My grandpa swore by leaving paint brushes in water between coats

Back when I painted my first fence in 2019, my grandpa told me just to leave my brushes sitting in a bucket of water overnight between coats. I trusted him cause he built his own house in the 70s. Next morning the bristles were all splayed out and the ferrule was rusted. That ruined a $15 brush I had just bought from Ace Hardware. Turns out you gotta wrap them tight in plastic or use a brush keeper with the right solution. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from an older relative that messed up their project?

3 comments

3 Comments

viola_garcia5613d ago

Figure it's a $15 brush and not a $50 one. Grandpa's method probably works fine if you used the bristle cover that came with it or wrapped it in a wet rag, not just soaking the whole thing in water like a soup. People get dramatic about a minor setback with cheap tools and act like it's a life lesson. Maybe take it as a cheap learning experience and move on.

the_drew13d ago

Falls in line with older folks thinking "if it worked once it works forever" without checking modern materials.

carr.luna13d ago

Respectfully @the_drew, some of those old methods still hold up fine if you use proper materials and technique.