Best Brushes For Painting Furniture
If you’re looking to give your furniture a makeover, the right supplies are essential. And having the right brushes can save you time and energy. That’s why I’ve rounded up the best brushes for painting furniture so that you can start your next furniture makeover project off on the right foot!
Read on for my top recommendations and tips on how to get the most out of your brush selection. With this knowledge, you’ll be ready to transform any piece of furniture into something amazing! But before we dive in, if you are new to furniture painting and want to learn more, check out Chalk Mineral Paint Basics.
Why Using The Best Brushes For Painting Furniture Matters
Having the right tools is important to any furniture makeover project, and that includes brushes. Depending on the type of furniture paint you plan to use, different types of brush can be better suited for achieving a quality finish.
Mainly there are synthetic brushes and natural bristle brushes.
Synthetic brushes are nearly always best for water-based paints, as they hold more paint and create a smoother finish. But there are times when natural bristle brushes come in handy.
From natural to synthetic, these top recommended brushes will help you achieve the perfect painted furniture finish.
Other Helpful Posts
And for recommendations on other supplies and a handy furniture painting supplies list, go to my Furniture Painting Supplies post.
And for some basics on painting furniture check out these posts:
This post contains affiliate links. You can find my full disclosure policy here.
My Top Recommended Brushes: The Quick Version
Let’s talk about a few of my favorite brush brands and specific brushes and why. To be honest there are so many brushes out there that I’ve yet to try. And who knows, I may be missing out, but these I’ll list are the ones that I reach for over and over again.
Top Choice Brushes For Painting Furniture: Dixie Belle, Cling-On And Zibra Brushes
Dixie Belle Brushes are one of the most popular brush brands on the market today. They come in a variety of sizes, so you can find the perfect brush for your project. Also, they are easy to clean and the bristles are smooth. My Dixie Belle brushes have held up to many, many cleanings.
Cling On Brushes are another favorite. These brushes feature soft bristles that move with the contours of furniture pieces and hold more paint than any other, making them ideal for achieving a professional-looking finish.
If you’re looking for something a bit more budget-friendly, Zibra brushes are an excellent choice. These high-quality brushes feature synthetic bristles that are soft and resilient, making them ideal for painting with water-based paints. Plus, their ergonomic handles are designed to fit comfortably in your hand, so you can paint with ease.
And I’ll mention Wooster and Purdy brushes, both easy to get at most local hardware stores. They offer a few good options for furniture makeovers.
No matter which brand of brush you choose for your furniture makeover project, ensure that you choose a quality option that’s suited to the type of paint you plan to use. With the right brush, achieving a professional-looking finish is easy!
So next let’s explore some of my most used furniture painting brushes. I’ll take it brand by brand to list them out. As mentioned before there are so many that I haven’t tried, so this list is certainly not exhaustive.
Dixie Belle Synthetic Brushes
First, let’s explore some of the most popular Dixie Belle Synthetic bristle paint brushes and their unique features, which make them a favorite among DIY enthusiasts and professionals alike. Dixie Belle Synthetic brushes are made from high-quality synthetic fibers and made in the USA.
The synthetic fibers guarantee a smooth application and the ergonomic handles ensure comfort during use. The synthetic bristles are durable and easy to clean.
Flat Synthetic Brushes by Dixie Belle – Small, Medium & Large
Flat Brushes:
- Flat Large Brush: is designed for covering large surfaces quickly, making it an excellent choice for painting dressers, wardrobes, and other sizable furniture pieces.
- Flat Medium Brush: which is suited to more moderate-sized furniture pieces, like side tables, nightstands, and more.
- Flat Small Brush: is another good one for your smaller areas where you still prefer a flat application surface.
Mini Angle Brush
With its angled bristles, this Mini Angle Brush offers precision and control, making it perfect for cutting in, painting edges, and working on intricate details.
Oval Medium Brush
This Oval Medium Brush is uniquely shaped brush is designed for blending and creating a distressed look on your furniture pieces. The oval shape provides excellent coverage and helps to create a smooth, streak-free finish.
The Scarlet Brush
Another synthetic brush is the Scarlet Brush. It is a flat small brush with a flat handle, like a comb. The bristles are thin but dense and very long, sleek and smooth. It’s best for smoothing out glazes, stains, or creating faux patterns. I tend to use it most to apply topcoat to decoupage and smooth out wrinkles in the decoupage paper.
Each of these Dixie Belle brushes offers distinct advantages for specific techniques and styles, catering to diverse needs. Honestly, my most used Dixie Belle Synthetic Brushes are the Mini Angle brush and the Flat Medium brush.
Dixie Belle Paint Company is synonymous with top-notch quality and performance when it comes to paint brushes for furniture restoration.
Dixie Belle Natural Bristle Brushes
Let’s dive into the features of three other popular Dixie Belle brushes: the Belle Brush, Best Dang Brush, and the French Tip Brush, each designed to cater to specific painting techniques and styles.
These brushes are natural bristle brushes. They are high quality brushes. Therefore, you won’t find these brushes losing bristles into your paint job like many cheaper natural brushes.
Here’s a few of my favorites:
The Belle Brush
This sweet little Belle Brush has a slightly tapered rounded shape. It also has a comfortable wooden handle ensuring a good grip. It’s a great brush for stencils and waxing and other jobs.
Best Dang Brush
Living up to its name, the Best Dang Brush is so versatile. The thick oval-shaped brush with flat densly-packed bristles is made with a mix of synthetic and natural bristles, making it suitable for various paint types and finishes. The design allows for easy blending, texturing, stencils, and waxing. The long handle provides additional leverage and control. I use it most for stenciling.
French Tip Brush
The French Tip Brush is designed for those who appreciate precision and detail. This brush features an elegant pointed tip, perfect for highlighting, detailing, waxes. The handle is long and thin. It’s like a thin, lean version of the La Petite Brush.
La Petite Brush
This little short stubby La Petite Brush is another natural bristle brush with a tapered shape. It’s great for details and highlights and it can get into those little detailed areas with ease. And the shape makes it perfectly comfortable for holding.
Each of these Dixie Belle brushes is crafted to meet specific needs and techniques in furniture restoration. By understanding the unique features of each brush you can choose the most suitable tool for your project.
And with the right brush in hand, you’ll be able to achieve a stunning and professional result, showcasing your passion for turning outdated furniture into beautiful and functional works of art.
Cling On! Brushes
Next, let’s talk about ClingOn brushes. ClingOn is another well-respected brand in the furniture restoration industry, known for its high-quality brushes that cater to a wide range of painting techniques and styles.
Cling On Brushes are made in Holland of very high-quality synthetic fibers. These brushes provide smooth paint application, and the bristles are designed to minimize brush strokes, providing a professional-looking finish. Additionally, the brush is easy to clean and maintain, ensuring long-lasting performance.
They hold up remarkably well and typically don’t shed. They are actually designed to be kept suspended in water for best preservation. Now I’ll admit that I don’t do this, but mine have still held up well.
ClingOn S30
This versatile Cling On S30 Brush, also known as the Shorty, is perfect for small to medium-sized projects or tight spaces. Its compact size, combined with the short handle, allows for excellent control during the painting process. The S30, which I call the little shorty, is just the perfect size for smaller jobs.
ClingOn S50
The Cling On S50 is a larger “Shorty” brush designed for covering extensive surfaces quickly and efficiently. This brush holds more paint than most, allowing for a smooth and even finish with fewer brush strokes. And uniquely instead of a flat shape it is rounded but still a flat brush, if that makes any sense!? The S50 is really the perfect-sized brush.
In addition to the S30 and S50 brushes, Cling On offers a wide range of other brushes but I’ll admit that I haven’t tried them yet.
Zibra Brand Brushes
Next up, let’s talk about Zibra brushes. Zibra is a well-known and highly regarded brand in the furniture painting industry, offering a range of innovative brush designs and high-quality materials. And I’ve seen these brushes in my Home Depot stores locally too.
They are a popular choice among DIY enthusiasts and professional furniture painters alike. Let’s explore some of the most widely used Zibra brushes for furniture painting:
Zibra Round Brush
The Zibra Round Brush is perfect for the application of paint in a circular motion. The densely packed bristles provide excellent coverage and help create a smooth, streak-free finish. Its ergonomic handle ensures a comfortable grip during extended periods of use. Many love this brush for spindles and curves surfaces.
Zibra Triangle Brush
Designed with a unique triangular shape, this Triangle Brush is ideal for getting into tight corners and hard-to-reach areas.
Zibra Square Brush
The Zibra Square Brush is designed for covering large surfaces quickly and efficiently. It’s flat shape holds quite a bit of paint, enabling you to achieve a smooth and even finish with fewer brush strokes. The square brush is perfect for painting large furniture pieces, such as dressers, wardrobes, and tables.
Zibra Palm Pro Brush
The Palm Pro Brush is designed for comfort and control, with its ergonomic grip that fits snugly into the palm of your hand. It has tapered bristles to allow for a smooth and even application of paint. This brush is perfect for painting detailed areas and smaller furniture pieces.
So if you are looking for a good brush that is more economically friendly, consider Zibra brand brushes.
Other Brush Brands – Purdy & Wooster
Another two brands to consider are Wooster and Purdy brand brushes, both readily available at your local hardware stores. Wooster is popular for its synthetic brushes. They make a large flat 3″ brush that is great for large furniture paint jobs.
Purdy offers a variety of brushes also with synthetic bristles, including the popular XL line of brushes. This includes the regular size XL Cub. The Cub is basically the same as the regular Purdy XL brushes, just with a short handle that is supposed to be ergonomic and comfortable to hold.
These are great all-purpose brush that can be used for furniture as well as walls and other paint jobs and they are easy to find locally.
Don’t Forget About Chip Brushes
I also want to mention chip brushes. I tend to keep a few chip brushes handy. They are great for quick projects where smooth brush-mark free strokes are not important. And also handy for projects where you may want to have a cheaper option on hand so you don’t ruin your expensive brushes.
Chip brushes are great at creating textures, such as using with Salt Wash or Sea Spray texture paint additives. They are great for dry brushing too. Chip brushes also come in a big pack of variety sizes for super cheap or you can invest in better quality chip brushes, such as those by Dixie Belle. The Dixie Belle Chip Brushes are a bit higher quality, meaning they hold up longer, lose less bristles, and are generally thicker than the cheap hardware store version.
Artist Brushes For Details
I also recommend keeping artist brushes on hand. These come in a variety pack and are great at painting into very tiny detailed crevice or spaces, painting small details and doing highlights with waxes, glazes, or other highlighting products.
And I usually have a wax brush for both white and dark wax. My wax brushes are older ones by Annie Sloan, but these wax brushes on Amazon are very similar.
Whichever brand you choose, investing in quality brushes is essential for achieving a professional-looking finish on your furniture projects.
The right brush can make all the difference, taking your furniture makeover to the next level. With careful research and practice, you can become an expert at selecting brushes for painting furniture.
So my big recommendation is not skimping on quality brushes. Selecting the right one can take your furniture makeover from drab to fab. With these tips in mind, you can have the perfect brush for every project!
Clean Your Brushes After Each Use
Finally, no matter which brushes you decide to use for your furniture makeover project, make sure to clean them thoroughly after each use. This will help keep your brushes in good condition, ensuring that they last longer and give you better results.
My favorite way to clean brushes is by thoroughly but gently scrubbing them with Scrubby Soap. This natural, delicious smelling soap has a built in scrubby pad to help loosen stuck-on paint. And this soap comes in orange, lemon and a lemon-lime. You can’t go wrong with any scent.
I recommend that you rinse your brush well to get the wet paint out. Once it rinses clear, then work the Scrubby Soap into the bristles with your fingers working out any stuck on pieces of paint. You can also use a paint brush comb tool to loosen paint if needed.
Summary – Best Brushes For Painting Furniture
Investing in quality furniture painting supplies is an important part of achieving a professional-looking finish, so be sure to take the time to choose the right brushes for your project. After all, it’s worth investing in tools that will help you achieve excellent results. You won’t regret it!
