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The Best Paintbrushes for a Smooth Finish

March 7, 2016 By Erin Spain 44 Comments

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Zibra. All opinions are my own.

The best paintbrushes for a smooth finish—read this before taking on any painting projects!

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!)

Zibra Paintbrushes: the best paintbrushes for a smooth finish!

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.

Zibra paintbrushes: The best paintbrushes for a smooth finish.

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!)

Zibra Paintbrushes: the best paintbrushes for a smooth finish!

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.

Zibra Paintbrushes: the best paintbrushes for a smooth finish!

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.

Zibra Paintbrushes: the best paintbrushes for 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.

Zibra Paintbrushes: the best paintbrushes for a smooth finish!  Zibra Paintbrushes: the best paintbrushes for a smooth finish!

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 Paintbrushes: the best paintbrushes for a smooth finish!

  • 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!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks for visiting!

-Erin

Filed Under: DIY, Giveaways, Home & DIY Blog, Tips & Tricks

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Comments

  1. Betsy Gordon says

    March 7, 2016 at 7:43 am

    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

    Reply
  2. elizabeth miller says

    March 7, 2016 at 7:48 am

    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.

    Reply
    • elizabeth miller says

      March 7, 2016 at 7:51 am

      I’d really hove to have the triangle brush for where the walls meet.

      Reply
  3. Debbie says

    March 7, 2016 at 7:51 am

    I have furniture painting ready to do as the weather warms up and would love to try all the brushes.

    Reply
  4. Sally says

    March 7, 2016 at 8:21 am

    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.

    Reply
  5. Vickie Sebelius says

    March 7, 2016 at 8:27 am

    Love this post. I paint so much that it’s probably in my veins. With arthritis this could really help!

    Reply
  6. Sara says

    March 7, 2016 at 9:01 am

    Wow… Those both look amazing. I’m just sort of getting into painting, so it’s really nice to learn about these things!

    Reply
  7. Lisa Waggle says

    March 7, 2016 at 9:26 am

    The square detail brush. WOW, that would sure be useful for deail. Thanks for the chance.

    Reply
  8. Vickie sebelius says

    March 7, 2016 at 10:19 am

    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

    Reply
  9. JessR says

    March 7, 2016 at 11:25 am

    Oh my I would love to try these brushes, but specifically the square detail brush!!!

    Reply
  10. Kathryn says

    March 7, 2016 at 11:31 am

    Would love to try those brushes!!!

    Reply
  11. Rita says

    March 7, 2016 at 12:02 pm

    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

    Reply
  12. Toria D Smith says

    March 7, 2016 at 12:02 pm

    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.

    Reply
  13. Danielle says

    March 7, 2016 at 12:24 pm

    All of them! Especially the one with the cool grip.

    Reply
  14. Kim Best says

    March 7, 2016 at 12:51 pm

    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!

    Reply
  15. Julie W says

    March 7, 2016 at 1:17 pm

    I’m really intrigued by that triangle brush…never seen anything like it!

    Reply
  16. Nancy C says

    March 7, 2016 at 1:40 pm

    Cannot wait to go buy some brushes and try them out!

    Reply
  17. Judy J. says

    March 7, 2016 at 1:42 pm

    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!

    Reply
  18. Dee says

    March 7, 2016 at 2:55 pm

    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.

    Reply
  19. greenhills says

    March 7, 2016 at 3:05 pm

    I’d like to especially have the Palm Pro to see if I finally don’t need to tape when I cut in!

    Reply
  20. Anne Pik says

    March 7, 2016 at 4:01 pm

    They look like excellent quality brushes! The chiseled brushes is what I would select but the palm brush has me captivated.

    Reply
  21. Ginny Alfano says

    March 7, 2016 at 4:19 pm

    Lots of spring projects in mind that these would come in handy for! Thank you for the opportunity.

    Reply
  22. Helen Holley says

    March 7, 2016 at 7:03 pm

    This absolutely is a great brush and my fav is the Palm Pro!
    Thanks for sharing,
    Helen H

    Reply
  23. Mary Kaiser says

    March 7, 2016 at 7:34 pm

    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!

    Reply
  24. Mary Stewart says

    March 7, 2016 at 8:36 pm

    I like the Palm Pro and the Triangle brushes!

    Reply
  25. kristin says

    March 7, 2016 at 9:31 pm

    these brushes look amazing!!!!

    Reply
  26. Pamela says

    March 7, 2016 at 9:45 pm

    I love the palm brush!! Thanx for the chance to win!!

    Reply
  27. Madeleine Ward says

    March 7, 2016 at 10:21 pm

    Chiseled Wedge brush appears to be the most versatile, so would pick it

    Reply
  28. julie says

    March 8, 2016 at 12:37 am

    the palmpro looks awesome

    Reply
  29. Gwen Hostetler says

    March 8, 2016 at 7:16 am

    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!

    Reply
  30. Pam says

    March 8, 2016 at 8:26 am

    Erin, I’m always on the lookout for a better brush. These look awesome!

    Reply
  31. heidi @ decor & more says

    March 8, 2016 at 8:44 am

    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.

    Reply
  32. Phyl says

    March 8, 2016 at 10:19 am

    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.

    Reply
  33. condo blues says

    March 8, 2016 at 6:10 pm

    No Tape Edge-N-Roll. I hate painting edges!

    Reply
  34. Samantha says

    March 9, 2016 at 11:08 am

    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.

    Reply
  35. Cindy * GoodHaus Design says

    March 9, 2016 at 9:10 pm

    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! 😀

    Reply
  36. Amy Archinal says

    March 10, 2016 at 3:59 pm

    All the brushes look awesome, but I would love to try the 2″ chiseled wedge!

    Reply
  37. Randa says

    March 10, 2016 at 10:33 pm

    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.

    Reply
  38. Cheryl says

    March 11, 2016 at 7:08 pm

    I would love to try the Palm Pro Brush.

    Reply
  39. Amy Z. says

    March 11, 2016 at 7:40 pm

    I would love to try their triangle brush for painting corners!

    Reply
  40. Carmen N says

    March 12, 2016 at 4:22 pm

    I want to try the Palm Pro brushes

    Reply
  41. Beverly says

    March 13, 2016 at 1:01 am

    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!

    Reply
  42. Anita says

    January 23, 2017 at 3:43 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      January 23, 2017 at 7:13 pm

      Hi Anita! I typically use Minwax Polycrylic. It’s water-based and I haven’t had a problem with it yellowing. Hope that helps!

      Reply

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