Are all paint brush reusable?


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Old 11-16-16, 01:27 PM
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Are all paint brush reusable?

I'm looking for a 2" or 3" paint brush for interior drywall touch-ups. In the past, I have tried to wash and dry the brush but when I tried to use again, it was not as good as when it's new. I was wondering if there are certain brand/model of brush that are better for reuse because the ones I've tried before was not very good.
 
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Old 11-16-16, 01:58 PM
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It helps to start with a good brush but I'll admit that most of the time I use a Harbor Freight "chip" brush and I definitely re-use them.

You DO need to properly clean any brush you intend to use again. Part of the job of cleaning starts by properly using the brush in the first place.

Do NOT dip the brush into the paint (or whatever) to a depth more than half way between the tips of the bristles and the bottom of the metal ferrule. This is to prevent (as much as possible) getting any paint in to the "heel" of the brush. Do NOT let any paint accumulate in the brush and dry. When cleaning the brush first work out as much of the paint as possible bu scraping it back into the can and then working out more by brushing full sweeping strokes onto clean (no dust or dirt) scrap wood or newspapers. Then thoroughly work in the proper solvent (might be tap water) through the bristles using your fingers to cleanout any trace of dried paint. Use a clean (not dirty or greasy) wire brush stroking from the heel/ferrule towards the tip to remove any remains of dried paint. If you have used water as the proper cleaning solvent use a couple of drops of dishwashing detergent along with the water to clean it even more thoroughly but be sure to rinse out all of the detergent with clean water.

Dry the brush by shaking out as much water as possible. It the brush has a round handle then spin it between your palms, holding your hands together and rubbing them back and forth. Wrap paper around the bristles carefully to reshape them to the original shape and store them with the paper in place.
 
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Old 11-16-16, 02:06 PM
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IMO there is no substitute for a good quality brush! I'm partial to Purdy brushes for latex and Wooster brushes for oil base BUT there are many brands of quality brushes. I detest a cheap brush! It's easier to paint with a good brush and if you clean them up and store them properly they'll last a long time.

While I have stored brushes wrapped in paper, I prefer to use the shuck/wrapper that they came in. Either way a wrapped brush will hold it's shape better. As mentioned above properly cleaning the brush will extends it's life.
 
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Old 11-16-16, 02:36 PM
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I find I use a helluva lot of water cleaning brushes after latex paint (I try to be a little more conservative with the mineral spirits after oil based); my best guess is you are just not getting them clean enough.
 
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Old 11-16-16, 02:39 PM
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I've heard some say you only need to rinse a brush 3 times but I've always cleaned mine so that after the last rinse the thinner/water was still clean or just has a tint of color. If you have a safe way to store it you can keep the used thinner and use it for the first rinse next time.
 
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Old 11-16-16, 03:35 PM
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Unless you only used the brush for 5 minutes most brushes need to be combed with a wire brush as you clean them... the brushes should look like new once you have cleaned them if you are doing a decent job. I've got some I've had for probably 10 yrs or more.
 
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Old 11-16-16, 04:13 PM
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Ive never taken a wire brush to a paint brush but I have always bought Purdy brushes and have some that are getting upwards of 20 years old.

Clean, clean, clean, lots of soap, nice and dry. Never wrapped!!
 
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Old 11-17-16, 03:05 AM
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I couldn't imagine not using a wire brush when cleaning a paint brush. The wire brush both removes any dried paint and straightens out the bristles.

As noted above a properly cared for brush will last a long time although a lot depends on how much you use it and what type of substrate it is use on. While I probably have a few brushes that are 30+ yrs old, I've also worn brushes down in less than a year. A well cared for brush in a diy setting could last a lifetime.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 04:00 AM
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If you're going to use the brush within a day or two of last use, rinse and keep about half to three quarters submerged in water, or if a roller is being used again within a short time I wrap in a plastic bag.

For long term storage clean as described by previous posters.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 04:38 AM
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Generally I prefer to clean the brushes at the end of the day although I routinely wrap a roller in plastic if I expect to use it the next day. I have wrapped brushes with plastic also on occasions.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 04:59 AM
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I don't use a wire brush, but I do use a brush comb. The combs work very good.

I've been using the same Purdy 2" and sash brush for many years.

People ask me how I keep it so clean and all I do is comb it under running water, soap it and comb it again.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 05:13 AM
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I don't remember if I've ever used a brush comb or not although I've known painters that do. I was taught to use a wire brush long long ago and since it's effective - I've never seen a reason to change.

I've always preferred to clean brushes up in a bucket. Maybe that stems back to my apprentice days as well - back them half of the coatings we used were solvent based. I feel like I can clean a brush better using a bucket of water than using a water hose or spigot.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 06:05 AM
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I find the kitchen sink works best. My wife disagrees.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 07:58 AM
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I'm divorced so no one gives me any crap when I clean mine in the kitchen sink
 
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Old 11-17-16, 08:08 AM
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This morning I textured a ceiling so I had to use the bathtub. LOL

Good thing it's house cleaning day.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 10:17 AM
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I hope no one uses a customer's sink or tub I often take mine home to clean, I once got fussed at by a home owner because I washed a roller and brush out in their yard and temporarily turned the grass the color of the paint. If he had waited until I got done he probably wouldn't have said anything.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 10:28 AM
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Geez, I would have no problem with a contractor cleaning his brushes at my house; I would feel bad if s/he had to take them home to clean them especially if they were coming back the next day and using them again.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 10:35 AM
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You wouldn't believe the customers that get upset if you doing any cleaning of your equipment at their residence. I've made it a practice a long time ago to wait until I get home or at a new construction job.

Some folks go crazy over things most of us wouldn't give a 2nd thought. I once painted a new construction house that the plumbers had disconnected the water to do their work. I had a lot of painting to do so I went next door and 'stole' a gallon or so of water put in a 5 gal bucket to soak my rollers/brushes in as I got done with them. The lady took exception and called the law and the builder's office - both came out to see what the problem was and just shook their heads after talking to me.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 10:42 AM
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Yeah, I guess I forget how many different kinds of people we have sometimes. When I first bought my house, it was the only one in the neighborhood with another just started next door. The builder plugged into one of my outside electrical receptacles each day so as to not have to run a generator until he had juice on-site. What did I care?
 
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Old 11-17-16, 10:48 AM
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Many thanks for all the responses and suggestions. I'm much appreciated.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 10:50 AM
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I've borrowed elec a time or two but always knocked on the door first [or the builder did previously] to make sure it was ok, maybe offer a few dollars for the use. Reasonable people don't balk at helping someone out, especially if it doesn't cost them much of anything ..... but not all folks are reasonable There are those out there that would have complained/refused about the electricity AND then complained about the noise of the generator
 
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Old 11-17-16, 10:51 AM
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Hey Charlie, glad we could help. Sorry if we hijacked your thread a little - it happens sometimes
 
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Old 11-17-16, 11:18 AM
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Oh, yeah, the builder did ask, I didn't make that clear.

Yeah, sorry about the hijack, Charlie.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 12:31 PM
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I just thought of a paint "brush" that I wouldn't classify as reusable. Those silly little pieces of foam rubber that have a handle. Although I have used them on very rare occasions I never thought about cleaning it for reuse. I have done a quick and dirty cleaning just so I could toss it in the trash with minimal adverse environmental concerns.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 12:41 PM
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"Chip" brushes also aren't worth cleaning. They are usually the 99 cent variety that leave bristles behind as you paint. The package usually says "economy" or "one time use". I would hardly call them a paint brush.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 12:56 PM
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What works for one person may not work for another.

I flex the bristles back and forth several times before using the brush and that gets out the majority of the loose bristles. If any lay in the paint I can stab them with the brush to remove and then pick them off the brush. May not be cost-effective when you are being paid to do a job but it works for my projects. I generally get a half-dozen uses out of one brush and then I toss it.
 
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Old 11-17-16, 02:05 PM
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The chip brushes I've seen were all natural bristle, intended for solvent based coatings and not latex. It's always a good idea to take any new natural bristle brush and kneed it thru your fingers to remove any hairs that might be loose. Don't recall ever having issues with synthetic bristles coming loose.

I've never considered a foam brush to be a painting implement!!
 
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Old 11-17-16, 03:45 PM
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I'm pretty sure that in the past I have mentioned how I utterly detest painting. Further, for the most part the painting I do is with oil-based paints. Since I detest it, I tend to buy the least expensive tools (brushes) that will do the job. It is my intrinsic thriftiness, some would call it cheapness, that causes me to buy cheap brushes. That way IF I choose to not wash it but to toss it I'm not tossing good money.
 
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Old 11-18-16, 04:57 AM
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I've been able to reuse a high quality brush that I use with water based paints for over a year.

On the other hand I once tried to clean a brush I used for a bituminous paint. Didn't even come close to working. Now I just buy the cheapest ones I can find and consider them disposable for that application
 
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Old 11-18-16, 05:17 AM
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Not all brushes are suitable for all paints. While it's possible to clean any type of wet coating out of the brush, solvent based coatings are best applied with a natural bristle brush. Some solvents will melt synthetic bristles. Sometimes you need to consider the cost of the solvent needed to clean versus the cost of the brush. Old brushes come in handy for coatings that you don't want to clean up. IMO an old worn brush works better than a brand new el'cheapo brush.
 
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Old 11-30-16, 05:31 AM
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For oil based paints I use mineral spirits or paint thinner and water for water based paints.
 
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Old 11-30-16, 07:23 AM
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Uh, yeah, those are the usual solvents....
 
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Old 11-30-16, 09:03 AM
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Occasionally a water based coating needs one rinse with mineral spirits to get the 'oils' out of the brush. This is for the most part limited to some waterborne coatings. A detergent might also work but since I always have paint thinner handy ........
 
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Old 11-30-16, 11:09 AM
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What kind of paint thinner solvent do you use then?
 
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Old 11-30-16, 11:17 AM
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'Paint thinner' is pretty much just another name for mineral spirits.
 
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Old 11-30-16, 01:36 PM
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I think there might be a slight difference between mineral spirits and paint thinner with the latter being a tad cleaner ..... but I'm guilty of calling them both the same. Both do the same job for cleaning or thinning oil base paints.
 
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Old 11-30-16, 01:53 PM
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Old 11-30-16, 01:57 PM
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Interesting. You'll usually find cans that are labeled paint thinner cost just a little more than the ones labeled mineral spirits.
 
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Old 11-30-16, 02:02 PM
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Take "Sunnyside paint thinner" vs "Sunnyside mineral spirits" as a example... it's what you would commonly find in a hardware store. Check the MSDS of each product... this basically contains the recipe of each product.

Their paint thinner contains "only" 100% mineral spirits... no additives. So you could say that paint thinner and mineral spirits are the same thing.

However...

The product they market as "mineral spirits" has a percentage of mineral spirits PLUS 2 kinds of naphtha and several other hydrocarbons, making it a ltitle more potent tham plain old paint thinner.

I find the pricing here to be just the opposite. Paint thinner is usually a little less than mineral spirits... a lot less if you get gallons or 5 gallons.
 
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Old 11-30-16, 02:38 PM
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I just checked Lowes website and they showed the mineral spirits being $3 a gallon higher than the same brand of paint thinner. Either my memory is faulty or the prices have changed a lot over the last few yrs. When I started painting everyone used turpentine but then switched to mineral spirits when turpentine hit 25¢ a gallon, at that time mineral spirits was 10¢ per gallon.
 
 

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