How to Trim Hair From a Stipple Brush to Match a Textured Ceiling

Soften a new stipple brush head by soaking the bristles in hot water before using it on a project. Test the shape of the brush on drywall. Thin down some drywall texture and paint it onto the drywall surface. Dip the brush in the milkshake-thick mixture and pounce the brush on the wall. This is a slapping motion that splays out the brush hairs and presses the brush held texture compound into the wall compound so that when you suddenly pull the brush away, a flower-like shape remains. With a new brush, the shape may look too even and regular. A more random shape is better for hiding deviations in the texturing process.

Clean the brush head with soap and water and dry the head on a rag. Insert a dowel in the vise and clamp it down. Place the stipple brush upside down on the dowel. This will allow you to rotate the brush while you trim the fibers.

Trim brush hairs from one-fourth to one-half the length of the hairs to create a random and shaggy shape. Typically, you will not want a few long hairs. Instead trim to create clumps of hairs. When the brush is trimmed on all sides, test its performance again. In use, a stipple brush is pounced, turned and pounced, turned and pounced again before being reloaded with mud. Note the design the brush makes and learn how to trim problem areas by referencing what the brush does on the drywall compared to how you have trimmed it.