Paint and painting brushes: their types and sizes. Paint brushes - what are they and what are they used for Marking paint brushes

Usually each house has a couple of brushes with which it paints everything: from windows and doors to fences in the country. They also tint the batteries and glue the wallpaper. Let's see what brushes are and what they are suitable for.

Kinds

Panel brush

Small brush with a comfortable handle and stiff white bristles 6–18 mm in diameter. Suitable for painting hard-to-reach places or for delineating lines in decorative work.

Radiator brush

The name itself suggests that this brush is designed for painting batteries. With it, you will get to all the seams and bends.

Stubble

All brushes can be divided into three categories:

• Brushes with natural fiber bristles. They absorb and hold the paint well, apply it evenly. Suitable for oil-based paints, drying oils, varnishes and wood oils.
• Synthetic bristle brushes. Thin and smooth, suitable for water-based formulations: nylon fibers repel excess moisture and retain their shape.
• Brushes with mixed bristles. They hold paint well and do not lose their shape. They can be used for both water and oil based formulations. Ideal for outdoor work.

If you just bought a brush, then wash it before use with hot soapy water - this will remove dust and broken fibers. Then be sure to squeeze it out and dry it.

Leave the brush in water for an hour before painting anything. The bristles will become softer and swell, and the layers will lay flat. The main thing - do not put the brush in the jar, but hang it, otherwise the bristles may be deformed.

If you have an oil or alkyd based paint, dry the brush well before use.

To prevent the brush from “striping” and leaving hairs on the surface, work it on brick, concrete or rough plaster before starting work.

If you used oil-based paints, first thoroughly rinse the brush in a solvent (kerosene, turpentine, white spirit), and then wash with hot soapy water. If the paints are water based, go straight to hot water.

03.12.2015 15:54

Paint brushes are one of the simplest, most affordable and popular tools for applying paints, varnishes, whitewash on various surfaces. Any brush usually consists of two parts: a handle (plastic or wooden) and bristles. At the same time, the bristles can be made both from natural materials and from polymer pile created using chemical technologies.

The modern assortment of brushes is extremely diverse. Natural bristles, which are used in paint brushes, perfectly hold and distribute paint and varnish compositions over the surface. Polymer bristles distribute paint over the surface somewhat worse and are more suitable for water-based emulsion formulations, but at the same time, polymer bristles are much better fixed and the likelihood of hairs on the painted surface is minimal.

Flutes (flat)

Flute brushes are a common, familiar to everyone, flat brush. Designed for applying various primers, enamels, varnishes on flat surfaces, pipes and other products. Professionals use flutes to post-finish freshly painted surfaces after the main paint job has been done with a coarser brush. A flat brush allows you to get the perfect coverage.

Flat brushes are presented in a wide range of widths and thicknesses. The larger the painting area, the wider the brush must be chosen. When painting various products that have a complex shape or consist of many elements, it is quite convenient to use several brushes of various sizes. The main advantage of flute brushes is their low cost, huge range, ease of use.

Radiator brushes are used for painting radiators in heating systems. The handles of these brushes have a precisely defined angle of inclination, which makes them incredibly convenient for painting remote and hard-to-reach surfaces. Otherwise, radiator brushes are similar to ordinary flat brushes: their bristles are made of natural bristles, which perfectly “hold” the coloring solution and ensure high-quality distribution.

Paneled brushes are designed for painting on small surfaces. Such brushes help to apply decorative patterns, thin strips of paint, paint over the joints of two different shades, and also draw the boundaries of the separation of colors or textures. It is also worth noting that a flat paneled brush is used with a paint ruler to apply clear lines 6-18 mm in size.

Paneled brushes have a small feature in their work: if you set too much paint on the bristles, such a brush can leave streaks. Therefore, each master must clearly monitor the amount of paint that captures the brush. Otherwise, these brushes have excellent characteristics, which are explained by the use of natural bristles, which perfectly hold the paint and evenly distribute it over the surface.

Maklovits are designed for work on large areas, such as ceilings, walls, floors. Such a tool is also used to perform work that does not require high aesthetic qualities, for example, priming surfaces, applying wallpaper paste, whitewashing, and the like.

Among the features and main characteristics of such brushes, it is worth highlighting the following:

• the shape of the brush can be rectangular or rounded;
• Maclovits have long handles, which makes it easier to work from a stepladder.

Fly brushes (round)

Rounded fly brushes are indispensable for painting walls, ceilings and other large surfaces. Such brushes are mounted on a long stick (telescopic rod) during operation, which allows you to quickly process large areas of the surface to be painted.

Fly brushes are made in the form of a large bundle of natural bristles, sometimes with the addition of artificial polymer fibers. The large size of the brush allows you to apply large strokes and shade the paint by moving the end surface of the beam. The main feature of such a brush is a pyramidal mount, which prevents the bristle bundle from rotating during operation. When choosing such a brush, it is necessary to take into account the length of the bristles, which often does not exceed 10 cm. The beam diameter can be from 5.5 to 8 cm.

Bast brushes are designed for preparatory work and whitewashing. With the help of such a brush, it is very convenient to wash whitewash, wash walls and ceilings before painting.
Bast brushes are made from linden bark, for which it is cleaned of knots and soaked in containers without air penetration. After that, the fibers are divided into thin identical strips and wound into a brush. Such a wicker product is very comfortable and holds solution or water well. The master in the process of work only has to monitor the volume of the collected solution, since its excess will form a lot of streaks.

Oval brushes are often classified as professional. They are made from natural bristles and have a rounded tuft that allows you to apply strokes in two directions. Such a brush is a versatile tool that combines 2 sizes at once for painting large surfaces and narrow places.

Oval brushes are made in an approximate ratio of 1:2. For example, the most common size is 50 * 25 mm, which allows you to replace 2 flat brushes with the corresponding width of the working part. Natural bristles perfectly absorb the paint and guarantee its uniform distribution over the surface. A variation of the oval brush is the ellipse brush, which is larger and works on larger surfaces.

Round brushes (handbrake)

Round brushes or handbrake brushes are used for painting or priming surfaces. Such brushes provide a large intake of paint and at the same time avoid unnecessary streaks, which makes this tool quite economical and convenient. Round brushes are suitable for working on flat surfaces.

Handrails are made from natural bristles, which makes it possible to work with any type of varnish or paint. When choosing such a brush, you only need to focus on the size, which is determined by the area of ​​​​the surface to be painted and the presence of bottlenecks on it.

Flat brushes (rakli)

Flat brushes (squeegees) should be chosen if necessary to apply an impregnating composition, primer or paint to a significant surface area.

The main feature of the doctor blade brush is a large internal space that can hold a significant amount of paint, which is then perfectly distributed over the surface. The design of the doctor blade prevents the formation of splashes in the work, so this brush allows you to get a perfectly smooth surface. Brushes of this type are produced from natural or artificial bristles and can be selected according to the width of the working part.

Paint brushes are used for applying primer, paint, glue, varnish. Of course, this can be done with any brush. But the question is the quality and complexity of application. Brushes are different for a reason. And they differ not only in price, but also in size, type of bristles, shape. Natural hair provides higher quality coverage, synthetic brushes are more durable. Depending on the type of work, one or another type of paint brush is chosen.

Flat brush (+ flat)

A flat brush is used for priming, painting and varnishing surfaces, especially if you want to get a smooth glossy surface. A flat brush is often called a flat brush, as it is used for flattening (smoothing) freshly painted surfaces - the brush allows you to remove traces of rough staining and paint streaks. For flattening use a dry brush, which level the paint. The work goes with the very tips of the hair, without pressure, in the opposite direction to the direction of applying the paint. The brush is periodically cleaned of paint. Brush width: 25 - 100 mm.

Radiator brush

This is a kind of flat brush, but on a long curved handle. With the help of a radiator brush, you can paint any hard-to-reach place, even through a narrow gap. For this reason, radiator brushes are used when painting heating radiators, outside and inside; pipes and corners; gaps between profiles. The width of the brush can be very different: from 20 to 150 mm.

Hand brush (handbrake)

The brush is round. Designed for painting and priming small surfaces. Before work, to maintain elasticity and shape, the brush is tied with twine, leaving a pile length of about 3-4 cm. The paint is collected in small portions, lowering the brush by 15-20 mm. As you work, the brush wears out, and the coils of twine are unwound, increasing the length of the pile. The brush size varies from 26 to 54 mm.

fly brush

This brush is also round, but larger than the handbrake. Therefore, it is convenient when working on large areas: walls and ceilings. With the help of a fly brush, you can prime, whiten and paint the surface. The handle of the brush is made hollow so that, if necessary, you can put it on a long handle. The fly brush is also tied up. Brush diameter: 60 - 65 mm.

Brush-brush

Like the flywheel, the maklovitsa is large. Its large area beam easily covers large areas. Like the flywheel, it can be extended with a long handle to increase performance. Maclovits are rectangular and round. They are used for applying aqueous solutions, but it is not suitable for oil paint. Brush size: 100 - 200 mm.

Panel brush

Designed for "jewelry" work: applying a narrow strip of paint (panels) and painting small hard-to-reach areas. Most of all, it resembles a large paint brush. Brush diameter: 6 - 18 mm.

All sizes

The size of the brush is also chosen in accordance with the tasks. Wide brushes are for large areas, narrow brushes are for small or narrow areas.


For this reason, for outdoor work on a large area, as well as for walls and ceilings indoors, brushes are taken 8-10 cm wide, for processing corners - 5 cm with beveled edges, for decorative details, window frames and skirting boards - 3-6 cm.

Repair is a long and very troublesome business, and in addition it is costly. Today, the choice of materials in hardware stores is huge, which means that the scope for imagination has no limits. Despite this, the paint never loses its relevance. Radiator batteries and pipes, wall panels - all this requires annual renewal. Therefore, you will have to be a little painter as well. To get the job done quickly and efficiently, you need good paint brushes. And, of course, you need to decide on the material. It can be varnish or enamel.

Goods for the painter

It can be difficult for the layman to imagine how many of them there really are. Paint brushes differ not only in size. And if until now you have used the only one to perform all types of work, then after reading the material everything will change. So:

• Flywheels (KM) - huge and fluffy, made of natural fiber with the addition of synthetics. I have a round shape and are widely used on large surfaces and for whitewashing. The diameter is about 60 cm, and the length of the hairs reaches 180 mm. They tolerate contact with any solvents, perfectly withstand temperature extremes and are not afraid of hot water.
• Maklovitsy (KMA) - often used to These are wide, rectangular brushes for paint, which are based on natural horsehair and nylon. This allows the coating layer to be evenly applied. Hair length 100 mm, used for applying adhesive or casein material.
• Handbrakes (KR). Small and round, they are great for covering windows or pipes. Consist of pure bristles and horsehair. The middle is empty so that you can accumulate paint.
• Paneled - very reminiscent of the paint brushes that we used in childhood, in drawing lessons. Diameter 6-8 mm, they are used to outline contours.
• Radiator.
• Paint Flat (KF) - wide and flat, made of nylon and badger hair, it is used to eliminate smudges.
• Synthetic flat (KP) - artificial. Inexpensive and functional, it is perfect as an assistant in repairs. They ideally apply formulations diluted with water. A universal option to paint any surface, and sizes can be selected.

Using different piles

Synthetics, at first glance, is an ideal option. It is cheap, works great on any surface, wear-resistant. In fact, painters know that quite a lot depends on the material chosen. Bristles made of natural materials absorb the composition well and evenly distribute it over the surface. It is slightly rough to the touch. But on some surfaces, it will leave villi, and the brush wears out quickly.

Synthetic paint tools are made of polymers and have a small thickness. They are excellent for applying water-intensive paints, since such hairs do not absorb the material. This is also justified from an economic point of view.

What do you need to know?

High-quality brushes have a number of properties, but the main functional element is the pile. The longer its length, the more composition the tool absorbs. Therefore, the less often you will need to dip it in the jar. The hairs are not always straight, which allows even better absorption and even treatment of the surface.

Not only the length is important, but also the elasticity of the hairs. If they are not flexible enough, then a large amount of material will remain on the pile. Another rule - the larger the surface area, the more voluminous the brush is. For ceilings and walls, wide, rectangular specimens are needed, and for tables and windows, small ones with various handles are needed.

So the same and so different

At first glance, it is very difficult to choose the best brushes for paint. What are, we have listed, but it did not become easier from this. But a professional consultant will certainly help. Today, for each type of work there is a special tool. There are kits for working with varnish based on synthetic resins, for painting with liquid wax or working with compositions based on water-based emulsion.

The main recommendations regarding the choice of brush are as follows. You need to be attached to the material with which you will work. Later, among the varieties with the desired pile, you will select those that fit in size. If you plan to do varnishing, then it is better to purchase a tool not with synthetic, but with natural hairs. It will be ideal for formulations that include a solvent. The secret is that these hairs have a porous structure and can absorb much more composition.

If you have to work with water-based compositions, then natural pile, on the contrary, is not recommended here. It will lose its shape after the first application. Synthetics absorb less paint, but manufacturers are doing everything to bring its functionality closer to natural.

How to clean a brush from paint?

After you have finished the work, you need to take care of the tools used. Someone thinks that they just need to be thrown away. But this is too wasteful. Much better to wash and save them. To do this, carefully wipe the brush on a paper or cloth towel. The more composition you can remove, the better the laundering process will be.

The second step is the use of a solvent. Do not forget that the choice should be made in accordance with the characteristics of the composition used.

• Brushes for watercolor and latex, that is, all that are produced on a water basis, are perfectly washed with plain water. The only rule is that they must not be allowed to dry out.
• White spirit allows you to cope with oil formulations.
• suitable for shellac.

The third step is to rinse again in water and pat dry with a towel.

For interior decoration and as a hobby

They are not always used only to cover the panel with an even layer. If you want to decorate your room with a bright image, then you need to choose the right paint brushes. The nylon tool is the best solution for artists who prefer acrylic. It is synthetic and comes in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. The main advantages are:

• Elasticity - the material from which the bristles are made does not break and is very flexible. This allows you to apply smooth and clear strokes. It is very convenient and perfect even for a beginner.
• Durability - if you take a natural bristle brush, you will quickly understand what the problem is. Painting and coating surfaces with acrylic involves the need to immerse the instrument in water. Therefore, the pile deteriorates and falls out. But the artificial one continues to serve.
• Easy to care for - nylon tools are very easy to clean from acrylic, which dries and crumbles. But a brush with natural bristles has a porous structure and is much more difficult to clean.

Rich choice

But which brushes for acrylic paints to choose for a particular job, you will have to decide directly on the spot. Flat, synthetic tools allow you to apply wide strokes due to the thick and long pile. Round - used for painting and painting. Oval synthetic are more often used in painting. They are close to flat in functionality, but change line thickness more easily. Contour brushes are flat, with short bristles. They are needed for applying small details and drawing.

Oil paint brushes

The main requirement for them is increased rigidity, which is due to the specifics of working with oil. A kolinsky pile tool is considered the best choice. The cost of kolinsky brushes is the highest of all, but the costs are offset by high performance properties. It is made from natural materials and pile. As a result, the brushes listen well, with their help you can not only apply an even layer, but also make a pattern or drawing. Unfortunately, the product from the column is very delicate. Even portrait painters note that it can not be used on all canvases. Flax, for example, will very quickly erase its delicate villi. Therefore, when carrying out repairs, most often for oil paint, combined brushes made of natural and synthetic bristles are taken.

Instead of a conclusion

As you can see, the choice is not as simple as it might seem. You will have to take into account the nature of the work to be done, its scale, as well as the coverage that needs to be updated. The material chosen as a coating will also play an important role. Therefore, first think over all the details, and then go to the store. Then success in a difficult task will definitely be ensured for you.