Paint Brush Buying Guide: What Type of Paint Brush Or Roller Do I Need?

Taking on a home decoration project is a big task, so it’s important to ensure you’re properly equipped with the best tools to get the job done. Paint brushes and rollers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so choosing the right one makes your job easier, maximizing paint success. Whether you’re varnishing a wooden decking or touching up your bedroom skirting boards, there’s a perfect paint brush out there for you. Read our paint brush buying guide to make sure you’ve got the right brushes and rollers for painting and achieve your home makeover.

What are the different types of paint brushes?

Before you even start your painting job, you will be faced with a vast selection of different types of paint brushes, each designed for different jobs and purposes. Finding the right paint brush for you can seem a bit overwhelming, so here are the most common types of paint brushes, what they’re best for and when you might need them.

Natural bristle paint brush

Natural bristle paint brushes are exactly what they say on the tin. These brushes have bristles made from natural materials, usually animal hair, such as hog or horse hair.

Natural bristle brushes are best for solvent-based paints, as their structure means they pick up and hold the paint well and provide a fine finish. However, natural bristle brushes have to be ‘broken in’ so if you’re doing a one-off project, it may be best to avoid these.

Synthetic or acrylic paint brush

These are paint brushes with acrylic or synthetic bristles, usually made from nylon, polyester or other synthetic materials. Synthetic brushes are best for oil-based paints and give a smooth, clean finish. Acrylic brushes are also recommended as the best kind of wood stain, varnish or gloss paint brush.

If you’re looking for an all-purpose paint brush that works well for everything, synthetic is the way to go. You can also find all-purpose paint brushes that have a mix of natural and synthetic bristles, which provide a good finish with all paint.

Angled or edging paint brush

Angled or edging paint brushes have bristles cut diagonally, designed for cutting in and painting angled surfaces or edges. They’re also referred to as sash paint brushes as they’re often used on trim, for example sash windows, skirting boards, sills etc.

Sash paint brushes are ideal for cutting in, the motion of painting a straight line to separate two paint colours without the aid of masking tape or any other tools. This is often done between wall and ceiling, or to paint borders or edges of your walls. Cutting in is tricky to nail and requires absolute precision, which is much easier to achieve with a cutting in paint brush.

You can find different types of cutting in paint brushes, such as an oval paint brush, that has bristles cut in an oval shape to help give even coverage on angled or profiled surfaces.

Masonry brush

Masonry brushes are generally designed for applying masonry paint to exterior surfaces, such as brickwork or render. They’re wider than standard brushes, so they can hold more paint and give a strong, full coverage.

Lining fitch paint brush

A lining fitch paint brush is a type of small paint brush designed to get into nooks and crannies, such as around plug sockets or pipework.

They are also called touch-up paint brushes as they’re best for fine and fiddly jobs.

Long handled paint brush

Long handled paint brushes are simply brushes with a longer handle, designed to give you better grip, mobility and reach for high or hard to reach areas.

Ceiling paint brushes are often long handled and wider than regular brushes, to provide good coverage on flat, wide surfaces.

Paint rollers

You’ll be glad to hear that there’s a smaller variety of paint rollers than paint brushes. If you’re undertaking a big paint job, rollers are the easiest and quickest way to cover large surfaces.

Paint rollers come in different length piles, which means the length of the hair of the rollers. Generally, short pile rollers are best for flat, smooth surfaces, while long pile rollers are better for textured, rough surfaces. Medium pile rollers are good all-purpose rollers and tend to be effective for most walls. Foam rollers are another type of paint roller. These are best for dealing with gloss or varnish paint, especially if you’re painting a large surface and don’t want to opt for a small gloss paint brush.

And there we have it, our guide to buying the best paint brushes and rollers for the job at hand. Share your renovations with us @Homebase_UK and explore our Ideas & Advice hub for more DIY tips and inspiration.