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Select the Correct Brush for Paint Consistency

3:59
7:00
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Perfect Ceiling Cut Ins. Painting A Straight Line On A Wall. How to cut in paint edges.

What happens here

The type of paint brush you use is paramount for successful edge painting. For thicker paints, such as the Sherwin Williams Contractors 2.5" Angled Sash Brush used in the video, a very stiff brush is recommended. The painter states his philosophy: 'the stiffer the brush, the straighter the line.' However, for thinner paints (which often include ultra-deep colors like reds, or specific types like Cashmere that are thin even in light colors), a softer brush is preferred. Using a brush that is too stiff with thin paint will result in 'roping marks' (uneven ridges of paint) and light spots or 'highs and lows' because the brush won't lay out enough paint properly. Conversely, a too-soft brush with thick paint won't apply sufficient coverage. While a specialized brush is ideal for certain paints, an 'all-around' brush, such as a Purdy XL Glide, is suitable for most paint types.

Goal: Choosing the right brush stiffness for your paint type is critical for achieving a clean, straight edge and avoiding common painting flaws.

Tools and materials

  • All-Around Paint Brush Purdy
  • Soft Angled Sash Brush Unspecified
  • Thick Paint Treasure Valley Eggshell
  • Thin Paint Cashmere

What they say

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I wanted to make this video because I wanted to, you know, u make it pretty a pretty important subject or pretty important tip to it to doing ceiling lines to actually get a straight line. One of the most important things to get a straight line is choosing the actual right brush for the paint you're actually using. If you don't have the right brush, if I got too soft of a brush for the paint I'm using, like this paint is really thick paint. If I'm using too soft of a brush, it's really, really difficult to get a straight line. So, you got to really determine what type of paint you're using and use the right type of brush to go with that paint. Now, if I'm using, you know, a paint that's really thin, like an ultra deep paint, like a red paint, uh, vibrant red wall or something, some of these, uh, colors are really popular, then I'm going to want to use a a really soft brush that that's going to draw myself a better line than a stiff brush. A stiff brush isn't going to be good with thin paints, ultra deep paints, cuz one thing, it won't lay out enough paint and won't make a straight line. Once again, I'm painting, doing my cutins here. I'm actually using an extremely stiff brush. The stiffest brush I can, you know, find for this type of paint we're using that's really thick is a Sheron Williams contractor's brush. It's a 2 and 1/2 in angled sash brush. And just so much of getting a straight cuttinged line is determined by, you know, you and whether you're choosing the right brush. Now, if you choose a brush that's too stiff for the paint, it's not going to lay the paint out properly and it's going to leave a lot of roping marks and um light spots, so highs and lows if the brush is too stiff. So, you know, you as a painter, you got to determine the type of paint you're using and use the proper brush. You can get just an all-around brush that'll work for most paints. Like Cody has an XL glide brush that I like that's really good for um for most paints. But when we're using this paint right here, Treasure Valley eggshell, I like a really stiff brush. You My philosophy is the stiffer the brush, the straighter the line you're going to be able to cut in.

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