Paint brush care

[Hikerjohnd]

Ok - I hate painting. There, I said it and I'm not sorry.

I buy disposable tray liners and throw away roller covers rather than wash them. I've even been known to hire painters if the job is too much for my mind (I just find it mind numbing to the point I get irritable towards whomever is brave enough to volunteer to work with me).

Anyway, one the few concessions I have made towards the task of painting (because sometimes it is unavoidable) is that I bought nice brushes for edge/corner work. I have about 6 different size Purdy brushes and I am hoping someone can tell me a good way to clean them. I try to wash them thoroughly after each use, but sometimes I don't do a good enough job (after all, when I'm grumpy from painting I'm not all that entheuastic about cleaning up!).

All of my brushes are used for latex paint or on rare occasions Minwax Polycrylic. I am careful to always use something that is water cleanup (never oil based products). Also, as i said, all my brushes are Purdy for latex paint or all paints (the green label and brown label brushes).

Before i just soak these in thinner, i thought I'd ask the experts the best way to get them cleaned and in better shape! Thanks for your help!

[RockyMountainTeardrops]

Purdy
My father always said to use a wire brush and comb the bristles....nice to read that Purdy agrees.
And I always smack the brush on my foot to shake the water out. (on the ferrule, not the bristles)
Make sure you don't do that on nice floors!!! You may not have quite all of the paint out of them!

Lee

[S. Heisley]

Once, I painted all of a house except one side. That one side was located next to a retaining wall so that it needed special equipment to reach most of it. The professional painter that I hired to do that was really nice and gave me some tips. He said to clean your paint brushes often and don't allow them to become loaded with drying paint. The other tip he gave was that, after you've cleaned your brushes, always wash them in a little dish soap and then rinse them. He said it helps to keep the brushes supple, just like it does your hands.

[GPW]

Keep em' Clean and when you finish , wrap them up in the container they came in ...or newspaper ... helps keep the bristles in shape ...

[M B Hamilton]

I NEVER clean a brush while the project is underway. With the bristles neat and straight I tightly wrap the brush in plastic food wrap and put it in the freezer.

Taking your time and doing a good job cleaning isn't quite so onerous a chore if you only have to do it once.

This works with both oil and water-based paints. Herculiner, too.

[GPW]

Great idea for the plastic wrap Ham , but I think the wife wouldn't much care for paint laden brushes in with the food ... Just the plastic wrap works fine , even for a couple days ...

[sagebrush]

Those Purdy brushes will make the painting much easier. Words of wisdom from a professional painter (not ME). Before use wet the brush with water or paint thinner (depending on type of paint being used) and shake dry. This will make cleaning easier. When painting DO NOT allow paint to build up on brush. After washing the paint brush and combing with a BRASS brush, gently shape it and hang from hole in handle to dry. With proper care a good brush will last many years. My rearend is still sore after that lesson. Will

[DMcCam]

A few more things to consider for brush care with water based mediums. Personally I never leave any water-based paint in a brush over night. The plastic wrap/freezer does work for oil based though.

Dampening the brush prior to using it won’t hurt necessarily if you get most all of the water out. If not, the water will set deep in the ferrule (the metal sleeve) and run out all over the place while you paint. While you paint dip the bristles only into the paint about halfway to the ferrule then wipe the backside on the edge of the can thus loading one side. You can work from one side to the other this keeps the work clean.

Once you’ve finished for the day, clean the bush under warm tap water. Work dishwashing soap into the bristles from the ferrule to the tips of the bristles. Rinse the brush using your fingers like a washboard. Repeat several times. You’ll want to be quite rough with the bristles to make sure you remove all pigment (get it off the ferrule too). To check if you have the brush clean start by lathering it up with a lot of water, then bend the bristles back toward you looking at where the bristles meet the ferrule. If you see any color there, keep going.

When the brush is clean, squeeze the water out and shape the bristles nice and flat so it looks like new. You can lay the brush down with the bristles over a table or workbench edge to let them dry. If it’s not dry by the time you need to use it again, just shake it out until most all the water’s out.

I do this each and every time I paint. My brushes look and work like new though they are 7-10 years old now.

Cheers, Dave

[DezPrado]

Ditto what DMcCam said.
Lots of dishwash detergent worked into the bristles with your bare hands/fingers, work it all up to a messy lather before running it under tap. Helps get your hands clean too. When the water runs clean, a master painter informed me to then use a little bar hand soap to 'kill' the detergent residue, then rinse out to dry the brush. I didn't question him 'cos it seems to work well & my brushes are lasting longer than they ever used to. Even cheap ones
Solvent based paint brushes are another issue that I avoid as much as possible these days (& you said you was a lazy painter!), However, run out as much paint into a disposable cloth, wash well in the appropriate solvent until the brush comes clean. The wash/rinse with dishwash detergent in warm running water until smells clean. Not very scientific but again, it works for me & it don't take too long.

[ssrjim]

I got one of these when I painted my house this summer:
http://tinyurl.com/2dsnfll

Works pretty good and really fast..