?? For house painters

[Randy C]

I'm going to start the major project of painting my house. Going to take advantage of the 40% off sale with Sherwin Williams.

They also have 30% off their painting supplies so I am going to pick up a couple of Purdy paintbrushes. I will buy a 3" brush but was wondering if I should also get a 4" as well.

I have a good bit of 8" lap siding and was thinking it might be best painted with a 4" brush. So what do you pro's think? Is it worth getting a larger brush?

Thanks

[srv52761]

I'm going to start the major project of painting my house. Going to take advantage of the 40% off sale with Sherwin Williams.

They also have 30% off their painting supplies so I am going to pick up a couple of Purdy paintbrushes. I will buy a 3" brush but was wondering if I should also get a 4" as well.

I have a good bit of 8" lap siding and was thinking it might be best painted with a 4" brush. So what do you pro's think? Is it worth getting a larger brush?

Thanks

No longer a “pro”.  I quit painting houses about 45 years ago.  But for about 5 years I was part of a team that painted about 10-15 houses a summer.  The 4” brush was our friend.  The idea is to transfer paint from your can or bucket to the walls and trim, then spread it.  The 4“ brush loads more paint.  It took more time to load the brush than to spread it, so whatever loads faster was the preferred tool.

[Philip1231]

Its all about the prep: clean it first with Jomax, then paint.

[R Clark]

Not a pro, but just got done paying the pros to do our place.  

The painters finished up our place on Thursday.  House and two outbuildings were cleaned, caulked, and painted.  We have 7" lap siding (cement fiber on two buildings and LP Smart Side on the third.  

3" or 4" brush for the lap?  After watching the crew every day for 14 working days, my answer would be, "Neither."  They sprayed every square inch of the main body on each building, and brushed/rolled all the trim and the gutters.  Only one of the crew sprayed, and I estimate that he spent a total of 2.5 of the working days actually spraying.  All of the rest of the time was spent in prep and then on trim.  So, about 20 hours on the sprayer out of 260+ labor hours expended.

After watching them closely, I can't imagine how much longer it would have taken to brush the siding; even longer because much of the work was done on ladders up to 28 feet in the air.  

In addition to being faster, I think the sprayer did a great job of getting an even finish on the paint.  Now, maybe that because he was a pro, but I still think I'd go after a sprayer.

[John Mihich]

Not a pro but have done about 1/2 dozen homes.  I spray it then brush it.  I use the biggest brush I can hold - really a 4".   I like the spray because I put the pain on the wood fast.  So when brushing it takes a lot less time.  The last two I had help.  My SIL did the spraying and I did the brushing.  Finished my house in a day - 3000 sq feet 2 story.

[srv52761]

Not a pro but have done about 1/2 dozen homes.  I spray it then brush it.  I use the biggest brush I can hold - really a 4".   I like the spray because I put the pain on the wood fast.  So when brushing it takes a lot less time.  The last two I had help.  My SIL did the spraying and I did the brushing.  Finished my house in a day - 3000 sq feet 2 story.

Spray and brush is what we did about 1/3 of the time.  Sprayer to apply the paint, then everyone brush it as quickly as we could.  Sprayers have improved in the last 45 years.  We had to thin the paint to spray it back then, and we could expect about 5 years or so.  Brushing was 10-15.  Usually the spraying was for realtors just trying to spruce it up before a sale. 

Equipment and materials have changed a lot.  Probably better to get more current opinions than mine.  
I repainted my first house. Complete scrape, sand, caulk, prime, two tone, all summer.  Vowed never again.  Next house... exterior polystyrene insulation board, house wrap, high quality vinyl siding.  Still looked great 29 years later when we sold it.

[K. L. McReynolds]

I'm going to start the major project of painting my house. Going to take advantage of the 40% off sale with Sherwin Williams.

They also have 30% off their painting supplies so I am going to pick up a couple of Purdy paintbrushes. I will buy a 3" brush but was wondering if I should also get a 4" as well.

I have a good bit of 8" lap siding and was thinking it might be best painted with a 4" brush. So what do you pro's think? Is it worth getting a larger brush?

Thanks

The pro painters I learned from always back brushed after spraying lap siding. Reason? Sprayer did not get enough paint in the cracks. That allowed water to wick up under the siding. Not much, but over time it would cause peeling. Amount of time for that? Years. But, their practice was to do the job to last the maximum amount of time.

[Splinter Puller]

I'm going to start the major project of painting my house. Going to take advantage of the 40% off sale with Sherwin Williams.

They also have 30% off their painting supplies so I am going to pick up a couple of Purdy paintbrushes. I will buy a 3" brush but was wondering if I should also get a 4" as well.

I have a good bit of 8" lap siding and was thinking it might be best painted with a 4" brush. So what do you pro's think? Is it worth getting a larger brush?

Thanks

I use a purdy 4" for siding and an angled sash brush for tight trim.

Keep the brush clean!  I would stop every two hours and clean it using a stiff brush for the ferrel and a brush comb for the bristles.  If you do, your expensive brush will last years.

general rule... half the strokes paint the lap and up and under... the other half paint the surface of the siding.

[Splinter Puller]

I'm going to start the major project of painting my house. Going to take advantage of the 40% off sale with Sherwin Williams.

They also have 30% off their painting supplies so I am going to pick up a couple of Purdy paintbrushes. I will buy a 3" brush but was wondering if I should also get a 4" as well.

I have a good bit of 8" lap siding and was thinking it might be best painted with a 4" brush. So what do you pro's think? Is it worth getting a larger brush?

Thanks

I use a purdy 4" for siding and an angled sash brush for tight trim.

Keep the brush clean!  I would stop every two hours and clean it using a stiff brush for the ferrel and a brush comb for the bristles.  If you do, your expensive brush will last years.

general rule... half the strokes paint the lap and up and under... the other half paint the surface of the siding.   Also, learn how to hold a brush properly.  You don't hold it by the handle.  you grip the metal with your fingers and thumb and let the handle fall on the web between your fingers and thumb.  The  brush should stay 90 degrees to the surface.

[K. L. McReynolds]

Speaking of clean brushes----I stop and clean the brush(water based paint) every so often. The frequency depends on the ambient temperature and sun exposure. Reason? The brush is designed to hold paint in the bristles so it can be applied. There is a built in well in the interior of the Purdy's(my choice, but is also in other good brushes) that holds paint. This paint can dry with use and is what causes the upper(more densely packed bristles) to harden. That reduces the ability of both paint retention and paint application of a brush. I have 30 year old Purdy's with paint on the handles, but the bristles are clean. 

It was a bit more difficult and expensive to clean oil based paint.  I use a three step cleaning---3rd use thinner first, 2d use next, and final with fresh thinner, decanting each batch into the next use container. Paint would precipitate out of each batch and be usable for the next cleaning.

Forgot----to cut in, especially on interior trim, I use a 1&1/2" tapered Purdy. The technique I was taught means no or very little taping is necessary. Dip the brush to get 1/2" to 3/4" of paint on the bristles. Then wipe the off side clean. The off side is the side you do not want to paint. That leaves paint only on the side you want paint applied. The off side changes as the brush orientation to the surface changes---so you need to stay aware. It seems that method takes longer, since the actual brush strokes are slower and more precise. But, the over all time is much less, since no tape application/removal is necessary.