Best Paint Brushes for Trim Reviews

The trims around the doors and windows, as well as baseboards, require repainting from time to time to preserve their fresh look. That’s where you might need the best paint brushes for trim. Even though you might think that these tools play an insignificant role in the quality of the final painting work, let me prove the opposite.

When working with narrow and angled areas like the trim, the paintbrush will define how easy it would be to apply paint, how neat and smooth the coverage would be, and more.

If it feels that you are stuck with the choice of the great trim paintbrush, you can put your feet up. I put together this review with top paintbrushes for trimming so you could bother yourself no more with surfing the net and picking decent products on your own.

Our pick

Purdy Clearcut

Best paint brush for trim

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Superior cutting-in capability and quick, easy clean up.

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How I tested paint brushes for trim

I tested the listed trimming paint brushes on baseboards, door frames, and window trims to check how they would work on various surfaces. I sanded wooden trims to ensure better paint stickiness and make the surface smoother. I also dusted off the surface before brushing it on.

Best paint brush for trim reviews

Purdy Clearcut – best overall

The Purdy Clearcut 2-inch/50 mm brush provides an excellent cutting-in capability with all paint types.

Unlike the Purdy White Bristle brush with natural bristles, this model is made of high-performing Tynex nylon and Orel polyester. Because it’s thick, you can apply more paint with more control. But there is a downside to this – you might notice brush strokes if you fail to distribute the paint carefully. The clear-cut angular bristle shape ensures precise edging.

The handle is made of natural hardwood. It features a hole to hang the brush when you are done with the painting job.

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Wooster Silver Tip – budget

Gain superior control during the paintwork and achieve the smoothest finish with the 2-inch Wooster Silver Tip brush.

Similar to the Purdy Clearcut brush, this tool has an angled brush design. But unlike its more expensive rival with stiff bristles, the Wooster Silver Tip brush is soft. The bristles are made of chemically-tipped polyester, making them thin, flexible, and soft. However, you might find the bristles slightly stiffer than other soft brushes. Also, the brush showed signs of rust after the first use.

The filament holds a lot of paint and lays it down pretty well, and it has great leveling properties with all paints.

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Purdy XL Glide – large

The 3-inch Purdy XL Glide brush will make the refreshing trim job a breeze.

The Purdy XL Glide brush is 1-inch larger than the Purdy Clearcut, making it suitable for larger projects. Due to the mix of DuPont solid, round, tapered Tynex, and Orel filaments, the Purdy XL Glide brush works great for all paint types. The angled design ensures smooth edging and better corner coverage.

The natural wood handle is good, and the brush overall gives a glass-like finish. But you may find that some bristles stick to the wet paint. The brads holding the ferrule might get loose after moderate use, causing the brush head to wobble.

Richard ELEGANCE – for small details

Being made of 100% polyester SRT, this ⅝-inch Richard ELEGANCE is perfect for neat trimming and cutting-in around doors. The tapered end also does its job – painting the corners is easier than ever. It delivers a smooth finish, especially when you use latex paint. But if you do not know how to use this brush the right way, you may find that the paint is hard to control.

In contrast to Purdy Clearcut with a standard wood handle, this product features a soft-grip handle. However, it might feel stiffer in your hands.

Purdy White Bristle – with natural bristles

You’ll love the ultra-smooth finish of this Purdy White Bristle Sprig brush for oil-based paints, stains, and clears.

The 2-inch brush has a hardwood Beavertail-style handle, which is pretty convenient. The flat sprig shape of the brush makes it a universal tool for your DIY projects, including refreshing trims or baseboards. In contrast to the synthetic Purdy Clearcut brush, this item boasts natural soft bristles. It gives zero brush strokes and bubbles, but I faced another issue.

This brush loses bristles, which might ruin the painting project.

Wooster Shortcut – for baseboards

You will enjoy painting baseboards with this Wooster Shortcut brush, suitable for all paints.

Unlike Richard ELEGANCE meant to work out every detail of the object, this 2-inch Wooster Shortcut brush with synthetic bristles will help you get into tight places due to the flexible Shergrip handle. It will also prevent your hands from aching and blistering.

This brush gives you more control when painting a straight swatch due to the angled design. But because it absorbs paint heavily, the bristles are hard to clean. You may also find it streaky.

Trim paint brush buying guide

Brush size

The properly chosen paintbrush size is the key to neat paintwork. Before you decide on the paint brush for interior trim, measure the surface you’ll be working with. This will give you a better idea about what size of brush you may need. For instance, a one-inch small paint brush for trim won’t be a great assistant when you’ve got to dye a 20-inch windowsill. However, you may want to get a smaller-sized brush for tight corners or intricate woodwork.

Brush shape

There are different brush shapes that define the tool’s application. A straight, also known as a square, brush is a universal solution, and it is applicable for almost all painting projects. But when you want to obtain better coverage, you may want to consider the rounded or angled bristle shape.

Bristles material

The paint brushes for trim work come with different bristle material options. Natural bristle brushes made of animal hair (white boar, horse, goat) and plants (Tampico) are common choices for shellac, polyurethane finishes, and oil-based paints since they hold more paint and ensure a smooth coverage. Synthetic (nylon, polyester, PVC, polyethylene) brushes are easy to clean, and they keep the bristle shape better than natural bristles. They are mainly used for latex and water-based paints.

Handle shape

Most brushes come with straight handles, both short and long, to allow you to easily trim and edge baseboards, window, and door trim. You can also come across angled handles for precise cut-ins or flexible handles, which adjust to any angle.

How to paint interior trim?

Before you start trimming, prepare the room (move the furniture away, apply the painter’s tape along with the flooring that meets the trim, etc.). Sand the woodwork with sandpaper to smooth rough surfaces. Spackle dents and holes, dry them, and sand the areas smoothly again. Prime bare wood and filled areas to avoid the risk of spotting when you apply the paint. Now you can paint the trim. Use a clean tray to pour carefully mixed paint. Deep the bristles of the brush about 1 inch into the paint and remove the excess by gently slapping the brush against each side of the tray. Make short strokes to dye a few feet of the trim. Then, make one long stroke to smooth the freshly applied paint. Find more trim painting tips in this article.

How to avoid brush strokes when painting trim?

To get a clean and smooth finish without messy brush strokes from the very first try, you’ve got to pick the paint and get a quality brush with soft bristles (stiff bristles leave unwanted brush strokes) that would match the chosen paint type. Prepare the surface by sanding and dusting it. When you proceed with the painting job, go with the grain rather than across it (left to right, not up to down). Also, do not wipe the paint off the brush. Slap it off instead. More handy tips on painting trim without brush strokes are gathered in this article.

What should I use to paint trim: brush or roller?

Is a brush or roller better for painting trim? Rollers deliver a smoother finish and more even paint coating compared to brushes. But a roller is inconvenient for working on small projects or parts (corners, joints, etc.). You also won’t be able to cover the fine details of trim. Thus, you will have to use both items – a roller for the middle of the trim and a brush for covering the areas the roller can’t reach. IMHO, that’s a lot of work, and using one item (a brush) is more efficient.

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