Mod PodgeMod PodgeGlue · Sealer · Finish

Brushes and tools: what we use to put a coat on

The brushes, brayers, mats and squeegees we use to get a coat of Mod Podge decoupage glue on flat and smooth.

A decoupage finish is mostly technique, and technique is easier with the right tool. Soft flat brushes for laying the medium down, foam applicators for the fewest marks, brayers and squeegees for pushing air out from under paper.

Finger caps are the quiet favourite — they let you smooth a sheet down without getting medium under your nails.

Popular tools for decoupage

Every tool we make for this shelf

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Tools that make a Mod Podge decoupage coat go on smooth

Most of the finish problems people describe to us are tool problems. A ragged brush leaves strokes, a thick brush drops too much medium at once, and pressing a sheet down with your fingers traps air you will be looking at forever.

A soft flat brush or a foam applicator is what we use for ordinary brush-on work. The foam leaves the fewest marks and is cheap enough to replace when it goes hard. A brayer or a squeegee is what eliminates bubbles and wrinkles: you roll from the centre outwards and the air goes out at the edge.

Silicone mats and moulds belong here too. A mat gives you somewhere to work and peels clean once dry, and the moulds are for the poured finishes rather than the brushed ones.

What we keep on the bench:

  • soft flat brushes for controlled brush-on work
  • foam applicators for a stroke-free coat
  • a brayer or squeegee to press paper flat
  • silicone mats to work on and peel clean
  • silicone moulds for poured resin and Dimensional Magic

Questions we get about this shelf

Foam or bristle?

Foam for flat surfaces and a smooth film, bristle when you need to push medium into texture or work in a tight corner.

How do I clean a brush?

Warm water, straight away. Everything we bottle is water based, so a brush rinsed before it dries comes back good as new. A brush left overnight usually does not.

Do I really need a brayer?

Not for small pieces. On anything bigger than a postcard it is the difference between a flat sheet and a field of trapped bubbles.

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