Top 5 Best Paint Brushes For Chalk Paint (2023 Review)

Why Should You Use A Different Brush For Chalk Paint?

Chalk paint is a newer type of paint on the market that was developed by the brand Annie Sloan to create a matte look that will show off the natural brush strokes.

It's often used in cohesion with a soft wax that helps to seal the paint in and give it more of a satin finish once dried.

Incidentally, it also happens to be a low-VOC and water-based paint which means it's less toxic than oil-based paints and offers easier cleanup.

So why does the type of paint matter when it comes to choosing a brush?

Because the brush you choose determines the overall look you'll achieve in the end.

Not only that, but chalk paint is often selected because of it's more "rough around the edges" look, and in order to achieve that hand-painted look, you need to use the right brush for chalk paint specifically.

Painting furniture (in particular) is an art form, so even if you're an amateur DIYer who's never worked with chalk paint before, choosing the right brush can help you get the best results without the extra know-how.

Advantages Of Using Chalk Paint

One of the best parts about using chalk paint, though, is the fact that it often requires minimal prep work in the form of sanding or priming.

Chalk paint is incredibly adhesive and can still create an amazing paint color without the extra priming step.

Chalk paint also has a low chance of causing dripping during the painting process because it's a thicker paint.

So whether you're painting a piece of furniture or doing an entire room makeover, keep reading to decide which chalk paintbrush is the best one for you!

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What Are The Different Types of Brushes To Choose From?

When it comes to choosing the right paintbrush for chalk paint there are a few things you need to know.

First of all, you need to understand the differences between synthetic bristle brushes and natural bristle brushes (we'll get to that in a minute) but you also need to understand how different styles of brushes factor into the end result.

Both of these things - the bristle style and the brush style - work together to ultimately create the brush marks you're looking for.

Synthetic Bristle Brushes

Synthetic bristle brushes are paintbrushes that have bristles that are made from materials other than hog bristle or animal hair.

Often they're made from nylon bristles or polyester bristles or a nylon/polyester blend, which creates a smooth finish on whatever surface you're working with.

Natural Bristle Brushes

Natural hair brushes are often made from natural,  animal hairs and often those hairs come from hog bristles, ox hairs, goat hairs, and even sable hairs.

The best part about natural bristle brushes is that they create a very real look and feel in your brush strokes.

That's why natural bristle brushes are almost unanimously recommended for creating amazing chalk paint results.

However, there is one thing you should look for when scoping out a natural bristle brush for chalk paint:

You must find a brush that has low-shedding bristles. Why?

Because natural bristles shed! Things like boar hair and ox hair are very fine, which is great for creating a beautiful finish, but when you run them through the ringer with a thick, viscous paint like chalk paint or chalk paint wax you run the risk of losing a bunch of hairs in the paint!

That can yield huge headaches when you're trying to create a high-quality DIY paint job.

So yes, natural brushes are the way to go, just make sure you're watching out for shedding along the way so you don't end up with a bunch of hairs dried into the nooks and crannies!

Round Brushes

The last type of brush I want to mention is the round brush, which is mostly what you're going to see on this list.

That's because round brushes are often used with chalk paint to create those beautiful, matte brush strokes that chalk paint is known for.

The style and grip of round brushes gives you much more control over how you're laying on the paint and makes it much easier to apply both the chalk paint and the chalk paint wax in order to get that rustic, stylized finish.

How To Choose The Right Brush For Chalk Paint?

So how do you ultimately choose the right brush for a chalk paint project?

Ultimately, that's going to depend on a few key factors:

1. How often do you plan to work with chalk paint?
2. What type of surface are you applying the chalk paint to?
3. What's your desired look and feel?

Now obviously that doesn't cover everything, but these 3 things can help narrow down what you want to look for in a chalk paintbrush.

For instance, if you want to paint an entire wall in chalk paint, you'll honestly probably want to get a paint roller to cover the large surface area you're working with.

But if you want to do some DIY furniture painting, and you know you'll be doing more of it in the future, you might want to invest in a full chalk brush set like the one we recommend in Pick #3 below.

So, take a look at our recommendations below and see which brush or brush set is the best for you and your future DIY projects!

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Our Reviews Of The Best Paint Brushes For Chalk Paint