All about Annie Sloan Brushes

Annie Sloan Brushes

We get a ton of questions about Annie Sloan’s brushes. Are the necessary? What is the difference between the brushes? Are they worth the price and why are they pricier? Do they clean up easily? How long will they last? Well, here is our opinions on all the questions👍

Let start with:

Are they necessary? And what is the difference between the brushes?

Is it necessary to have an Annie Sloan Paint or Wax Brush?  No, not a must. BUT…and here is the big but to all this.  In our many years of painting furniture with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®  nothing has really compared to her brushes when using her paint and wax.  We find that we get a better finish and a lovelier end result. The brushes are made for her paint and wax specifically and we feel they really make the painting and waxing process much easier, quicker and efficient.

CHALK PAINT® BRUSHES

The Chalk Paint® Paint Brushes are made of predominately pure bristles with natural split ends.  What this means is that the paint spreads smoothly and easily and allows for expressive painting. The brushes come in 3 sizes:  small, medium and large.

CHALK PAINT® WAX BRUSHES

Frankly, this is our FAVORITE brush. This is the one brush we think everyone who uses wax to finish painted furniture MUST have.  Annie Sloan’s bespoke Chalk Paint® Wax Brushes are made of predominately pure bristle with natural split ends. They feature ergonomically shaped handles for the effortless application of finishing coats of wax onto painted surfaces. They are shaped to a point to assist with working wax into intricate, detailed areas and tight corners. The wax brush comes in 2 sizes:  Small and Large.

FLAT BRUSHES

Annie Sloan’s Flat Brushes feature advanced synthetic fibers, in a vibrant blue, which help to produce a smooth, contemporary finish. The brushes are designed to take a large amount of paint and to apply the paint evenly, minimizing brush marks. This brush is particularly good for super smooth surfaces like laminate.  We also like these brushes quite a bit for applying Chalk Paint® Lacquer.  The Flat Brushes come in 2 sizes:  Small and Large.

Are they worth the price and why are they pricier?

For us, YES, they are totally worth the price! Honestly, they perform better than any other brushes we have used (which trust me we have tried them all!) Keep in mind Annie’s Brushes are pricier because the quality is superior.  The natural bristle Paint and Wax brushes are all hand made in Italy with the best quality natural bristles.

This leads right into the next question:

How long will they last?

Honestly this all depends on how well you care for them. I have my original paint and wax brushes from 14 years ago. They are worn down and a bit on the stubby side but they are still are my go-to brushes. They still give me the same amazing results from the first time I used them.

How do I take care of the brushes?

Right after use clean with warm water and soap. Our preference is Scrubby Soap.  This is a natural soap infused scrubber. It’s WONDERFUL!!! It cleans your brushes is a snap. You can also use a mild dish detergent. When using a mild dish soap, we do recommend that every few uses you apply a little hair conditioner to help keep the bristles nice and soft.  Squeeze as much water out of the brushes as possible then either hang them to dry (that’s why the paint brushes have little holes on the handle) or stand them up bristles down.  The idea is to NOT let the water collect in the well of the brush.

We know this is A LOT of information but when it comes down to it we love Annie’s brushes because they simply make painting, waxing and finish work quick, easy and effective.  Happy Painting 😊