Just HOW does one clean a paint brush?

Comments applied to previous attempts posting to obtain assisstance, using brief descriptions.

I never thought of the glues in the particle board reacting with the paint, not bad. Second coat should NOT have that problem, but was actually worse. But, that might have been caused by waiting only 24 hours for the second coat, and the paint was not cured enough and IT reacted with the new paint.

Reply to
Robert Macy
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This spray was a miracle. I went from cursing and swearing and applying the latex so thick that it destroyed any details under the paint to being able to come back the next day and 'correct' things I didn't like - from drip run not noticed to "I didn't notice those brush strokes in that light until now" removal.

I started using it on everything. When I did a 15 x 18 ft hardwood floor with oil based finish, I could actually wet n dry sand using the spray as a 'wetting' compound and a single sheet of 220 was all it took for the whole floor, plus somehow the spray hardened the finish, so you could do 3 coats in less than a week.

I used the spray for wet n dry sanding the painted finish on a wood wall, and made it seriously look as smooth as formica. Then the wood grain would subtlely start to reacquire and the effect was exceptional.

Thanks for letting me know Walmart carries it. We have one less than 2 miles away, but they seem to have limited product selections, but I can order and pick up there! Also need Affresh Stainles Steel Cleaner, so now two products to get.

Possibly true on BOTH counts.

Next time I will NOT use detergent and will soak brush in distilled water.

Distilled water is a 'miracle' product, too. I can lean our bathroom mirrors [covered with those tiny splatters] in 20 seconds. Now do our house windows in less than a minute each. Ms. Macy hates stainles steel kitchen appliances and has delegated that to me, I found that using cheap paper towels [the kind with NO additives] and spray distilled water allows me to wipe dry the surfaces leaving them streak free!

I'm saving this posting in mny construction articles.

Two other thoughts came to mind

  1. Will there be a test next Friday?
  2. We don't want to learn too much else my head will explode - Calivn and Hobbes

Thank you again for the wealth of solid information.

Regards, Robert

Reply to
Robert Macy

  1. Dip brush into a solution of warm water and fabric softener.
  2. Extract the solution using a brush-spinner.
  3. Repeat.
  4. Rinse brush with tap water.
Reply to
HeyBub

Don't know, never had such an issue, but....first coat dissolved some glue which sucked water from the paint and kept it from curing. Second coat dissolved the glue/paint again with partially cured globs.

When latex paint first came out, my mom used it over wallpaper in a bedroom. The wallpaper shortly started coming off the wall...kind of like a Laurel & Hardy job...mom kept sticking it back up. Mom won (as usual) :o)

Reply to
Norminn

I built a brush rack from a wire coat hangar to hang the brush into a cut off 2 liter soda bottle bottom.

Don't have fabric softener, but could try Jet-Dri as the 'wetting' agent, right?

Reply to
Robert Macy

Your description sounds like exactly what happened. Because the paint out on true raw wood, or on a section of plastic trim did not exhibit any of these problems.

We used to use that Easy-Off Window Cleaner to remove stubbron OLD wall paper from the lathe and plaster walls. We're talking something like 4-6 layers of papers and a rented steamer just was a mess and humid. The window cleaner's compound just cut through the paper and down into the glues and the layers simply slid off the wall, but..left the glues intact, so there was still an icky clean up required.

Reply to
Robert Macy

On Thu, 4 Oct 2012 10:00:13 -0500, "HeyBub" wrote:

Any brush, pig bristle or polyester, will be difficult to clean if you load it up to the ferrule and allow the paint to gum up or dry inside. Latex will crack off polyester bristles after it thoroughly cures, and you can rub it out/off of the bristles unless you formed a dried brick of paint inside. Oil is less tolerant, and most dried paint inside the bristles is there forever. You can wire brush some out but you'll lose bristles. If you turn it into a brick, just throw the brush away. There's no magic "solvent" for dried paint inside a brush. Well, there might be, but I've never seen them used. For me even a good brush wouldn't be worth using strong solvents to salvage it. Probably degrade the bristle quality. Brush care/cleaning goes hand-in-hand with painting technique. Here's what I say/do. Use a quality flagged brush. Don't load it heavily or apply too much pressure when stroking. That's easily said, but never works through the entire job. But try. When/if the paint soaks the bristle 2/3 of the way to the ferrule, STOP PAINTING AND GO CLEAN THE BRUSH. Pros can stretch this because they're pros and work fast. But mortals should be more careful. I've cleaned many brushes early to mid job, oil and latex. Only takes a few minutes. Never spun a latex or oil brush. With oil, brush the cleaning spirits out a couple times firmly on newspaper or wood or even a rag, flexing the brush. With latex just rub the bristles under a running faucet. Okay, there it is. I've cleaned a LOT of brushes, and also worked house-painting with my brother, a long time pro painter, who taught me what I said. I know the SOB would argue about it though. Always roll if you can, but sometimes you need a brush. I've got 6-7 hanging on pegs. One good pig bristle is hard inside, so I don't always follow my own advice. I'll toss it. When I painted more with oil I had 2 covered coffee cans of thinner under a workbench for a 2-step brush cleaning process. BTW, if allowed to set a few days, that dirty thinner will get crystal clear and you can pour it into a new can. Toss the old can with the settled paint.

Reply to
Vic Smith

Yep, that's the exact same method I use as well, except I like to use warm water for the cleanup. Been using the same latex brush for over a decade now (a Purdy*, of course), and aside from paint splatters on the handle it still performs like new.

*While it is a Purdy, it was one of their "seconds" that the local paint store sold at a sizeable discount. I'll be damned if I can find anything wrong with it, though.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

clipped

My method for wallpaper is to "cut" the surface (vinyl or otherwise) with very coarse sandpaper, going across the wall. Spray with warm water, soak a while (generally a cig and cuppa coffee), spray, soak, then start peeling and scraping. It is technically primitive, very messy but it works. New house only has a couple of borders.

One of the very ungliest homes I have ever seen (images on line) had red and green wallpaper and border in EVERY FREAKING ROOM...different papers above/below. It would take a strong person about 20 years to get rid of it. Next ugliest thing, which seems to be a huge seller, is overstuffed, furry sofa/love seats. Nasty :o)

Reply to
Norminn

clipped

Lots of good advice. I used to suspend brush in coffee can of mineral spirits...cut an "X" in the plastic lid, stick brush handle up through the "X", put enough m.s. in can to keep bristles wet. For overnight it is good for keeping the paint solvent and out of ferrule. I've re-used m.s. many times, using your method, for clean-up. Works great for paint remover (first coats) until p.r. becomes too thick to spread.

I've used paint remover to get old, hard paint out of brushes (not good brushes). If nothing else, I can use the brush for junk or for paint removal. Chip brushes have gotten expensive :o)

Reply to
Norminn

Excellent advice, especially the part about using a cleaned (or clean) brush when the initial one starts to get gummy.

Another alternative is to use a cheap brush - on those areas where you can get away with it, such as the first coat or primer - and toss the brush in the trash when done. Serviceable brushes can be had at Harbor Freight for less than a dollar. Heck, the price for thirty-six 2" chip brushes is thirty-cents each!

Reply to
HeyBub

Another alternative is to use $10 brushes and toss them in the trash when done. In light of the cost of paint, and the significant labor involved in painting, throwing out a medium quality brush doesn't bother me at all.

Reply to
Smitty Two

I've got a mess of foam brushes, and use them for small jobs. If the paint levels well, they work fine. My wife does most the painting, and she uses edging pads, and foam corner rollers. But I'll make sure one of us tapes next go-around because I put up new varnished door trim and crown molding. Tape works best for a clean line and no paint on the woodwork.

Reply to
Vic Smith

Robert,

To clean brushes after using water based paints or stains, I simply use a small container of water. I put a few inches of water in the container, then swish the brush in a circular motion (pressing against the bottom of the container, as if painting the bottom of the container). When the water looks dirty, I dump it, refill with clean water, and repeat as many times as necessary until the water is no longer dirty from the circular swishing. Then I take it out in an open area and with an overhand slinging motion I sling out as much water as possible. Finally, I dry the outside of the brush with a paper towel, and store it in the original package so it doesn't dry out.

For oil based stains, polyurethane, etc. I use the same procedure above except I use mineral spirits instead of water (refer to the "clean up" instructions on your paint or stain to see which solvent you should use, most of the time it's mineral spirits).

I have a couple different brushes that have lasted me a few years. But, if I'm working on a new project, especially polyurethane on a new piece of furniture, I'll simply go out and buy a new quality brush for the project.

In many cases, such as the final coat of poly on a project, disposable foam brushes work better than bristle brushes anyway.

In your case, I'm better the old paint was causing problems more than the brush cleaning techniques.

Take care,

Anthony Watson Mountain Software

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Reply to
HerHusband

HF chip brushes shed. Badly. Pulling bristles out of paint is a PITA.

Reply to
krw

I rinse mine under running water for a few minutes, then dunk them in water with dish detergent for a few hours. Rinse and set aside to dry. Works well, except for the brushes I've used all day. It still works but some paint dries on the bristles.

I use disposable brushes. The cost of the mineral spirits exceeds the cost of the brush.

I like foam brushes for poly, too. Spraying would be better but I haven't gotten that far, yet.

??

Reply to
krw

Tried that, works great! I even got really lazy and didn't do a thing but hang the wet brush in water for overnight storage and the next day just shook it out ready to use.

I found that one of the water based cleaning compounds reacted badly with the Glidden paint. The same solvent is great for Dunne Edwards, but for some reason reacts with Glidden. Turns it instantly to 'cottage cheese' crumbs. Avoid that solvent and not had crumbs again.

Still fighting their gummy paint though. Even added Floetrol to make it work better, doesn't. Still get those irritating lines being drawn by the individual bristles in the brush. But at least this project is a kitchen pantry and don't care about appearance quite so much.

Reply to
Robert Macy

I use disposable brushes for things that don't need a good finish. Applying protective coatings that get sanded or covered up later, and that sort of thing. I haven't been very happy with them for final paint or stain coats.

I use disposable drinking cups to clean my brushes. A mason jar or any narrow container wide enough to accommodate the brush would work well too. I only add enough mineral spirits to reach the bottom of the ferrule. If I am using and cleaning the brush multiple times over a few days (typical when finishing a project), I can usually reuse the same mineral spirits two or three times before I have to dump it. (I usually set it aside several days until it "gums" up from the finish and I can just toss it in the trash)

A can of mineral spirits normally lasts me for a few different projects, and is usually cheaper than buying a new brush each time. It really depends on the project. Most of the stuff I build is fairly utilitarian and doesn't need a showroom finish (shop cabinets and whatnot). For pieces I am more concerned with, I just buy a new brush.

I haven't sprayed poly either, other than the rattle can variety on a few rare projects. Most of the time I can brush on poly in less time than it would take to set up a sprayer and clean it afterward. Not to mention, my air compressor isn't really up to par for spraying purposes.

Anthony Watson Mountain Software

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Reply to
HerHusband

Thanks, I tried only water and dish soap, seems to have solved the problem.

I once took one of those variable air brush and used it to spray on Zinssner(sp?) primer. Wow! now THAT was a flat finish. Oh, this was for the French Doors in our home that lined the sunporch entry. Over

80 little frames to do. Air brush was incredibly quick for all that trim.
Reply to
Robert Macy

Robert,

Unlike a self-leveling finish like polyurethane, I don't think you'll ever avoid the brush marks with most paints. Ironically, some people pay more for cabinets that have that "hand painted" look (with the brush strokes instead of mass production spraying).

Anthony Watson Mountain Software

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Reply to
HerHusband

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