I get lots of questions everyday about what kind of brush to use when painting with Chalky Paint. I am here to solve that riddle and show you the difference between a round brush and flat brush.
I struggle with changing my habits especially if it is something I have been doing for a while. When I was purchasing my new sewing machine I rolled my eyes at the thought of a Viking because my heart was with Singer. I thought for sure the sales lady was only telling me the greatness of Viking because she probably got a better commission from Viking. Long story short- I returned the Singer I HAD TO HAVE twice and finally threw in the towel and bought a Viking. Holy shmoly was she right! Now I roll my eyes at other brands. I'm such a snob.
I religiously used flat brushes for the longest time. The good ones too. I kept thinking "whats so great about those round brushes, pshhh". And then I tried one. HA! I need to stop being such a snob. I couldn't believe the difference. I was able to whip out projects in half the time. Let me show you. The proof is in the pudding.
#1- Don't you hate with when your bristles start to dry out and harden when you put your brush down for a few minutes? One of the cool things about a round brush is that you can stand it up in your paint so the bristles don't dry out. Of course you can't leave it like that overnight but you can walk away for a few minutes.
#2- The top is the flat brush and the bottom is the round brush. This was my first coat. There is a couple things I want to point out. Do you notice the flat brush leaves random tails of paint at the end of the stroke and the round brush stops evenly. The round brush transitions easier when you start and stop your brush strokes.
Another big difference is the amount of area coverage. The round brush covers twice the area in one stroke. That means you can get your project done in half the time!
#3- Lets talk brush stroke marks. Grrrr, they make me angry. No one likes to see your brush strokes just like no one wants to see your undies sticking up out of your pants. Notice how the flat brush on top shows a lot more stroke marks?
#4- I am now on my second coat. You can still see the wood underneath on the top one with the flat brush. Your going to need several more coats with the flat brush and we have fully covered in just 2 coats with the round brush. (I am painting on the underneath of an old table top. I didn't smooth it out for this tutorial. Don't judge me)
Convinced yet?
#5- This one is self explanatory. The paint harbors in the middle of the round brush for even transition. The bristles don't clump together which helps eliminate the risk of seeing those broken brush strokes.
#6- Lets talk about working with edges. You might be painting certain areas different colors and who likes to take the time to tape? I know I don't. Have you ever noticed that when you are using a flat brush next to an edge you get random bristles pointing whatever direction they feel like and you have to go over those areas a few times to get full coverage? Yeah, that's another reason I am a round brush convert.
The chiseled edges of the round brush help make a perfect line right up next to your edge and give you full coverage the first time.
So that's my story and I'm stickin to it.
One of my new clients took the leap to refinish all of her kitchen cabinets. She purchased her paint and sealer and passed on purchasing the brush. A few days later she called me and said she had painted a few coats but still wasn't seeing the coverage she wanted. I went to her home to give her a few pointers as this was her first project and she dove right into a massive task.
Of course I brought my brush, started painting and her first question was "did you bring one for me to buy". These brushes are seriously that amazing.
A few days later she posted about her project on Facebook. Someone had asked her how long it took her to complete her kitchen cabinets -
Didn't she do amazing?! What a transformation and update. Makes me proud.
So, if you want to complete your projects in half of the time, reduce your brush strokes, get more even coverage then you need to try these bad boys out.
For the rest of this week I am offering free shipping on all paint brush purchases on my website.
Click here to check out our brushes
Use the coupon code FREESHIP
Labels: best paint brushes for chalk paint, chalk paint, chalk paint brush, flat brush, madame butterfly chalky paint, round brush, round paint brush, what paint brush do i use
