The splush laying off brushes are not just a tool. Behind every stroke lies a tale of passion and skill. Lovingly made in the UK by a family of brush-making wizards who’ve been at it for three generations, you can feel the legacy flowing through every bristle. Laying-off brushes such as the Prestige Pure Synthetic laying off brush manufactured by Hamilton offer a thinner bundle of synthetic bristles alongside finely-tipped ends that are less likely to bunch up during the laying-off process. This allows for a more even coat and less chances of individual brush strokes. Those who are looking for a one-off finish free from all textures and patterns will therefore choose this variety. Our Prestige range has been developed to bring more breadth of choice – here you will find every tool you need for a really professional job. This is why our Prestige range holds the vast majority of our tools.

The brush on the left is the Wooster Ultra Pro Sable. Synthetic filaments, simple flatter handle, no fuss. UPDATE I tried the PAL with Little Greene acrylic matt emulsion: it takes a lot of feeding with paint to get up to speed for cutting a straight line, but once loaded, it cuts well. Just not as well as a Wooster Silver Tip or even an Alpha. The weight is delicious, if that is a possible adjective in this scenario, exceptionally comfy, just not as ergonomic as a Wooster Alpha. Well that’s all for now. Get yourself the right kit and start painting. Keep practicing, and over time your hand painting techniques will improve and so will the finish.How do I avoid brushstrokes on my painted furniture’ - is a question I hear a lot! To which I respond, ‘the laying off method’ I loved the finish possible with Purdy Monarch Elite brushes. Despite what the sales manager from Hamilton told me about how good his products are, and how bad Purdy brushes are, I have no problem whatsoever saying that he is way off base! The Monarch Elite don’t seem to ever shed hairs, the synthetic filaments are soft and springy, hold a lovely chisel edge, and for laying off the paint, the 1.5″ brushes in particular are so light you can almost use them like a feather. What’s not to like? Whether it’s a kitchen, a piece of furniture or your front door, this should help… Hand Painting Techniques

To perfect this technique takes time and a lot of practice. A good quality paint conditioner helps level oil paint, or a drop of water and conditioner in water-borne paints, but the best place to start for a flying start to a good finish is high quality professional painting kit… * Wooster Flawless Disclaimer, this is probably the third time I’ve tweaked this technique! So if you’ve watched my process before then you’ll want to stay for my updates * Then you need to prepare your surface for the primer application. This stage is crucial to get rid of contaminants. The best product for this is Prep Clean 2800. To use Prep Clean, generously wet a clean lint-free cloth with the Prep Clean and clean/degrease the surface. While the surface is still wet use a second clean lint free cloth to remove the Prep Clean and contamination trapped within it. Always use two cloths, using only one will increase the chances of redistributing the surface contamination rather than removing it. Cloths for use with Prep Clean should be replaced regularly and often to ensure that an efficient pre-cleaning process is maintained. ( Read more here.)Have to agree by far the most able and all rounder in 2012 is the silver tip. I have the proforms and although brilliant and way out front of the competion, wooster,purdy and Benjamin moore,”ha who’s the new runner in this race”? Optional: The Fusion Extender can help get rid of brush strokes too. You put the equivalent of 3 teaspoons into a whole pint of paint. Or a couple of drops into the paint tray, and this will give you a lot more open time - time to play around with your paint before it dries.

Apply paint with a roller in a narrow band and lay off. Get a feel for how the paint stays open and adjust your technique when you move to the next band, you will be fine keeping up. The obvious benefits of acrylics are fast drying times, easier to apply and not yellowing which in rooms with poor uv saturation is a real issue, do experienced decorators now favour acrylics and if so why. Get your roller completely and utterly soaked in paint! Be generous with the amount of paint you use on your roller. Use the tray to roll off the excess. Hamilton’s brushes are traditional, but paint formulations even from traditional companies like Little Greene are adapting to environmental demands, and Wooster first, and Purdy a pretty long second seem to be geared up to the paint that’s out there now, rather than what was there years ago.Supergrip is a fast drying water based high adhesion primer similar consistency to Zinsser Bullseye, and I have found little difference in the quality of finish between FTP, Picasso, or my first ever Wooster brush, the ultra pro sable. They all lay off the primer beautifully and are equal choices if you roll the primer on and tip it off. But for direct brushing, the FTP and Picasso are probably twice as fast as the ultra pro sable. For laying lots of emulsion on walls, a 4″ Ultra Pro firm is a top brush, according to David “Aggie” Agnew.