Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Zibra. All opinions are my own.
One thing I learned early on in my DIY experience is that it’s an absolute must to use the right tool for the job. If you’re wondering how to get a smooth finish when painting, the absolute most important thing is to choose the right brush. Sometimes it’s tempting to take the easy or cheap way out, but it ends up costing you more in the long run. Specifically, I learned that if I use the cheapest, most basic paintbrushes, then my paint job just wasn’t going to be as good. The coverage wasn’t as good, sometimes the job ended up requiring more coats with the cheap brushes (which translated to more time), the bristles would shed like crazy, and it truly did make a difference in my project quality. I am super picky about my paintbrushes now, and I appreciate good quality, so I was so excited to try a new brand and experiment with a couple of their paintbrushes. Today I’ll show you the best paintbrushes for a smooth finish, whether you’re painting walls, trim, furniture, or just about anything. (*Stay tuned for a giveaway at the end of this post!)
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The Best Paintbrushes for a Smooth Finish
I had the opportunity to try two different professional grade paintbrushes from Zibra: The Palm Pro is great for precision work or cutting in; and the Chiseled Wedge brush looks like a flat brush but has a wedge on one side, is packed thick, and can hold more paint for longer runs. Both of these can be found at The Home Depot.
When I was first introduced to Zibra, I was intrigued. They use their own blend of bristles and were able to produce the highest bristle count compared to any other brush on the market. You can literally feel the difference just by touching it. The bristles are extremely soft and dense, and just generally feel different than any other brush I’ve tried. Because of the quality bristles, you can get a much smoother finish. I also love that they have application-specific specialty brushes. I was really excited to put these brushes to the test, so I decided to paint our master bathroom vanity navy. (More on this makeover, including before & after photos soon. Today I just want to focus on the brushes!)
When I paint a room, or in this case a vanity, I don’t like to spend a lot of time taping every single edge. I like to just cut in, so I’ve always used an angled brush for this. The Palm Pro is awesome for this purpose, because the shape allows it to fit perfectly in the palm of your hand for better precision. I taped around the floor but skipped the walls.
I decided to paint the entire vanity with these brushes, rather than use a brush and roller combo like I normally do, just because I was genuinely curious about the performance of the brushes and wanted to see if they could handle the job and give me a smooth finish.
I used the Palm Pro for the edges, and the Chiseled Wedge for the rest. I can honestly say that I was impressed! The Chiseled Wedge really did hold a ton of paint and made my job go so much faster. Because the bristles are so dense and hold so much paint, I noticed that I didn’t have to dip my brush in the paint as often as I normally do. This saved me a lot of time.
I was also extremely impressed with the finish! While I wasn’t expecting perfection because the original paint job on the cabinets was less than stellar (this was done by previous owners), and I didn’t bother to sand it perfectly smooth first since we don’t plan on keeping this vanity forever, the brushes exceeded my expectations for sure. I’m so excited about this makeover, and I can’t wait to show you the whole reveal soon! I’m just waiting on some new hardware to arrive.
You can find out more about Zibra brushes here, and connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Google+.
I am so excited about this giveaway, you guys! Zibra put together a special prize package for you, and I must say I’m a little jealous. One of you will win a custom kit with the following brushes included:
- Zibra Square Brush
- Zibra Triangle Brush
- Zibra Round Brush
- Zibra 2″ Palm Pro Brush
- Zibra 2″ Chiseled Wedge Brush
To enter to win, simply wait for the Rafflecopter widget to load below and follow the instructions. The giveaway ends on Monday, March 14 at Midnight EST. Good luck!
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Thanks for visiting!
-Erin
I’d love to win, I think the chiseled edge would be my favorite. Lots of painting in my spring plans.
Great giveaway!
Betsy Gordon
Mow that y older one has moved out, we will be moving my daughter into that bedroom. First we will be putting u crown molding and painting These would be a great help in doing so. Thank you for the chance.
I’d really hove to have the triangle brush for where the walls meet.
I have furniture painting ready to do as the weather warms up and would love to try all the brushes.
Wow! What a great package, the brushes look wonderful, nice and thick. I’ve got a lot of painting projects coming up I sure could use these! Thanks for the chane.
Love this post. I paint so much that it’s probably in my veins. With arthritis this could really help!
Wow… Those both look amazing. I’m just sort of getting into painting, so it’s really nice to learn about these things!
The square detail brush. WOW, that would sure be useful for deail. Thanks for the chance.
My choice would be the palm pro; love the shorter handle. We’ve cut the end off brushes to get a DIY brush like that
Oh my I would love to try these brushes, but specifically the square detail brush!!!
Would love to try those brushes!!!
I am happiest when I have a paintbrush in my hand. I don’t always get smooth finishes so these brushes would be in an enormous help to get just the look I want.
Thank you, Rita
These brushes seem amazing. I’ve been using the Purdy for awhile now and really like their quality. I would love to see how these compare.
All of them! Especially the one with the cool grip.
The detail brushes would be great to try. I also like the chiseled edge brush. I have painted almost every room in my house and wish that I had these brushs!
I’m really intrigued by that triangle brush…never seen anything like it!
Cannot wait to go buy some brushes and try them out!
These brushes sound wonderful. By the way, you desser looks great. I’m getting ready to paint my den and could use all the help I can get!
Would love to win the brushes. I have a whole house of trim that I need to paint and it would sure look flawless if I had a really good brush.
Thanks for the chance to win.
I’d like to especially have the Palm Pro to see if I finally don’t need to tape when I cut in!
They look like excellent quality brushes! The chiseled brushes is what I would select but the palm brush has me captivated.
Lots of spring projects in mind that these would come in handy for! Thank you for the opportunity.
This absolutely is a great brush and my fav is the Palm Pro!
Thanks for sharing,
Helen H
Would love to try all of them but I think the one that looks to be the biggest time saver is the edge and roll! Keeping my fingers crossed for a win!
I like the Palm Pro and the Triangle brushes!
these brushes look amazing!!!!
I love the palm brush!! Thanx for the chance to win!!
Chiseled Wedge brush appears to be the most versatile, so would pick it
the palmpro looks awesome
This is so amazing! Me and my hubs have a lot of furniture to paint, including a piano, and quality brushes would make such a huge difference!
Erin, I’m always on the lookout for a better brush. These look awesome!
I’m intrigued! I have a bunch of furniture projects in the wings so it would be the chilsled wedge brush!
xo Heidi
PS — the Rafflecopter widget wouldn’t me enter any user name info — kept kicking me out, so i had to skip the last few entry chances.
The paint color you chose for your vanity has inspired me to do the same thing to my own! I would love to try the chiseled wedge that you used. Thank you for this chance to win one.
No Tape Edge-N-Roll. I hate painting edges!
A good paintbrush is indispensable when tackling a paint job. I’ve my fair share of bad quality brushes that have ruined a paintjob. These look awesome. Can’t go wrong with a 2″ Chiseled Wedge, my favorite go-to brush.
I would be interested to see how these compare to my longstanding favorite paintbrush. I’d love the opportunity to give this great offer a try! 😀
All the brushes look awesome, but I would love to try the 2″ chiseled wedge!
I would love to try the palm pro brush. For paint projects in our home my job is cutting in and detail work. I’m willing to try anything that could make this task easier.
I would love to try the Palm Pro Brush.
I would love to try their triangle brush for painting corners!
I want to try the Palm Pro brushes
Hello! I was very impressed with your review of the Zibra paint brushes! I, too, have learned that a good quality brush will make all the difference in the world! The Chiseled Wedge looks like a great time saver and I would love to try it!
I am going to paint a hutch that will be used in my kitchen. It will be white and I want to seal it good and strong so that it will hold up to all the wipe downs it will be receiving in the kitchen. But you said a polyurethane will yellow over time. I definitely don’t want that to happen. So what can I seal it with? A wax just isn’t going to cut it with all the use this piece will get. Can you or anyone please tell me what I can use to seal this with? Thank you.
Hi Anita! I typically use Minwax Polycrylic. It’s water-based and I haven’t had a problem with it yellowing. Hope that helps!