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You have chosen the paint that you want to use, now do you have the right paint brush for the job?

 

Paint brushes come in all shapes and sizes. Each one will suit a particular job.

 

One thing to consider when buying a paint brush is the type of bristles the brush has. There are two main types of paintbrush bristles: Natural bristle and Synthetic bristle.

 

Natural bristle brushes

 

Natural bristle brushes are the more traditional style paint brush.

 

At one time all paint brushes were made using natural bristle made from animal hair. The hair is generally taken from a Chinese hog or a badger.

 

These hair particles are really useful when it comes to painting as the natural split in the end of the hair fiber holds the paint well.

 

Natural bristle paint brushes are best suited to use with Oil-based paint. If natural bristle is used with water-based paint the natural hair fibers of the brush can swell and become limp making the paint brush less easy to control.

 

 

Synthetic bristle brushes

 

Paint brushes made using synthetic bristle fibers are more modern. They are usually made up of nylon bristles.

 

Synthetic bristles are more likely to be cut straight at the ended rather than feathered and split like the natural bristle brush, however this is not always the case. Nylon bristle brushes are designed to replicate the natural bristle traditional paint brushes.

 

When Synthetic bristle brushes first came onto the market they were best recommended for use with water-based paint. Now as technology moves forward you will find a lot of Synthetic bristle paint brushes that can be used with Oil-based paint and Water-based paint.

 

As more and more paint becomes water-based due to the fact it is generally quicker to dry and has less of an odour, there is a bigger variety of synthetic bristle brushes available now than was before.

 

Both natural bristle and synthetic bristle have their qualities and for each job a different tool may be required.

 

Tags: types of paint brushes synthetic bristle paint brushes natural bristle