Whether a professional or a do-it-yourself person, keeping your brushes and rollers clean and in prime condition should be a priority for all painters. Below are some quick and easy steps to ensure that your paint brushes and rollers are always ready for your next project.
First of all, regardless of whether you are just taking a break for the day or you are completely finished with your painting project, you should always begin the cleaning process with, at a minimum, three thorough rinses of your brush or roller. Be sure to use the appropriate rinse agent: mineral spirits for an oil based paint or warm water for latex paint. Press the brush bristles in your rinse agent to be sure to release any paint remaining in the middle of the bristles. Squeeze as much paint as you can out of the brush and repeat until clean.
Next, in order to get as much water or mineral spirits out of your brush as possible, briskly shake or spin your brush repeatedly. Do not hit the brush on the top of a can, countertop or sink so as to avoid denting the bristle frame and deforming your brush. A deformed brush will negatively and noticeably impact your next painting finish. Also do not use combs or wire brushes to remove dried paint because this action will pull out bristles and/or put dried paint flecks into your next finished product. Finally, dry your brushes with shop or paper towels and store horizontally on a flat surface. Storing brushes while standing up will make the bristles dry crooked and the brush will be unusable.
Quality painting equipment can be expensive but is worth the cost in terms of your painting results. You will want to keep your painting equipment in excellent condition to ensure years of productive use.
For more details, see “The Paint Corner” in the June/July 2015 Gateway News or contact Brian Garleb at 618-972-9516 or bgarleb@gatewayfs.com .