Cleaning brush after satin wood paint - and does Delux satinwood paint go lumpy?

[JP_]

Is it worth the hassle?
Bought a new brush yesterday to paint skirting boards and door in a room.
It will be a month before the next room is ready.
I tried washing with soap and water. Our of white spirit.
Is it worth spending time cleaning it, or just get another?

Also, does satin wood go lumpy after being opened? I opened a tin that was previously used in July and there were loads of small (5mm) lumps. No amount of mixing would make them go away. Decided to open another tin to do the door as I spent most the time removing the lumps from the skirting board.

 

[opps]

It would help if you told us if the paint is waterbased or oil based.

I buy decent brushes but I use them for a living. Oil based brushes are stored (indefinitely) in a Brushmate box and only cleaned when necessary.

Waterbased brushes are either bagged each night or washed each night.

You can use an old pair of tights to strain the eggshell.

 

[JP_]

I must get one of those boxes!
Just spent ages cleaning the brush I use for making shiny white wood (oil based Delux satinwood). I could do with a box like that!

 

[opps]

You might be better off with the Brushmate 4 box. Not only is it smaller it is also much cheaper.

I have only ever found one decent brush cleaner- the Dulux Trade Brush Cleaner and Renovator- unfortunately they stopped making it years ago.

I recently used the Zinsser brush cleaner- it was OK(ish) but the process had to be repeated several times.

Previously, I have even tried paraffin. It helped a bit but still wasn't as good as the Dulux Trade stuff.

 

[cwhaley]

Glad to hear about this storage box. I ruined a fantastic Harris cutting-in brush using Dulux Satinwood -- couldn't get the paint off it after using it for an hour or two.

 

[opps]

Glad to hear about this storage box. I ruined a fantastic Harris cutting-in brush using Dulux Satinwood -- couldn't get the paint off it after using it for an hour or two.

The brushmate 20 uses a bottle of BrushMate fluid, the Brushmate 4 uses a pad. The frequency with which you open the box and where you store it will determine how quickly the bottle or pad need replacing. I have both types of box, when the pad dries out, rather than buying a new pad, I just pour liquid from the bottle over the pad.

 

[foxhole]

For oil based I just leave covered in water [exludes air so brushes don't dry], for water based paint I always wash, overnight in bags allows a small amount of paint to dry and gradually builds up to make brush unusable.

 

[opps]

For oil based I just leave covered in water [exludes air so brushes don't dry], for water based paint I always wash, overnight in bags allows a small amount of paint to dry and gradually builds up to make brush unusable.

That's just dirty

I used to employ an old Old Skool decorator that use to store his brushes in engine oil. His disregard for his brushes was clear when you looked at the quality of his finish.

Sorry Foxhole, but how do you remove the water from the brush before using it again? I have never stored my oil based brushes in water but on the occasion that I have been working outside and the brush got wet, it completely changed the dynamics of the brush. The paints seemed thicker and dragged across the surface.

It's just wrong on so many levels.

Sorry mate, I appreciate and respect much of your advice but given that I try to provide my clients with a high quality finish, I could not do that if I were to store my brushes in water. I am more than happy to pay £8 for a BrushMate bottle which means my brush is slightly better than it was before I finished work.

 

[foxhole]

Oil and water don’t mix , brushes are hardly wet and a quick wrap in paper towel removes all traces of water.
Seen many professional decorators use this method , which is where I got the idea.