Quality paint brushes are expensive, so you need to take care of them. To that end, I thought I’d write a very quick blog on looking after a paint brush so it lasts. This will hopefully save you some money
I hear everyone giving up on Purdy paint brushes when I read through the Decorators Forum UK these days.
I use the 3″ XL elite monarch (red sleeve) all the time and they are, and always have been brilliant, as long as you clean them well and don’t abuse them. I’m a decorator, so I’m used to using my brushes for hours on end, pretty much every day. I never have a problem with making my brushes last. In fact, Purdy brushes just get better with time!
When I’m washing them out, I use warm water, not hot as that ruins them. I always use a wire brush and just dance it on the bristles right at the base where they go into the ferrule. You don’t want to go digging for gold with the wire brush as this will damage and curl the bristles up! A conditioner like Pretty Boy Cleaner helps. It coats the bristles, so they don’t go hard when in storage.
Keep all scrapers and 5-in-1 tools away from brushes when cleaning them. Dance the wire brush on the ferrule and at the base of the bristles just to break up any dried paint that has gathered there. That’s all you need, especially if you use water-based paints.
Every few months I might give a brush a soak in virosol to remove any dry paint that might be on there. It just stops build up and makes them look nice again. Virosol is an amazing product, available online by clicking here, it will take dried paint of brushes with ease.
Another tip is to keep your brushes dry when in storage, so spin them out properly after washing them out and do not keep your cleaned brush in a plastic bag. I tend to keep mine on a shelf in my work van, or a wooden box. That way, I also prevent the bristles getting squashed and mis-shaped.
Here’s a picture of a brush I’ve been using pretty much every day for the past 6 months.
FAQs
How to properly take care of paint brushes?
Cleaning a paint brush after use and ensuring you remove all the paint will help. Then you can condition your brush to ensure the bristles stay soft. If possible, hang them up when in storage to protect the bristles even further.
Should I wet my paint brush first?
Wetting your paint brush before use helps when using some of the water-based woodwork paints that are available. It keeps the bristles soft and prevents paint from drying near the ferrule.
Is it bad to leave paint brushes in water overnight?
A lot of Decorators keep brushes in water after using oil-based paint. This just creates an airtight seal and stops brushes from hardening. You will end up with a sludgy mess if you try it with brushes used in water-based paint, so you may as well wash the brush or wrap it in a carrier bag instead.
Is it OK to wash paint brushes in the sink?
There’s some debate over this. I think pretty much all Decorators wash their water-based paint brushes out in the sink. It won’t damage your plumbing or anything like that, but that waste water needs to go somewhere and most of it contains microplastics. However, there’s no better solution right now. This is something that the industry needs to look at.
How long should a paint brush last?
Providing you buy a quality paint brush and look after it, it’ll last for years. I use mine day in, day out, and mine last for a long time.
Haven’t used Purdy’s in a long time…. The reason? Others are better now. Purdy’s simply didn’t evolve, in fact the quality got worse. They were the top brush a few years ago, now they are distinctively mid range. For the ££ you pay there are far superior brushes now. Richards/Oldfeilds /Zachary /Premier /monarch/carona etc… I find some of the “cheaper brands” can hold there own with purdy’s now, the likes of Kana advance & prodec ice fusion etc at a sometimes half the price.
I cant say I agree. Prodec ice fusion are no good for acrylic primer like some of the others you mentioned, purdy are. I use purdy for everything except oil paints, I’m old school and use Hamilton pure bristle for oil
Still think purdy are the best impressed with oldfield and ice fusion Hamilton for oil
I’ve been using the ice fusion brushes lately and am getting on well with them but I always have and always will use Hamilton’s 😁👍🧑🎨
Think purdy are still the best around,easy to wash out and for perfect cutting in.