How to Clean Pigment Brushes

Cleaning tips for paint brushes, whether yous're using latex-, oil- or shellac-based paint.

Time

A few hours

Complexity

Beginner

Price

$20-l

Introduction

Practiced paint brushes are worth the money, whether you're painting with latex, oil or shellac. Here'due south how the pros clean upwards their expensive paint brushes. Plus, we included some tips at the end for reviving your petrified paint brushes.

Tools Required

Materials Required

  • Denatured alcohol
  • Household ammonia
  • Lacquer thinner
  • Newspaper
  • Paint thinner

A Good Pigment Job Starts With a Adept Brush

One expensive paint brush is mode better than a handful of inexpensive brushes. Go a adept nylon or polyester brush for painting with latex and a skilful natural (brute hair) bristle brush for oil paints. Don't apply a natural-bristle brush for water-based paints like latex. The natural fibers will swell, lose their shape and somewhen lose their forcefulness, also. If yous can't get the ownership information yous need from a habitation center or hardware store, become to a retail paint shop for assistance.

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Project stride-by-step (xiv)

Step ane

Cleaning H2o-based Finishes & Latex Paint From Brushes

Scrape Off Excess Paint

  • Apply the rim of a can and then work some of the paint onto newspaper before cleaning in soapy h2o.

Step 2

Wash the Brush In a Pail of Soapy Water

  • Work the paint free of the bristles with your easily and a castor rummage.

Step three

Spin the Brush In a Pail

  • Remove any remaining pigment and water.

Spin flammable solvents only in well-ventilated areas away from furnaces, pilot lights and electrical devices of all kinds. Outdoors is best.

Step four

Rinse the Bristles In a Pail of Clean Water

  • Work the bristles with your mitt. After a few minutes, spin the brush again and and then rinse it in some other pail of clean water.

Step 5

Wrap the Brush With Heavy Paper

  • Pre-fold the paper as shown, then wrap it around the castor and tie information technology loosely with string.
    • Pro Tip: This step is disquisitional to retain the shape of the brush

Step 6

Cleaning Oil-based Varnishes & Paint From Brushes

When learning how to clean oil paint brushes e'er piece of work in a well-ventilated area when cleaning brushes in solvents such as paint thinner, lacquer thinner, alcohol and ammonia. In fact, it's best to work exterior. Don't ever clean solvent-laden brushes around water heaters, stoves or any device with an open up flame or potential electrical spark. Keep the solvents in proper, well-marked containers out of attain of children and pets.

Step 7

Rinse the Brush Thoroughly in Paint Thinner

  • Work the bristles with your hands
    • Pro Tip: Article of clothing chemical-resistant gloves, which are available at your hardware store or home center.
  • If necessary, use a brush comb to get rid of paint clinging to the brush.
    • Note: This is less of a problem with oil paint than with latex.

Step 8

Spin the Brush for ten Seconds

  • Use a brush-and-roller spinner after nearly all the paint solids are out of the castor.

Step 9

Dip Brush Into Clean Paint Thinner

  • Piece of work any remaining paint out of the beard.
    • Pro Tip: Agitate the bristles for at least two minutes.

Pace ten

Spin Brush a Second Time

  • Use a brush-and-roller spinner

Stride 11

Dip in Lacquer Thinner

  • Agitate the brush for most a minute to remove whatever remaining paint residue;
  • Milkshake the brush onto newspaper to remove the lacquer thinner and remainder.

Lacquer thinner is extremely combustible—be sure to do this exterior.

Step 12

Make clean the Brush in a Bucket of Soapy Water

  • Use laundry or dish soap. Work the bristles for only one minute.
    • Note: Purists may not want to exercise this, particularly with natural-bristle brushes, but a quick cleaning with h2o won't damage the bristles.
  • Spin the castor gratuitous of water and then shape the castor as shown above.

Pro Tip: Don't dump the paint thinner when you're finished. Let the paint solids settle to the lesser of the jar, then pour off the rest into a make clean container. Allow the solids dry outdoors and so dump them in the trash for landfill or chancy waste. Call your local trash service for proper disposal.

Pace thirteen

Cleaning Shellac-based Pigment From Brushes

Cleaning clear shellac varnish or pigmented shellac paints requires a different solvent than does latex and oil. Yous must utilise denatured alcohol or an ammonia household cleaner.

When using an ammonia solution:

  • Mix it with warm h2o at twice the forcefulness recommended for cleaning floors;
  • Rinse the brush in lukewarm water, and spin and wrap it (as shown above);
  • When using denatured alcohol, follow the same steps equally for the oil-based paint cleanup, but use alcohol instead.

Pace 14

Reviving Petrified Brushes

If you lot discover your pigment brushes accept petrified since the last time you used them, don't throw them abroad. Yous can purchase either of the brush cleaners shown below to dissolve the crusty hard paint. However, cull advisedly.

  • The solvent-based cleaner is dandy for any brush (natural or synthetic);
  • The water-based cleaner on the correct is only proficient for constructed brushes.

Both solvents volition remove hardened latex and oil-based paint. The brushes must soak overnight (encompass the container on the left with foil in a well-ventilated surface area). If the paint isn't softened after 24 hours, permit the brushes soak another day. You must suspend the brushes as shown or the bristles permanently bend every bit they soften and settle into the lesser of the jar.

Once the bristles are supple, remove the castor and comb away any solids.

  • If you're using the solvent-based cleaner, soak the brush again for an 60 minutes in a make clean solution to remove whatsoever more solids, then follow the procedure for cleaning oil-based paint from brushes.
  • If using the water-based cleaner, wash the brush in soapy water and follow the directions for cleaning latex paint from a brush.