Brush Stroke Free Finish

Welcome! If you’re here than you are wanting to know how I get a brush stroke free finish. I have several tips I’ll list below but the most important thing to know is that YOU CAN DO THIS!

There’s nothing better than reimagining an old, outdated or worn piece of furniture and making it beautiful again! Some surfaces are more challenging than others but when it comes to painting them each and every one of them deserves to look beautiful in your home.

I’ve learned a few tricks over the years that I think make a huge difference in how smooth my finishes look.

• First and foremost, use a good quality synthetic or synthetic blend brush with Fusion Mineral Paint or Melange One Paint. We have lots of different brushes, styles and sizes to chose from here.

• Use a Fusion Micro fiber or Staalmeester Micro felt roller on all flat surfaces. This will save you a lot of aggravation and time. It’s very difficult not to get brush strokes on long flat surfaces. I personally resisted using a roller for years because somehow I thought I’d be cheating and I also love to brush on paint. Do yourself a favor and get over that notion. It doesn’t matter how you get there as long as the end result is beautiful. You’ll still have lots of areas that you can’t get with a roller that you’ll need to brush.

• If you’re using a brush for the whole surface or just areas you can’t get to with a roller, make sure you start with a slightly damp brush. This makes it much easier for the paint to glide onto the surface.

• Don’t overload your brush or roller. Get enough paint on the tip of your brush to make one long stroke. I find it’s easier to not overload your brush or roller by pouring your paint a little at a time unto a paper plate. Here’s a video I did that shows you how to brush paint on your surface.

• It’s best to brush the paint on and leave it. Do not brush back and forth over your paint more than a couple of times. This creates texture and lots of brush strokes. Fusion dries quickly and you’re pulling back up dried paint when you continue to brush back and forth over your paint. If you’ve missed a spot, catch it on the second coat.
• If you continue to struggle with brush strokes you can always use Fusion Extender which will extend the drying time of the paint allowing you more time to manipulate the paint. Extender comes in 60ml containers and will do 4 pints of paint total.

• If you don’t like the texture or feel after rolling or brushing and want to get a smoother finish, wet sanding is the way to go. To wet sand, wait 24 hours after paint has dried and lightly spray the surface with water. Use a 600+ grit sandpaper and lightly sand using the water. It’ll create a muddy looking water that you can wipe off with a clean rag afterwards. Sand with the water, being careful around the edges of your piece until you get the feel you’re wanting. See the video above to see how to wet sand.

As always, if you still have questions please feel free to contact us. We’re always here to help.