How to Clean Pigment Brushes

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

Time

A few hours

Complexity

Beginner

Price

$20-50

Introduction

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

Tools Required

Materials Required

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

A Practiced Paint Job Starts With a Proficient Castor

One expensive paint castor is fashion improve than a handful of cheap brushes. Go a practiced nylon or polyester brush for painting with latex and a skilful natural (beast hair) bristle brush for oil paints. Don't apply a natural-bristle brush for water-based paints like latex. The natural fibers volition keen, lose their shape and eventually lose their strength, likewise. If y'all can't get the ownership information you need from a habitation center or hardware store, go to a retail paint store for help.

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Projection step-by-step (14)

Stride 1

Cleaning Water-based Finishes & Latex Pigment From Brushes

Scrape Off Excess Pigment

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

Step two

Wash the Brush In a Pail of Soapy Water

  • Piece of work the paint free of the bristles with your hands and a brush comb.

Step three

Spin the Brush In a Pail

  • Remove any remaining pigment and water.

Spin flammable solvents only in well-ventilated areas abroad from furnaces, pilot lights and electric devices of all kinds. Outdoors is all-time.

Step 4

Rinse the Bristles In a Pail of Make clean Water

  • Piece of work the bristles with your hand. After a few minutes, spin the brush again and then rinse information technology in another pail of clean water.

Step five

Wrap the Castor With Heavy Newspaper

  • Pre-fold the newspaper equally shown, so wrap it effectually the brush and tie it loosely with cord.
    • Pro Tip: This step is critical to retain the shape of the brush

Pace six

Cleaning Oil-based Varnishes & Paint From Brushes

When learning how to clean oil paint brushes always 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 outside. Don't always clean solvent-laden brushes around water heaters, stoves or any device with an open flame or potential electrical spark. Keep the solvents in proper, well-marked containers out of reach of children and pets.

Stride 7

Rinse the Brush Thoroughly in Pigment Thinner

  • Piece of work the bristles with your easily
    • Pro Tip: Wear chemic-resistant gloves, which are available at your hardware store or dwelling middle.
  • If necessary, use a brush comb to become rid of paint clinging to the castor.
    • Notation: This is less of a problem with oil paint than with latex.

Step viii

Spin the Brush for 10 Seconds

  • Employ a brush-and-roller spinner after nearly all the pigment solids are out of the brush.

Step ix

Dip Brush Into Make clean Paint Thinner

  • Work any remaining paint out of the bristles.
    • Pro Tip: Agitate the beard for at least ii minutes.

Pace x

Spin Brush a 2d Fourth dimension

  • Use a brush-and-roller spinner

Step eleven

Dip in Lacquer Thinner

  • Agitate the brush for nigh a infinitesimal to remove whatsoever remaining paint remainder;
  • Milk shake the brush onto newspaper to remove the lacquer thinner and residuum.

Lacquer thinner is extremely flammable—be sure to exercise this outside.

Step 12

Clean the Brush in a Bucket of Soapy Water

  • Use laundry or dish soap. Work the beard for only one infinitesimal.
    • Notation: Purists may not want to do this, especially with natural-bristle brushes, but a quick cleaning with h2o won't damage the bristles.
  • Spin the brush gratis of water and so shape the castor every bit shown in a higher place.

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

Pace 13

Cleaning Shellac-based Paint From Brushes

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

When using an ammonia solution:

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

Step 14

Reviving Petrified Brushes

If you lot find your paint brushes have petrified since the last time you used them, don't throw them away. Y'all can buy either of the brush cleaners shown below to dissolve the crusty difficult paint. However, choose carefully.

  • The solvent-based cleaner is great for whatsoever brush (natural or synthetic);
  • The h2o-based cleaner on the right is only expert for synthetic brushes.

Both solvents will remove hardened latex and oil-based pigment. The brushes must soak overnight (embrace the container on the left with foil in a well-ventilated expanse). If the pigment isn't softened after 24 hours, allow the brushes soak another twenty-four hours. Yous must suspend the brushes as shown or the bristles permanently bend as they soften and settle into the lesser of the jar.

One time the beard are supple, remove the brush and rummage abroad any solids.

  • If you're using the solvent-based cleaner, soak the brush again for an hr in a clean solution to remove any more than solids, and so follow the procedure for cleaning oil-based paint from brushes.
  • If using the h2o-based cleaner, wash the brush in soapy water and follow the directions for cleaning latex paint from a castor.