One of the questions that I get asked all. the. time. is how to prevent brushstrokes when using Fusion Mineral Paint. Fusion self levels so it’s totally possible to get a gorgeous, smooth finish if you do a few simple things.

So let’s talk about the four steps to a brushstroke free finish. First, you need to use a good brush. Fusion works best with a synthetic bristle brush and not all brushes are created equal. If you need help picking out a brush, you can read about How to Choose a Brush here.

Most of the time I paint with a Staalmeester brush and my favorites are the green string all synthetic round brush and the Ultimate One round brush.  Natural bristle brushes are great for chalk type paints and waxes, but they’re not going to give you the smooth finish you want with Fusion.

The second thing, and I think the most important, is to not use too much paint on your brush.  Maybe the second step should say “use a paper plate” because that keeps you from getting too much paint on your brush.  Don’t dip your brush into the jar.  You’ll get too much paint on your brush and risk contaminating your paint.

Once you’ve got a bit of paint on your brush, it’s time to spread it on your piece.  The secret here is not to overwork it.  Get it spread.  And then step away.  At this point you’ll see brush strokes.  But trust the paint.  It will level.

Take a look at these two photos.  The one on the left is wet paint going on.  You can see brush strokes but it won’t dry like this!  See the photo on the right with the dry paint?  No brush strokes!  You CAN  see that the paint has settled into the grain of the wood.  The paint will level on the surface so if the surface isn’t flat, the paint won’t be either.

You can see in these photos that when the surface is smooth, the paint levels to a glorious finish!  All of these were painted with a Staalmeester brush.

I will add that I never sand between coats and don’t mist my brush or surface during painting.

I will say that Coal Black and Midnight Blue can be challenging to paint.  They love to show every brushstroke!  So when painting those two colors, I add Extender to the paint.  Similar to Flotrol, Fusion’s non-toxic Extender keeps the paint wet longer.  These two colors seem to dry faster and are more susceptible to over brushing.

I add 1/4 of a bottle of Extender into a pint of paint.  It doesn’t decrease the shelf life and ensures that my black and navy are ready when  I am.

I also use a roller as much as possible when I’m painting these two colors.  The new Staalmeester microfelt rollers are AH MAZ ING at giving a smooth finish.

Want to see these tips in motion? Here’s a recent video that will give you an idea of the process.

Fusion’s chemistry is very different than chalk type paints.  It is thinner and paints differently, too. By following these four steps to a brushstroke free finish you’ll be on your way to a beautiful finish!