10 Useful BEGINNER Tips for Using a PAINTBRUSH!! 

Dang it. I've been holding the bristled end and painting with the wooden end. Thanks so much!

I just have to say, your sarcasm is exactly on my level and it makes your videos so much more amazing

One of the 1st things I was taught by my mentor when I began my decorating career in the 50s was never to wipe a loaded brush on the rim of a paint can,I was taught to tap a loaded brush on either side of the paint kettle/container.The reason I was given was that if you wipe a loaded brush on the rim you are removing the paint you have just loaded whereas if you tap the side of the kettle the paint remains in the loaded brush

Mike's Painting Service - A good general video for beginners. Respectful tips: Don't scrape the brush on the side's of the can. Dip the brush about 3/8" inch, then tap it on the inside to load the brush with paint. Scraping will eventually start curling the brush hairs also. When applying, instead of painting completely straight with your line, try about a 30 degree angle, and get your brush hairs cutting a perfect line. Righty's usually go from left to right, and lefties the opposite. I use those hand held paint pots with liner's....the best. The term is, "Picture Framing." Don't make your paint line too wide, or you will see it when you roll the rest out. In a bathroom, you should prime it first, because of the high moisture. I use "Gripper." There are also oil base sealers, but they take longer, but work excellent. But over-all Ben, as usual...good job. I watch your video's every day, and learn.

I’ve done all my own painting for years and had picked up on most of what you said through trial and error and experience. One thing I never knew though, was to wet your brush first. I always thought a brush had to be completely dry. And now that I know that it’s ok to wash your brush mid- job, my cleanups will be MUCH easier. Thanks.

A journeyman painter here. Thanks for the good video, I guarantee that beginners will not notice your hand position for holding a brush and just grab it with a fist, with the wood end downward by their little finger instead of upward through their index and thumb. I do a lot of different faux and scenic techniques and I always tell my apprentices to always look at how the instructor is holding the tool first! I use a "safety bucket" when up on ladders. That is, a 5 gallon empty bucket suspended by a hook from the holes in the top of the ladder. Then I put my paint can (even full) and tools in the bucket. Care is needed when moving the ladder but you can always nudge it along, if you need to move or flip the ladder, just unhook it. It is also important to always have a wet rag in one hand. And ALWAYS have your solvent (appropriate for your product) on hand. If you are using shellac based primer, then always have Denatured Alcohol, if using oil paints, then have mineral spirits, etc. KNOW your solvents. And never rinse paint of any kind, regardless of the small amount into a sink that leads to a septic system.

This is painting science, and this is a graduate-level class! Really good how-to stuff!

Pro Tips: I was a painter for awhile and have done a lot of my own home reno painting. I was taught to never wipe the brush on the paint can lip. You're scraping all the paint off that you want to deliver to the wall, and I was told it causes the brush to lose it's shape and get fuzzy. As shown, use a can with only an inch or two of paint. Dip the brush and quickly slap it back and forth a couple of times on the sides of the can (inside the can). This fluffs up the brush, charging the INSIDE of the brush with paint and leaves less paint on the outside of the brush to drip. The paint inside the brush is much less likely to drip off than paint hanging on the outside. You can heavily charge the brush and it won't drip, at least for a few seconds while you're moving the brush to the wall. Then if you're doing detailed work like cutting, and your newly charged brush looks like it might drip, "dump" part of the load of paint along the the line you are about to paint, i.e. just quickly dab it or brush it to put the excess paint aside for a moment while you start the cut. Then you can pick up that extra paint while moving along the cut line without going back to the can. If you're using latex/acrylic paint (which is pretty much all that is used now), don't try to do all the cutting in a room first, and then do the rolling. The cutting paint will start to dry after a few minutes and will skin over or dry enough to leave edge lines, brush marks, as VC showed in the video. I cut as much as I can reach from my stool, and then roll that area, then cut the next area, and roll that area. Another important thing when painting is to learn do the 'painter's shuffle'. When moving around the room that has open paint cans, open paint trays etc on the floor, if you need to move your feet and when you're looking up and can't watch where you are stepping, you gingerly SLIDE your feet like a ballerina, so you don't step into or kick over a paint tray or bucket.

My father, who was a professional painter, taught me your cutting methods. I had to watch to see if you were doing it to the quality expectations he had for me. You were. He taught me in the 1950's and watched over to ensure I was doing it correctly. Same thing with rolling the wall. There was the wrong way to roll and the way he learned in his trade school after he returned after WWII. Thanks for continuing the fine tradition. He would have approved. He also taught me the correct way to wallpaper a room. He was a master and did papering and murals in numerous lovely homes in our hometown.

Great teacher.... love the video.... the kid is sharp and motivating.. As a long time painting contractor i was taught many years ago not to use a paint can to paint out of, instead use a paint pot.... also never wipe the brush but instead load it and tap it on the side of the pot to maximize the load... Lastly on the ceiling cut sometimes its good to lay on an underline of paint about an inch below where you cut then cut. As the brush travels it picks up the underline and distributes more evenly.

I work in construction and decorators always seem to be at the bottom of the pile, earning the least, and yet, it's these guys that actually makes any job look the way it does. No one, walks into a finished job and says, 'wow, the first fix electrics look's amazing'. A brilliant decorator i know can paint one wall in black, the other in white, and the join where they meet is bullet straight, and he does it in seconds. Absolute perfectly straight. You try it. These guys need way, way more credit.

I'm not a beginning painter, but I still learned a few things from this video. He's a good teacher, not repetitive like some.

This tips are a life saver. My business can’t open because the painters and carpenters can’t paint these custom cubbies. Tonight I do it myself 👍

Cleaning your brush every hour or so is great advice.

This is way more helpful as you actually showed different ways, the pros and cons of these ways, and how to get a good job done. Thanks for sharing these tips!

At 79 years old, I actually believe I can follow your instructions and paint my little guestroom before my guest arrives in a few weeks! I really like the little painters stool you use. I will get one of those those. Thanks!

You make me so happy, because I am self taught and I do exactly what you do...my husband yells at me all the time for not taping, even tho I tested him to see if he could tell which wall was taped and he failed. I am making him watch this video. 👍

I love this guy. He is so smart. So genuine and so charming. This is the reason why youtube exists. No other reason. Keep making videos and keep those trolls away my good mate. Cheers.

I have been painting for almost 30 years and for the first time watched someone on RU-vid paint the same way I do. Great instruction!

I always slightly thin out the paint and/or primer because I don't want to cover up any texture on the wall or ceiling. I always clean the walls and ceiling prior to painting. I always use primer prior to painting, about 2 light coats. I don't use paint with primer. Use quality paint, quality primer, quality brushes. I never use a roller. When you learn to cut you don't need any paint tape. When painting or priming, I will wash my brush about every 30 to 45 minuets with a very light solution of hair shampoo an warm water and use a painting brush comb. Once the job is done I wash my brush(s) with shampoo, warm water and hair conditioner and comb out any dried paint on the bristles. I'm extremely picky about painting! My brushes are old with soft and well shaped bristles.

Thank you for those excellent tips. Appreciate the water on the new brush for water based paint 🎉

You're a fantastic teacher! I'll be using many of your tips in my upcoming renos. Thanks a bunch!

I use hair conditioner on my brushes every few uses. It helps restore the bristles to like new. It also helps release the paint when cleaning them out.

Personal preference: I usually carry 3 or 4 of the same brushes, and use each for about an hour before soaking them in an inch of water in a bucket. Rotate as needed. At the end of the day I rinse brushes with an outdoor garden hose, never in anyone’s sink.

Hey Ben, As someone who doesn't do this for a living but does do a lot of this in my homes. We just bought a house that needs a lot of painting. Your tips and tricks have definitely helped working with patching and working with mud. Thank you!

I am thanking you BIG TIME for your videos which have educated me immensely. You present techniques and tips simply and coherently. I was updating 2 rooms in a 100 year old section of our house, which included weeks of paint stripping and staining some key wood elements in our Kraftsman house and painting walls and the MANY window and door frames in these rooms. It is almost finished (awaiting insulation installation this week), but I watched so many of your videos for this major project that my husband got tired of hearing my lauds about you and your channel. Big gratitude to you! Keep on doing these videos for us DIYers with frugal husbands who are unwilling to hire for jobs their wife learned how to do from you!!!

Thank you so much for doing this video. I've watched a bunch by other painters and you're the only one who explains what's he's doing and why and shows us. So helpful.

Hello! Thank you for all your instructional videos. After watching a few videos I realized I wasn’t using nearly enough mud to get the job done efficiently. You’ve saved me so much time thank you!

I learned something new today! Never knew about wetting the brush prior the job. Thanks so much!!🌸

"You gotta feather that edge." Insert heart-eyed smiley face here.

Cute. Thanks for a great video and for leaving that paint in my sink

That last tip is actually the tip I was hoping for. Washing your brush about every hour. I have found my brush getting so saturated if painting for long time. Thank you. That is when a brush 'spinner/dryer' would really be helpful.

Veteran painter here. Good tips especially the wetting of the brush. However after wetting you need to spin out the water by hand or by knocking against your shoe for instance. Also, the cut-in bucket grip is essential, you just cannot drop a bucket with the pro-grip. Here's a tip; instead of swiping the brush against the rim of the cut-in bucket, press it against the inner wall of the bucket, then swipe just one side of the brush. The swipe is used mostly to straighten the bristles. Here's another tip: about 20 years ago I discovered that a Folgers plastic coffee container grips a 2 1/2" brush just like the magnet in your commercial bucket. Snap it into the grip area of the Folgers container, it's pretty good in a pinch. Usually I lay the paint on 1/2" from my target, then move that paint 1/4" closer, then into the edge with a tilted backwards swipe and finish with a light forward swipe. Cleaning up in the customer's sink and leaving a mess is always a good move.

perfect, pointer i like to use my pinky to keep my cut in steady. and i've never heard anyone agree with me or explain word for word as i do keep doing you

Great tips, just about to start my kitchen and hallway, perfect timing. Stay safe stay well

I've been a painter for almost 40 years now and I can say that we have the same process for painting. One thing different is that I wet my walls first by splashing a bucket of water and then pour paint over my body and roll over the walls meticulously.

Thanks for the video. I have learned a lot of painting by experience. I use only rollers big and small ones depending on size of the areas. For edges with different colors i use painter's tape and then use thick coats on small roller's edges, the texture is super smooth but that's just my preference. For areas i cannot get rollers in, i use brushes.

Thanks for making the video, I enjoyed it! A HUGE yes to buying quality brushes. I used mainly Sherwin Williams brushes for most of my pro career, but have since also used the better Purdy and Wooster brushes, and most recently Corona brushes (I cut in with either a 2.5 or 3.5 angled sash). Good quality brushes perform better, and if you take care of them last almost forever (I have several Sher Will brushes that are over 30 years old and still work great). YES to cleaning your brushes throughout the day. I use a small length of 2"X10", a wire brush, dish detergent (Palmolive, Dawn, whatever), warm water and a brush comb. If I'm storing the paintbrushes long-term, I spray the bristles with WD-40, comb it in with the brush comb, and put it in the shaper. The WD-40 carrier evaporates, leaving a light film on the bristles that helps keep them soft. YES, to tapping the brush on the inside of your cutting can rather than scraping the sides on the top edges. Tapping the brush gets rid of the excess paint but keeps the brush fully loaded for maximum efficiency. YES to coating wooden brush handles with urethane so they're easier to clean. YES to dampening your brushes before using them (although I don't always do that). However, if I pre-wet them, I get almost ALL the water out by spinning them between my hands before I use them (otherwise the water will run down off the brush onto your hand, arm etc). I always spin my brushes rather than tap them, on the brushes edge, on a bucket. Tapping them tends to loosen the ferrule over time whereas spinning them does not. YES to almost always thinning your paint or using Floetrol (latex paint - the paint spreads better and you get better coverage). YES to rubbing baby oil into any exposed skin that might get paint on it. Any dried paint basically just wipes off when you're cleaning up. YES to always using a good quality paint. And finally when it comes to stain blocking primers nothing can beat BIN Shellac based primer from Zinsser. It's expensive, but because it's alcohol-based the smell is tolerable, and it literally dries in like 15 minutes. Good luck y'all, have fun!

CEO of feathering his edge

Great stuff, thank you. New homeowner here and I didn't learn this stuff growing up, so I'm relying on RU-vid to learn. I appreciate you taking the time to film this!

Good point about mashing the electrical cord. Doing so softens the wires in the cord, reducing kinks and allowing the electrons to flow more easily. (If the stool or ladder has padded feet, use a hammer instead.) A welcome side effect is to minimize voltage drop, at least until the wires short out and start a fire. But try to avoid fires, as they tend to mar a well-painted wall and annoy picky customers.

Great lessons for painters. And as you get faster and more efficient, you can tap the brush quickly on both sides of the cut can to remove excess paint, and still have plenty of paint on the brush. I’ve been a Purdy guy for years but have recently used Corona brushes. They seem to keep form and hold paint well. Of course it’s all how you clean it. And for rollers, please use 1/4in or 3/8in naps, no half inch! Will insure a much smoother finish. Takes a bit of learning curve to work with but so much better. Wooster Pro Doo Z are great naps.

Great tips. Especially about cleaning your brush out every hour or so. New idea to me I am definitely going to do.

Great tips definitely love the feathering and starting a ways down then taking it back up. Plus a calling card very amusing.

Tip cut in 1 wall then roll it in straight away ,helps stop picture framing and picks up any thick edges from brush, or cut in and have second helper rolling behind you ,use roller pole put v shaped two roller wide stripe on wall to get paint mostly off roller ,then spread it out floor to ceiling evenly ,then tip it off in one direction bringing your wet edge with you , space your self away from wall so when you get to ceiling it's hard to reach last two inches , stop you from hitting ceiling , above all be systematic get into a Grove that works for you , muscle memory will kick in and job will begin to flow nicely ,,

I really appreciate your videos covering a variety of projects including tool usage, products, tips, procedures, do"s and don't's, and tricks of the trades. So very informative. As a do it yourselfer; they are immensely valuable to me. Also the links you provide are helpful. I already used them to research items and make purchases.Thanks so much.

When we moved into our house 6 years ago, i painted my entire house basement to 2nd floor myself, it took 3 full days. Because i knew how to use the heel of the brush i was able to skip the taping part and get perfectly straight lines. Cutting is the most crucial part of any.paint project

I love your videos. I'm a DIYer--I've been painting for many years. I never knew you were supposed to wet the brush! How did I not know that? I just bought a new Purdy brush and am looking forward to see how it cuts when wetting it first. Keep the videos coming. Thanks.

I always use old coffee containers for cutting, it’s very cheap because you’re throwing it away otherwise but it has a handle and a lid so you can store the paint when you’re done plus they for perfectly on a ladder

Oh my gosh......I learned so much in this short video then from any paint store! I literally had aha moments everytime you covered a tick! lol My sister and I are moving into a house built in 1925 so we have a lot of work to do, but you have helped with the painting! And p.s......you are pretty handsome too! 😉 Thank you!

I’m 40 years old re-learning slappies and paint tricks from the same dude. Btw: my kid and I love watching you and @giftedhater keep doing those collabs!!!!!

Omgosh, I learned more tips from this guy than others. Especially...wetting the brush first. I have lots of rock hard brushes. Bad. Great video. Thanks.

My biggest take away: I need to feather my cutting strokes better. Thank you, I am about to paint a very well lit bathroom and this one tip is really going to make a difference. ✌😁

Thank you for best tips as well as the best expression .

well done for mentioning laying off/feathering in the inner edge of cutting in. most other videos don't mention it. Decorating for 23 years and I see it often where a thick edge has been left. It gives a framing effect and the cutting in will show up on the finish.

I love you Canadian home improvement guys! In fact, I think you’re my favorite channel! I learn and laugh! 🤣

Lol the ending cracked me up, having construction exp thats funny the whole leaving paint in the customers sink 🤣🤣 sarcasm at its finest

It takes me a whole day to cut a room, seeing a pro do it in minutes hurts badly.

Awesome tutorial. Very valuable application. Every homeowner should watch this must see painting class!!! Thank you.

Wonderful tips. Organized, easy to understand, well demonstrated. Thank you!

Thanks for these useful tips. While painting my annex I found myself saying 'feather my edge' over and over!

I'm learning so much with you Ben. now that I have my house I know how to paint thanks to you.

I can't believe how fast you did that. I should of watched this video before I painted two rooms. Thanks for the tip.

Great tip about the homeowner's kitchen sink.

The last step I use when i clean a brush is to use a dab of hair conditioner/cream rinse or whatever you prefer to call it, work it into a damp brush then rinse. Results are a flexible, smooth brush, just like the hair on your head, if you have hair up there. 😊

Ahhh, the sarcasm! I love it!

Thank you so much for this! We need to paint our rooms this spring. It's late January now. So we can watch this several times to get it!

This video is a lifesaver! I am going back to my local Do It Yourself store (again -3rd time in the last 2 weeks 😄) to buy the correct brush - the Cutting in /Angled brush ! I saw this brush but had no idea what it was for 🤔 I have been struggling to paint a straight line between my ceiling and walls and creating a mess on both areas. I was going to try using a small Art paint brush! But now, I will your try your tips - thank you for sharing - really appreciate this!

One quick, simple little trick I've found helpful, if you are using the paint can and not the smaller handheld bucket, put an elastic band running vertically from the bottom and centered over the open top and wipe excess paint off your brush on the band instead off the can rim, that way the excess paint drips back into the middle of the can instead of clogging the rim for resealing or running down the outside and dripping on the floor. When done, just chuck out the elastic. Really convenient for quick touch ups when you don't need to break out the mini bucket & liner just to have to clean it out in 15mins or so.👍

A trick to faster and cleaner cut-ins is to keep your eye focused on the cut line, not the brush or the paint. Your hand/brush will automatically try to co-ordinate with your eye. And if the ceilings are square-stopped, as in the video, use one of those mini rollers and jam it right into the corner as you are rolling. This gets the ceiling and wall at the same time (assuming wall and ceiling colours are the same), and is way faster than a brush. Also the rolled texture of the cut-in with match better with the rolled texture of the rest of the wall/ceiling.

This video has been tremendously helpful to me while painting the exterior of my house. Your suggestions have not only saved me money but also enabled me to execute the job with a professional touch. I have acquired the materials through the links you provided. I liked the video and subscribed to the channel.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I Have to do two smaller bedrooms and I've never done it myself before so I needed the right way before someone tells me the wrong way!

I see lots of people paint corners and frames first. You can probably be successful doing so with white paint. What I’ve learned is to always paint in wet paint. Point is that if you using water based paint that dry quickly and do corners first you’ll get different color on edges and different in the middle. Slightly but still. So I would recommend painting everything as you go.

"Be sure to do this in the homeowner's kitchen sink" Wait! What?! LOL that was so funny!

I love your teaching style and method. Thank you for making these videos.

I literally LOL’d when you showed how not to cut a ceiling. I work with a guy who cuts like that and it hurts me. The calling card got me too 😂

Tom and Christina would love this "feathering" video.

I loved this video. One thing to note is that if you want the painting done lightning fast, there's a technique called "throw" where you take a bucket, angle it 45 degrees, wrap the pail handle to a left handed barbell grip, tied snug, and loop around in several circles whilst spin wheeling the paint all over the place. Then you simply take your shoulder pads and nestle up against the surface and smear it in. It's important to make grunting sounds whilst you do this.

Thank Y♥️U. I painted my kitchen and it’s BEAUTIFUL.

I'm about to paint a few rooms in my tenants' apartment and your tips have come as a God-send. Thanks! 👍🙂

"Hey guys it's the Vancouver carpenter" "so carpenters are pretty dumb when it comes to painting" Lol love the honesty. Great videos keep them coming

Man you are hilarious! Love the brush washing part.

Thank you! I've never wet my brush first but will from now on! Great tip.

Fast makes smooth. Thanks for posting this, you're a good teacher.

Angle the front of your brush down slightly when you cut in, the back end still keeps the line and you can see it easier, plus it widens your initial cut a bit before you feather it back out. I also like to wipe only one side of my brush, the side that is going against the surface not being painted, that way the side that is being painted has a little more paint to spread out in one run plus it coats it better thus increasing your chance of painting in one coat if you use good paint. ALSO most importantly, use GOOD paint and NOT the cheap stuff, you will always get better results

I always got a brilliant professional. My dad. Missing him. But great video.

I love some of the adjectives like "splarpy". I thought only maritimers and newfs used words like that! Thanks for the great videos!

Like lots of things, you can always learn a better and more efficient way of doing things. Thanks for the tips, have got a very big job at home soon so will be following your advice.

Painter here. Good tips except for wetting the brush. I'd much rather have a little crust (thatll come off with a wire brush) than a watery, leaky brush. I wont even use a brush that's still wet from the last cleaning. That wet brush is gonna start dripping watery paint down the handle and make a mess every time.

Brilliant mate, well done.. Would have been nice to see you cut in with different colour without touching ceiling, just so i could see the finish/line

Best videos for homeowners on RU-vid. You do a great job.

Very nice! I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I really like how clean you are. Thank you for sharing.

another thing I do sometimes is load the brush and pool it on the wall and draw from it, if you are painting fast, you can do it.

I was told to tap my paintbrush, that way a paint brush is loaded. Only occasionally will I wipe the sides of the brush if there was excess paint or a build up. I generally only load my brush about 20 - 30 percent, or 30mm.

Great Video! Thank you very much. That was exactly what I searched for: The basics of brush painting.

Your drywall video's really helped me. Now I'm onto your painting.. you are a champion.. regards from Bendigo Australia

For oil based paints or even oil stains spray the brush with WD-40 first!

Another great tip... Something I learned from shooting a gun! Exhale when cutting in or running a bead of paint down a straight line. When you exhale, it steadies your body.

This is great advice. I use the claim shell technique but I am a diyer. Now I I am going to try this. Keep up the great work and thanks for teaching us.

I agree with using the angle on the brush. Cut the fine line with the tip, then just whatever. Always keep the fine line longer than your fill/spread strokes. Works for me, and I can move pretty fast.