The Best Brushes for Chalk Paint in 2021
Are you facing a hard time making smart buying decisions for chalk paintbrushes? As a hobbyist, I have used paintbrushes with different textures of bristles. So, it’s fair to share my experiences with good and poor quality paintbrushes.
While some of these tools have messed up my workspaces with splatters of paints, other types of brushes have absorbed paints readily. You can have a great woodworking experience with the best brushes for chalk paint. However, it’s important to have the right tool for any job.
During apprenticeship programs, beginner painters often make mistakes of spreading uneven coats of paint on pieces of furniture. Most times, they are too naive to understand the type of paintbrush that fits their projects. Apart from the quality of brushes, poor prepping techniques often ruin woodwork projects. A myriad of problems can make chalk painting jobs go wrong.
Craftsmen need to sand wood pieces, apply primers, and allow these materials to dry. With a professional-grade brush that has maximum bristle retention, it will be easy to run detailed surface applications.
Since chalk paint is a decorative technique of applying paint and wax on furniture, you have to ensure a high-quality finish. If you are working with vintage designs, natural bristle brushes can deliver the smooth textures of paint. Also, synthetic bristle brushes are ideal for contemporary finishes.
This buying guide analyzes several paints and wax brushes for chalk paint. It took a couple of days of in-depth research to come up with these six top products. Let’s save you the hassles of making the wrong purchase decision by explaining their respective features.
Here are our top 6 chalk paint brushes recommendation…..
[amazon box=”B079J67TLH,B076CRQWQH,B01FEU4YSY,B0195ZU730,B072Z83N9M” template=”table” price=”none”]What is a Chalk Paintbrush?
Why should you use one? What difference does it make? How can you get the best there is for your work? These are just but some of the questions you might have when you think of a chalk paintbrush. However, most importantly, you first need to know what a chalk paintbrush is.
As far as paints go, chalk paint just so happens to be one of the latest in the market. As it turns out, this unique type of paint differs from the rest because you get to see the natural brush strokes in your work. Additionally, it leaves your furniture with a ravishing and unique mate look.
When it comes to chalk paint, the overall look of your work is entirely dependent on the type of brush you choose. As such not just any paintbrush will do the trick. After all, the main reason for selecting chalk paint is to achieve a look that is a little rough around the edges (a hand-painted look). To achieve this, you’ll want to use something that is specifically meant for chalk paint.
The icing on the cake…
Because of how accurate the chalk paintbrush is when it comes to achieving a hand-painted look, it goes without saying that as a first-time DIYer, you are bound to have amazing results.
What is the Best Brush to use with Chalk Paint?
The whole point of using chalk paint is mostly to achieve a more natural look in your work, right? Well, as you’ve probably guessed, it would be a good idea to use a paintbrush with natural bristles, wouldn’t it?
The best part about using natural bristle brushes is that they give you results that feel and look real., isn’t that amazing? Like most things, however, you need to be extra careful if you want to pick out the best natural bristle brush for use with chalk paint…
Ensure that you get one with low-shedding bristles. Generally, all bristles are natural shed. Because of this, select one that won’t leave a bunch of hairs in your paint. For instance, since ox hair or boar hair is very fine, it’s ideal for use in finishing. On the other hand, you couldn’t use the same on thick and viscous paint since it’ll shed more.
Alternatives to natural bristles include synthetic brushes and round brushes. The former normally have bristles made mostly from nylon or polyester or a blend of the two. The aim of these is to achieve a smooth finish in your work.
Besides synthetic brushes, there are round brushes that give you a beautiful matte finish. Additionally, because of their amazing grip, they give you more control over how you paint. This makes it easier not only to apply the chalk paint but also the chalk wax for the best finish.
6 Best Brushes For Chalk Paint – Reviews in 2021
1. Vintage Tonality Pro Chalk & Wax Brush Set
This Vintage Tonality brush set is ideal for glass, wood, and metalwork projects. A wax brush set with handcrafted design allows you to enjoy comfortable grips. While chalk paint, you can unleash some creative painting and waxing skills.
The 3 paintbrushes in this kit come with natural bristles that can absorb thick paints. They have round, oval, and flat bristle heads. Each brush stroke delivers maximum paint coverage on furniture and fabric materials.
Since it’s a pro-grade tool, experts can use this set of brushes for stenciling, stippling, and other detailed applications. You’ll find accessories like a 150 grit block, bristle soap, gloves, stir stick, and a cotton bag in the kit.
The brush care guide shows you how to maintain your brushes’ shape and ensure that bristles stay firm. With the leather loop on the handle of each brush, you can hang on nails and hooks securely.
Depending on the technique, the 3 brushes can apply fine strokes of clear wax and milk paint that add some charm to your work. Additionally, the bar of soap can dissolve paint chemicals on bristles and them with enchanting smells after drying these brushes.
2. 1st Place Chalk & Wax Handmade 3-Piece Brush Set
Do you need stencil brushes for surface applications of chalk paint? The 1st Place Handmade brush set comes with ergonomic handles and leather straps. These 1-inch brush heads have natural bristles (round, pointed, and flat) are from boar. They are great for applying all chalk paint colors and waxes.
Usually, DIYers need functional home decor tools to make folk arts and interior designs on their walls and doors. With this premium brush set, it’s easy to stencil all trim corners. It’s a must-have for professional artists.
You don’t have to worry about corrosion because a stainless steel Ferrell binds the boar hair bristles with each of the brush’s wooden handle. High-quality stainless steel materials can resist moisture and stain inside toolboxes.
While applying wax and paints, you’ll enjoy the ease of maneuvering this set of tools. Their long (6 inches) frames allow you to grip and work comfortably. So, there will be no chance of hand fatigue during hours of work. These handcrafted brushes’ maple wood handles look sturdy and it’s proof of their maximum bristle retention strength.
Unlike regular wax and chalk paint brushes, this product comes with a low-shedding design for its boar hair bristles. You can apply chalk paints in tight spaces of your pet’s home with this set of lightweight and long-profile brushes.
3. New Renaissance Professional Chalk Painting and Wax Brush
Don’t you want to add an affordable piece of wax and chalk paintbrush to your toolkit? New Renaissance Professional round paintbrush with synthetic (nylon) bristles works with all furniture. It comes with an ergonomic design of polished wood and a brown leather strap.
Even with the straps attached, it’s convenient to use the brush’s handle. Also, the brush handle comes with a customized appearance because it’s banded with the manufacturer’s signature. This large chalk painting and the wax brush make every stroke of paint color looks visible.
With a firm attachment of bristles, you can hold more paints and wax without staining the floor.
Apart from chalkboard decorations, this tool can help to wax your furniture with favorite paint colors. It improves the value of your wood projects and brings satisfaction to clients. However, you can’t apply the same textures of paints and wax with nylon and natural bristles.
Usually, it’s easy to complete any chalky paint project with high-quality brushes satisfactorily. You might need to get two New Renaissance brush if your art project requires the applications of clear wax and dark wax.
Also, the bristles of this chalk paint and wax brush require warm soapy water after every paint job. Since the nylon bristles might retain too much wax, you need to soak for some minutes before cleaning them.
4. Brossum Large 2-in-1 Round Chalk and Wax Brush
Brossum paint and wax brush can make wooden frames of dressers and mirrors look gorgeous. It’s a handmade brush with natural bristles for chalk paint projects. By creating an authentic finishing with a well-made brush, you can complete woodwork projects quickly.
As a 2-in-1 round brush, it allows users to leave fine wax stenciling and patterns of paint on fiberglass, furniture, and metal plates. To optimize the benefits of this paint tool, ensure a clean surface area.
Usually, craftsmen create smooth surfaces with sanding machines. They understand that paintbrushes with maximum bristle retention work fine on materials that are free from dents and stains. Also, this multipurpose Brossum brush can paint and wax furniture that has clear surfaces. Each stroke of its round bristles covers a wide area and leaves a long-lasting finish.
This sturdy chalk paint brush’s ergonomic handle looks authentic. Its handmade parts are durable, and the round head cover holds loads of boar hair bristles firmly. Since the product comes with a superior design, don’t expect sheddings of bristles during heavy-duty applications. Get ready to use this affordable alternative to expensive chalk brushes that have similar features.
5. Tatler & Tatum Professional Chalk & Wax Paint Brush
With Tatler & Tatum round brushes, you can make a range of stenciling, waxing, and stippling applications. Natural bristles for chalk painting and waxing makes an ideal brush for designers and artists.
Tatler & Tatum round brush is a home decor tool for clear and dark soft wax products.
It also works fine with all colors of milk paints on pieces of furniture. You make that old guest room look attractive for guests. Regardless of your chalk paint or wax project, these premium natural bristles leave impressive finishes.
This 2.4-inch bristle head of this Tatler & Tatum round brush is easy to clean. Its bristles add layers of paint and wax products with fantastic coverage on your wooden materials. Unlike synthetic bristles that might react with harsh chemicals of paint removers, this type works well with chalky finish paints and dye minerals.
More so, there’s no chance of much bristle shedding because they are attached with strong epoxy adhesives and stainless steel ferrule.
Transform your fabric, old frames of furniture, and doors from their traditional designs to sleek appearances. Get a compact chalk and wax brush that handles heavier paint jobs with ease. This brand of chalk paint brush ensures superior results and satisfaction. However, surface preparation is essential for outstanding performance with this brush.
6. INFINITI ELEMENTZ Pro-grade Chalk and Wax Paint Brush 2PC Set
This INFINITI ELEMENTZ chalk paint brush set comes in a beautiful package box. While these chalk paint brushes are designed for all-purpose applications, you can reuse them for a very long time. Their bristles won’t soak up more wax and paint. So, you wouldn’t have to stretch this brush to dab more coats of paint frequently.
As one of the best paintbrushes for chalk paint, this professional-grade makes a more efficient painting. By using chalk paintbrushes with long handles, you can work with much control and comfort. This feature reduces the time of completing an art project.
Also, lightweight handles can lower the risks of muscular and joint aches on your wrists. Each of these round-head chalk and wax paintbrushes has a strong wooden handle. It’s an outstanding part of this tool that gives users some leverages when they use they paint pieces of furniture in tight workspaces.
Heavy-duty brushes for wax and chalk paint applications are easy to maintain. Since natural bristles are superior to synthetic types, this multipurpose brush can resist impacts during work.
Usually, paintbrushes with low abrasion and impact resistance shed their bristles easily. Apart from its ergonomic design, this round chalk paint brush set comes with firm bristles. The tip allows you to wax and paint all workpieces faster than tools with weak ferrules.
Tips on How to Choose The Best Wax And Chalk Paint Brushes
Selecting the best wax brushes for chalk paint depends on different factors. From my professional experiences, it’s not all brushes that offer similar features.
While many all-purpose chalk paint brushes are reusable, you might be unlucky to have other types ruin your woodwork projects. However, our guide can help you to avoid the mistake of the wrong purchase.
Consider The Build Quality
Stencil and paintbrushes with poor build quality can’t cover larger areas with single strokes. It’s important to check the features of every accessory in your favorite chalk paintbrush kit before purchasing it.
Handmade brushes with natural bristles are more durable than synthetic materials. With the perfect addition of long and lightweight handles, you can enjoy the convenience of handling multiple projects.
Most decorative and chalk paint projects require brushes with dense bristles that absorb wax and paints readily. During chalk paint applications; round, oval, and flat bristle heads with thick strands often provide good coverage.
Unlike boar bristles, nylon bristles release paints on the surface of materials with ease. Depending on what fits your project, buy brushes with the right density of bristles.
Consider All-Purpose Wax And Chalk Painting Brushes
It’s better to buy brush sets with complete accessories. Instead of ruining one brush with dark and clear wax products, you can have separate tools for different applications.
Also, a multi-purpose chalk paint brush set comes with applicators that are compatible with many wax products and milk paints. Don’t limit your scope of decorative work with brushes that can’t handle heavier paints.
Avoid Any Fancy Paintbrush With A Thin Ferrule
When you use a fancy chalk paintbrush that has a thin ferrule, you’ll not enjoy bristle stability. Instead, you might experience paint splatters when you apply techniques like cross-hatch strokes on grooved areas of your material.
Tips on How to Clean a Chalk Paint Brush and Wax brush
It’s important to clean your paintbrushes with conditioning gels and soaps. While this practice frees the bristles from wax and paint coats, it can make your tools serve for a longer period. These are some tips that can help you to care for wax and chalk paintbrushes.
Squeeze out residual paint (or wax) from your brush when you have completed your task. Add some conditioner in warm water and wash the bristles of your paint brush thoroughly. Don’t forget that paint stains on wooden handles can be cleaned with damp towels. You shouldn’t dip these parts in water.
Rinse these bristles with clean water until you can’t see any paint color in the water. The hang the brush with the strap (attached to its handle) and dry. For a fast drying process, let the bristles point downwards to drain residual water.
After drying the chalk paintbrush, nudge the base of its handle gently. Then shake the brush a few times to see if loose bristles will dropdown.
Usually, the ferrule on brushes is metal pieces that contain dry adhesives. While wooden handles of these brushes must be stored in moisture-free boxes, stainless steel ferrule can be wiped with damp towels.
When you store wet brushes, a damp environment can trigger spreads of mildews and molds on them. Also, stainless steel ferrules with molds can become dull after a short period. By avoiding damp storage boxes, you can increase the durability of paintbrushes.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Chalk Pain Brush
1. Do you need special brushes for chalk paint?
Ans: Generally, you don’t specifically need a special type of paintbrush when applying chalk paint. At the same time, however, just like any other type of paint out there, tools of inferior quality will compromise your result.
With chalk paint, the best brush choice to go for would be one with natural bristles rather than artificial ones. Natural bristles happen to be not only longer but also more flexible. This makes it much easier for the paint to flow easily without leaving a scratchy look.
2. How should I dry chalk paint?
Ans: drying is just but one thing that you need to be keen on when using chalk paint. As it turns out chalk paint dries up pretty quickly which explains why most people struggle with it thickening up so quickly.
Provided you have your equipment in a well-ventilated room, the chalk paint will be dry to the touch in about half an hour which is quite impressive.
3. Why would one use different brushes for chalk paint?
Ans: The general rule of thumb when it comes to painting is that your work will just be as good as the equipment you use. In the case of chalk paint, you’ll want to have a matte finish with a natural look. As it turns out, paintbrushes with natural bristles are the best for such results.
4. How should I clean chalk paintbrushes?
Ans: Unlike other types of paints, chalk paint is normally non-toxic and relatively easy to clean, and even easier to clean when wet. Something that you need to be keen about when cleaning chalk paintbrushes is to drain out as much paint as possible before cleaning.
You should also clean your brushes with warm water till the water runs clear and that’s it. Just in case you have a lot of paint in there, you can use mild soap to get them clean
5. How long can wax and chalk paint brushes last?
Ans: Depending on the quality and level of maintenance, a paintbrush fro chalk paint serves many years. However, you must change the paintbrush when its bristles fail to absorb paints or spread coats evenly.
6. Can I use the same brush to apply dark and clear soft wax?
Ans: You need a set of wax brushes to apply layers of dark and clear wax to your material. By using one brush for both applications, you might ruin the quality of the bristles. Soft wax and dark wax products have different textures. So, you need a suitable painting brush to apply these types of wax products.
7. What’s the right way to ensure better coverage with chalk paintbrushes?
Ans: Materials reflect wax and chalk paints differently. However, decorative paint projects require a brush-head that guarantees consistency. Don’t use chalk paintbrushes with hard bristles.
Usually, inflexible bristles don’t allow painters to apply consistent patterns with wax and chalk paints. It might be frustrating to use brushes with very short bristles because your paint will not flow evenly. These are some floppy designs with chalk and wax paintbrushes that determine poor paint spreads.
8. Can I paint a piece of furniture with chalk paint if it has linseed oil paints?
Ans: Wooden surfaces are preserved with linseed oil. It’s a finishing product that is common with vintage doors, bed frames, and chairs.
If the surface of your furniture is too old to retain new coats of decorative paint, apply sealants generously. After the sealant dries, you can apply your favorite chalk paint to the wood surface.
9. How do I know natural and nylon bristles?
A: Most wax and chalk paintbrush manufacturers add product details on the labels of paintbrushes. So, you might see the information. However, nylon bristles of paintbrushes are tougher than boar bristles. When you touch natural bristles, they are not elastic like nylon (rubber) bristles.
Final Verdict
Your choice for chalk paint and wax applications is easier with a clear buying guide. These six products simplify your art designs and ensure smooth surfaces of furniture. You can improve the performance of your craftsmanship with functional tools from premium brands.
While we understand the requirements for these projects, our analysis of respective features can help you get the right chalk paint and wax brush.