Zibra Paintbrushes: the best paintbrushes for a smooth finish!

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!)

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!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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