How To Properly Care for Your Painting Tools
Let’s talk about some tips to take care of your painting tools. If you want to do an excellent painting job, we suggest you invest in quality tools and supplies. Apart from this, it would help if you also took care of your painting tools, such as paint brushes, rollers, and other supplies. If you don’t take care of them properly, they will not stand the test of time. This article shares tips to help you take care of your painting tools. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Wrap and freeze your paint rollers
Although you can clean your paint roller, it is not worth the effort. However, if you want to keep using the roller for a day or two, you can use it without cleaning it repeatedly. In this case, you don’t need to take the hassle of cleaning it.
All you need to do is squeeze excess paint into your paint bucket and then wrap your roller in an aluminium foil. Afterwards, you can put the roller in your freezer. If you follow this approach, you can use the roller many days.
If you wrap it up correctly, you can use it the next day without storing it in your freezer. The good thing is that you can use this approach for rollers that you will use with latex or oil paints.
Get the most out of your roller frames
After a paint job, you don’t just need to clean your rollers and brushes. The cleaning job involves cleaning your roller frames as well. Once you have completed your painting job, remove the roller cover to prevent it from sticking to the frame.
It’s better to go for a roller frame that you can easily set apart. In addition, this type of roller is easier to clean than regular rollers. Another advantage of this roller type is that they stand the test of time, saving you plenty of time for years to come.
Go for tray liners
Tray liners are useful for any painting job, especially if you want to make your painting job easier and save money simultaneously. You don’t need to buy new paint trays for your paint rollers. All you need to do is invest in good-quality plastic tray lines.
Clean your brushes properly
You don’t have to spend a lot of effort cleaning your brushes. However, you can get the most out of these tools if you learn to clean your brushes properly. The right approach is to rub your brush on the ceiling, wall or old newspapers to get rid of as much paint as possible.
Afterwards, you can wipe the rest of the paint from your paintbrush using an absorbent rag. This approach is reasonably practical. Again, the idea is to clean the bristles as much as possible.
Use the correct solvent to soak the rag and wipe the brush bristles again. For this purpose, you can go for water, alkyd or paint thinner. Water is a good solvent if you want to clean latex. If you do this carefully, you can wipe almost all the paint from the brush.
Once again, rinse your paintbrush in water or another type of solvent and wipe the bristles. Finally, fill up a bucket with water and mix it with dishwashing soap. Now, use this mixture to wash your brushes.
Use jackets to Store your brushes
Generally, paint brushes are packaged in a sturdy cardboard brush jacket. It’s not a good idea to discard this jacket. Instead, you can use this jacket to preserve and store your brush.
Treat a crusty brush
If you want to remove dry paint from your paintbrush, you can use vinegar. All you need to do is place your brush in a container of white vinegar and let it simmer for a few minutes. Next, rinse the bristles with fresh water and clear the rest of the particles using a brush comb. Finally, you can hang the brush to dry.
Soften the stiff bristles
The problem with natural-bristled paintbrushes is that their bristles can become stiff even if you clean them carefully. If you want to soften the stiff bristles of your paintbrush, you can try this approach. Here is what you can do.
Prepare a mixture of 15ml of hair condition and 475ml of warm water. Now, soak your paintbrush in this mixture to soften the bristles.
Keep a stir stick handy
It’s a good idea always to keep a stir stick handy. Then, all you need to do is wipe the sticks after each use.
In short, you can follow these tips to take care of your painting tools and make them last longer. APA Painters and Decorators can help you cost-effectively paint your home.
