My friend John asked me to come over and help him with some crown molding he was getting ready to put up in his new family room. He had some beautiful poplar boards milled to match the trim in the rest of his house, and while I would have opted for a stain to highlight the wavy grain, John and Becky (mostly Becky) wanted it painted. “Happy wife, happy life.” So, paint it was.

When I arrived, John had the boards laid out on sawhorses in his garage, with newspapers spread out to protect the floor. But then he handed me a two-inch wide foam brush. “John,” I said, “Haven’t you heard? The better the brush, the better the finish.”

Which launched us into a discussion of how to choose the right brush for each project. Some of John and Becky’s trim was going to be stained and sealed with a clear finish, which gave me a chance (while we were working) to explain to John how to pick the best brush when you are staining and finishing. Take a look and see what John learned.
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