PIY Pointers: Get more mileage out of your brushes

Good morning all!  I hope you're having a lovely Saturday.

Today on Paint-it-Yourself Pointers, we're talking about how to squeeze a few more miles out of your old paint brushes.  It's such a great feeling to work on a project with fresh new brushes.  But the reality is that no matter how fastidious a brush cleaner you are - it's inevitable that your beloved brush will start to accumulate paint residue.  Plus I find the less you spend on a brush, the quicker this tends to happen.

This is my all-time favourite brush in my toolbox.  It was given to me about 7 years ago by my uncle, a paint rep for Sims, just prior to his passing.  Sims is a great brand so not only is it a quality brush, it has a lot of sentimental value.  Since I use it so much, it has developed a lot of build-up over the years, despite my best cleaning efforts.

Most build-up accumulates primarily on the outside bristles.  This can affect your project by thickening the stroke marks in your final finish.  So my trick is to pull back the gunkiest pieces and snip them off with scissors, getting as close as you can to the base.

This removes the worst sections and leaves cleaner, smoother bristles underneath.  Give the brush a rinse to make sure you get any stray bristles out of the brush, as there's nothing worse than finding bristles in your paint job.  And keep in mind, this is just a little fix to extend your brush use - there does get to a point where you have to say goodbye and replace them.  But why not push it as long as you can and save some $$?

Also, I use separate brushes for primer, as the adhesive component makes them extra hard to clean out. I  also use a cheaper brush for primer, since those don't tend to last as long and finish is not as big of an issue.

What's your trick for extending your brush life?  How do you avoid the inevitable gunk up?