Bates- Deck Stain Brush, 4 Inch, Stain Brushes for Wood, Deck Brush, Large Paint Brushes

Brushes
Good

Great quality for the price
Good quality and well-constructed.

VERY high quality brush for a VERY low price! Perfect for semi-solid / solid stains.
Wow was a surprised by the high quality of this brush at such a great price! If you need a 4″ stain brush with a thin dense bristle (perfect for semi-solid or solid stains) you may want to pause here and order one of these now while you still can because I really can’t believe how great the value is. I’ve just ordered a second one myself.I selected this brush to re-stain a 15+ year old pressure treated pine lumber deck railing with a semi-solid stain. This was a “lip stick on a pig” type project so I wasn’t concerned about using what I expected to be a low quality brush based on the price. I expected this brush would be relatively low quality all around: thin and loose bristles, cheap materials and construction, etc. and that would have been just fine for my old railing. As soon as I got my hands on it I was impressed with the quality and much nicer than I needed for this project. That said, it was such a great value that I was even more eager to see how it performed and it did not disappoint! My next stain job is a new pressure treated deck and railing which will be stained with the same semi-solid stain as the old section. My original plan for this newly built section of deck and railing was to purchase “premium brushes” from the product lines recommended by professional painters but now I have no hesitation going with Bates.By comparison to the wide range of options among the “professional brands”, this brush is of comparable quality to the mid-tier product longs but priced at the level of off-brand entry level brushes. The brush is well constructed all around, the synthetic bristles are high quality, densely packed in metal on a wood base atop a STRONG and COMFORTABLE high density plastic handle. The handle is threaded and screwed tightly onto my standard pole (I had no concern of damaging the threads from cross threading or over tightening thanks to the high density plastic). The bristles properly picked up my stain (IMPORTANT NOTE: if you are using a semi-transparent or similar stain with a more water like consistency, a stiffer bristle than this model will do a better job of holding the stain and not making a mess. This brush will work but the bristle stiffness is designed for a thicker stain which is closer to the consistency of paint – it picked up and held my semi-solid stain exceptionally well) and my somewhat unskilled hand was able to cleanly apply a surprisingly nice, smooth, and even coat of stain to my old railing without tearing a single bristle. The 4″ size was perfect for the majority of my project as my railing is constructed of 2×4’s and 4×4’s – it was the only brush I needed for 99% of the project (after a second coat I tend to touch up heavy areas with a light sand and use a small brush and/or mini-roller for spot touch ups).I never thought I’d be compelled to write such a long review for a simple stain brush but I really want my fellow DIYers to share in the joy of getting such a great value while not compromising on their stain finish by choosing an inferior brush. Buy with confidence (but if you are using a transparent water like stain, you may want to see if there is a comparably priced Bates product with a stiffer bristle).

Great stain brush
I used this to back brush an oil-based stain on 250 linear feet of Western Cedar. There is no brush in existence that won’t fatigue your hand with this much work in a short time span, but it worked great. It punches way above its weight for the price – for any price. It holds the stain really well and releases it smoothly. There is no shedding, and it cleaned up almost like new. I subsequently used it brush concrete sealant (one water based and one acrylic) on some new pavers. Again it cleaned up great and did really well on the application. I did have it wash it twice with dawn to get the brush back to soft bristles following the sealant application, but the stain cleaned up with mineral spirits and then dawn. I had to do a few cycles there too. I can’t believe this brush is going to make to help with the staining again in 2-5 years when I have to reapply.