how to find the best paintbrush on the market for interior painting
A painter’s brush is something very personal to them. This handheld tool becomes an extension of the painter as they spend hours upon hours completing projects together. Okay, maybe this sounds a bit much like the tale of the bond between a boy and his dog, but it’s true!
The more you paint, the more you develop a sense for the type of brush you like and the type of brush that slows you down and makes work more difficult than it needs to be. Stay tuned to find out which is which for the founder of That 1 Painter and his General Manager.
how to find the best paintbrush on the market for interior painting
You really have two camps of brushes: the Purdy brand and the Corona brand. Both are fantastic, and each painter has their own personal preference between the two. Outside of those, other brands like Wooster or the big box store brands are generally a waste of time and money. What you’ll find with them is the brush bristles fall out as you use them, so you have to go back and pick out these hairs from the wet paint.
Brushes We Like:
Purdy
Corona brushes
Brushes We Don’t Like:
Wooster
Big box store brands
how to find the best paintbrush on the market for interior painting
Purdy Pro Extra
Purdy has about 5 different lines, with brushes in a variety of angled and non-angled, sizes, shapes, and the Purdy Pro Extra is founder Steven Montgomery’s all-time favorite. The speed he gets brushing out walls with this brush is unparalleled! If you’re a professional and wanna cut in quickly, this is the one for you.
You’ll find that an extra stiff brush only really works well for heavily textured walls, while super soft brushes are only good for smooth walls and trim. The Purdy Pro Extra is a beautiful medium that works well on smooth and textured walls alike.
This brush comes in other sizes and shapes as well and while some painters prefer to use an angled brush for cutting in, our founder says that with the non-angled, thick Pro Extra, he can create his own smooth lines. The fact that this thick brush holds more paint allows him to work faster while maintaining quality.
Pros:
Cons:
how to find the best paintbrush on the market for interior painting
White bristle brushes are usually made from a more natural fiber. These are great for working with oil-based paint because they clean out really well. Using any other brush for oil-based paints will essentially make that brush unusable for future projects because the paint won’t ever fully wash out.
how to find the best paintbrush on the market for interior painting
Spend a little extra money on the proper brush for the job and you’ll work faster, have a better finish on your paint, and you’ll enjoy painting a lot more. This applies to you DIY-ers as well! You’ll already save money on labor by doing your interior painting yourself, so invest a small amount in buying a good brush. You’ll save yourself extra work hours and the headache of going back behind yourself to pick hairs out of your paint, scuffing up your beautiful finish.
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The best acrylic paintbrushes will help you get the most out of your acrylics and create beautiful art. My selection features brushes that are all sturdy, easy to clean and versatile, making them perfect for this kind of media.
While these brushes are all good choices for acyrlics in general, the one that will suit you best will depend on your specific needs. So to help you out, we've identified the best acrylic paintbrushes for different levels of expertise and experience, as well as the best for specific art tasks.
You'll want to also ensure that you have the best acrylic paints, of course. Plus if you're still to decide on a medium, see our guide to the differences between acrylics vs oils, and check out the best watercolour pencils, too. Finally, you might want to consider one of the best easels to support your work.
The best acrylic paintbrushes
FAQs
Generally, the best paintbrushes for acrylic paint are synthetic rather than natural brushes since synthetic brushes are tougher, so they can cope better with the medium. All of our choices in our picks of the best acrylic paintbrushes are synthetic – some emulate the feel of natural hair but offer a firmer brush.
When working with acrylics, we recommend using a selection of different shape and size brushes – large brushes are useful for applying broad areas of colour quickly. Brush texture is worth considering too. Soft brushes suit blending and produce a smoother paint surface, while firmer brushes leave expressive marks and produce more textured effects.
Whichever option you choose as the best paintbrushes for acrylics for you, it's important to clean your brushes thoroughly after use. Acrylic paints can be particularly hard on paintbrushes and they're difficult to clean off once dry. Whilst a lot of brushes suitable for oils work with acrylics, both are hard on brushes in different ways. Cleaning undiluted acrylic paint from brushes is similar to oil paint, but you just use water rather than spirit or oils.
Clean off as much paint as you can using a clean cloth or paper towel by wrapping the cloth around the ferrule of the brush and squeezing it with your thumb and forefinger. Work up towards the end of the bristles and repeat as many times as you need. You can use water in a jar or brush-washer to clean as much paint as you can from the bristles, and then use a brush cleaner for a thorough clean (see our complete guide to how to clean paintbrushes for recommendations).
Brushes don't last forever, and will eventually need to be replaced. However, with proper care, your acrylic paintbrushes can last for years. So it's less a question of how long you should leave it and more about keeping an eye on the state of your brush. Signs that your paintbrushes need to be replaced include split or frayed bristles, loss of elasticity and difficulty holding paint.
How to choose the best acrylic paintbrushes
When you're choosing the best acrylic paintbrush for you, there are a couple of key factors to consider. First pay attention to the bristles. Acrylic paint can be hard on brushes as its texture means it's tricky to clean off once dry, plus you want your brushes to last. So although you can buy brushes with natural hair, the best brushes for acrylic paint are normally synthetic because they're tougher.
Also think about shape and size. Flat brushes are great for covering large areas and applying base coats. Round brushes are a good choice for details, blending, and controlled lines. Filbert brushes (flat with rounded edges) are useful for blending and creating smooth curves. Angle brushes are ideal for sharp lines and edges. And fan brushes are good for creating textured effects and foliage.
How we test the best acrylic paintbrushes
Below, I've selected the best acrylic paintbrushes based my own experience as an artist. I've tested each of these brush options with a range of acrylic paints and different approaches to evaluate their performance, durability and versatility. Based on my testing, I've picked out options above that I think are suitable for artists with different levels and styles.