Do any of you use cheap paint brushes?

[Prashun Patel]

I use chip brushes for non-permanent coatings, like oil or anchorseal - when the bristles don't matter, or I'll be treating the surface after anyway.

The foam brushes are great for single serve applications, but I have a bucket of anchorseal that has a dedicated chip brush that in a bad near by. They're stiffer and more durable than the foam brushes. I like having both on-hand.

Chip brushes can also be good for applying alcohol-based dyes on large surfaces. They flood better than a rag.

[Brice Rogers]

If I'm using wipe-on poly, I will use a cosmetic sponge wedge that I buy at Rite Aid. The good batches don't swell. I toss each after using.

I've also used a seasoned chip brush with good success. I like the fine-ness of the bristles as it doesn't seem to leave marks. But, when used the first time or two, it might shed a few bristles. That stops happening after a couple of uses. I tend to think that a lot of brand new brushes are prone to shedding.

[Raymond Fries]

I have nice brushes for latex paint and keep them clean. For oil based primer, I use cheap brushes and toss them. Also, use foam for poly and some finishing.

[Ole Anderson]

I have tried foam brushes and for some reason don't really care for them. I will use chip brushes for painting my Jeep's frame or other non-critical painting, otherwise I will use a premium brush for latex or varnish. Except I rarely apply varnish with a brush anymore, I prefer to thin 50/50 with naphtha and wipe on with a blue shop towel. And I try to spray if the project is large enough, and if the finish allows it, to justify the equipment cleanup.

[Bill Dufour]

They work great outdoors with paint thinner to brush off accumulated oil and grease of used machines I have bought. I have also used them to apply a little roofing tar where needed. On some machines I have painted on grafting seal to the inside of sheet metal covers to soak up vibrations.
Bill

[Bruce Wrenn]

My favorite cheap brush is the 1" from DollarTree. I use them to coat inside of cake pans with melted butter, and to apply egg wash to pie shells before filling. For sheet goods, clear finished, I use water based vanish and apply it with a paint pad, the kind made for cutting in corners.

[Jim Becker]

There was a time when I might have bought "cheap" brushes, but they actually are not "cheap" in the long run. A good brush will not only apply the finish better, it will also clean up easier and last much longer.

[Rob Young]

Inexpensive 1" and 2" chip brushes for "dry brushing" when applying glazes and stains. Work very well for pushing color into and out of tight corners as well as blending things. Foam brush for gel stain application and moving it around before wipe down with rags and dry brushing into corners.

Foam brushes (last big batch was from Peachtree) for water borne stuff and for occasional use of Watco and Watco-like oil varnish mixes. But my preferred method for oil varnish mix if a small project is to dunk-and-drip.

Also use the inexpensive brushes for cleaning, etc as mentioned elsewhere.

If brushing shellac, I use Taklon (a brand name of nylon bristle artist brush, available in mop, straight, angled cuts and all kinds of widths but 1-1/2" seems most handy to me).