of them purdy brushes, they sound great. I have been doing a bit of painting in my cousins house last week and she bought these really cheap Stanley brushes that were useless. I had to water the paint down to get it to flow through the brush for cutting in. I don't know if this is normal or not as I dont do much painting but I'm sure in the past I have been able to cut in using paint neat, so 2 coats weren't required.

I have some of the blue Harris brushes at home i use for staining and they seem pretty decent. Never has a bristle come off the brush with them.
 
maccapacca said:
Pads have their place just as Vauxhall Corsa's have their place in OCUK motors, they do the job just not very well and there's better products for the same money.

I have a friend who is a decorator, a proper decorator he spends Monday to Thursday preparing and Friday painting, he doesn't advertise everything is word of mouth and he is fully booked till the summer where he has a list of external work people are waiting for, if I look in the back of his Vauxhall Combi there isn't one paint pad just good quality brushes and rollers.

The firm I work for t/o £1.2bn a year in housing / schools / health care / refurbishments and I'll bet my pay slip that not one site will have a paint pad on it being used.

I've worked in construction for 12 years built many projects and never ever seen a paint pad being used on site.

I have seen people go to homebase buy a vile coloured low quality washy paint and apply it direct to the walls with a paint pad with no preparation or cutting in and be finished by lunch time.

I suppose in their eyes the jobs done the magnolia is now winter fruit berry purple and who cares if the pipes / ceiling / skirtings have paint on.

Do a nice proper job and it will last longer and be something to be proud of

80% preparation 20% painting
Click to expand...
Thanks macca, dually noted.
Any websites / guides about preparation? Want to get that spot on first off, I'll be painting everywhere before we move it.

setter said:
Ahh got ya, thought it was a new built house. And ill echo what macca says, no pads for applying paint. The only pads i have for work are sanding pads and knee pads.:D

Good luck with the work and the new home.:)
Click to expand...
Thanks :)
Need to get some sanding blocks actually, I'm out.
 
Turn the lights out and use a torch to shine up the walls, you'll see every bump and scratch then

This is awesome and suitable for everything bar big work, even then base it out with easifill then use this to finish, once you've tried it you'll never go back to a standard filler, it's like mouse just apply it with a sharp flexible wide filling knife if you get it right you'll not even have to sand it down.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Devil-Lightweight-Filler-250ml/dp/B004GHKCO2
 
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