The Purdy Monarch Elite Paintbrush is a staple for professional Decorators in the UK, and has been for the last couple of decades. It’s an American made brush, manufactured by Sherwin Williams (who are also the biggest paint manufacturer in the world).
It’s a synthetic paintbrush, used primarily for water-based paint, but it’s equally at home in oil-based satinwood and eggshell. They’re widely available from just about any trade paint outlet. Click here to see online prices.
My Purdy Monarch Elite Paintbrush Review
I’m going to start my review by declaring my love for the Purdy Monarch Elite Paintbrush! There was a time when the only synthetic paintbrush a Decorator would use was a Purdy. Now the market is a little more flooded with various brands, but Purdy is still the industry leader.
I think that’s because the brush performs well in multiple situations. It will cope with materials that drag like contract matt. It’s brilliant for applying thick coats of products like specialist ceiling paints, or vinyl matt to walls. It’s particularly good for applying water-based satinwood and gloss because it holds its shape and doesn’t splay. It even out-performs other paintbrushes for some oil-based paints like pliolite-based masonry paint and oil-based satinwood.
The Purdy Monarch Elite XL has a thick stock, so it holds a fantastic amount of paint. The tip of the bristles form the perfect shape to cut-in when you apply pressure. These two properties together makes it fantastic for striking sharp lines with your paint. Click here to see online prices.
Review Summary
Purdy Monarch Elite Paintbrush Review - Decorator's forum UK
An old-school paintbrush with synthetic bristles and a wooden handle. Purdy is a brand owned by Sherwin Williams.
Product Brand: Purdy
4.4
Pros
- A favourite amongst Professional Decorators.
- Can be used in just about any paint, varnish, or wood stain.
- Stands up well in a Brush Mate Box.
- Will last for years if you look after it.
- Great for striking a sharp line.
Cons
- The Purdy Monarch Elite Paintbrush used to dominate the market. It’s still a great brush, but now there are a lot of other brushes that compete with it.
- Expensive.
Looking After Your Purdy Monarch Elite Paintbrush
If you look after it, your Purdy Monarch Elite Paintbrush will last a lifetime. In fact, it will get better the more you use it (we call that ‘breaking the brush in,’ in the trade). Looking after it is relatively simple too.
If using water-based paints, you can wash your Purdy out with warm running water (not hot water because that will damage the bristles). I like to work some washing-up liquid into the brush as I’m cleaning it, because the soapy bubbles will help push the paint out.
Oil-based paints are a little bit different. You should use turps or brush cleaner to wash this type of material from your paintbrush. You must dispose of any waste in the proper way, or you risk damaging the environment. I like to put dirty brush cleaner or turps in a sealed container and let the imperfections settle over time. You can then dispose of the sediment and use the liquid again and again.
If your Purdy Monarch Elite is caked in paint, or the paint has gone hard, you can soak them in virosol (available online here). It will dissolve the paint and leave the brush looking mint. Clean spirit will help when cleaning a brush used for hybrid paints such as Johnstone’s Aqua and Crown Fastflow.
Final Thoughts
There are cheaper brushes than the Purdy Monarch Elite XL, but none I have used which are as good for a wide range of paint products. It’s a great brush with multiple uses and will last for years. I’d highly recommend. Click here to see online prices.
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