BRUSHING UP
Let's see, we can forget about china bristle brushes, they are made of hog hair and can only be used with solvent based paints. Our best choice for all around general purpose interior painting is a square nosed two and a half inch, thin stocked nylon polyester blend brush.
Say what?!! OK, OK.
Square nosed means that the bristles are cut straight across, the two and a half inch refers to the width of the brush, thin stock is the thickness of the brush, and the nylon polyester blend is what the bristles are made of. A cheap brush, like cheap paint, is no bargain. We need a quality made brush.
Beaver tail stock Sash style stock lindbeck or angle cut
flat cut bristles bristles
You can check for quality like this; turn the brush edgewise and look across the bristles, they should be feathered up from the outside to the center. Next, bend the bristles slightly and release, they should snap back quickly to form. The bristles should be firm but not stiff. Probably the best indicator of quality is price, invest in a good brush. Believe me it makes a big difference in the finished work.
Let's move on and paint some trim.
