FAQs

You can purchase from us directly via our Shop and have your items delivered to your door, or you can visit one of our Stockists.

Provided you ensure the bottle within the Trade 20 does not ‘run dry’, brushes may be stored indefinitely within your Trade 20. However, you must ensure proper maintenance and regular servicing of your Trade 20. Different paints and usage of your Brush Mate may affect efficiency, make sure to check brushes regularly. The Trade 20 is only suitable for use with oil based paints and varnishes.

Brush Mate storage systems have proved to be very safe in normal use. Only small quantities of fluid are involved and provided that sensible practices are followed it is not expected that any problems will occur. Health and safety is not normally an issue but do read the hazard labelling on the product before use. For more detailed information please refer to the Health and Safety data sheet.

We recommend that the vaporiser panel be replaced approximately every 6 months in order to maintain the efficiency of your Trade 20. During use the panel slowly becomes clogged with paint and other contaminants that over time slow down the evaporation of Brush Mate Fluid from the panel. If you didn’t replace the panel the Trade 20 would eventually lose effectiveness. Ask your stockist for a Service Pack this also contains a replacement drip mat and 5 spare brush clips.

Yes, ask your stockist for a Service Pack. This also contains a vaporiser panel and 5 brush clips. We recommend that to maintain efficiency you should ‘service’ your Trade 20 about every 6 months.

1. Ensure the lid is properly in place at all times except when removing or replacing brushes.
2. Preferably only remove lid in still air conditions.
3. Whenever possible store your Trade 20 in a cool, draught free position.
4. Avoid keeping your Trade 20 in a place where there are large variations in temperature.
5. Ensure regular servicing and maintenance of your Brush Mate Trade 20.

This will impair operation and may cause irreversible damage. Water vapour will clog the vaporiser panel preventing the evaporation of Brush Mate Fluid. In addition it may damage the seal around the base and cause distortion to the nylon lid. If for some reason you have been standing your brushes in water, do NOT put them into your Trade 20 until they are thoroughly dry of water.

This depends on a number of factors (see “How do I minimise fluid consumption in my Trade 20?”). Typically a Trade 20 will consume about 2 – 3 ml of Brush Mate Fluid per day, so you may expect to replace the bottle of Brush Mate Fluid every 3 – 4 months. However, in some circumstances (e.g. if you store your Trade 20 in a van where there are large temperature fluctuations) consumption can be greater. Different paints and usage of your Brush Mate product may affect efficiency, make sure to check your brushes regularly.

Typically a Vapour Mate may be expected to last up to 6 months when used for DIY use. Professional users opening their Trade 4 more frequently will need to replace their Vapour Mate more often. Different paints and usage of your Trade 4+ may affect efficiency, make sure to check brushes regularly.

Definitely not. Brush Mate Fluid has been specially formulated for use in the Brush Mate Trade 20 and is a complex blend of solvents. It not only stops the paint solvents ‘flashing’ off the brush, but also prevents the chemical drying process (polymerisation) that normally takes place as paint dries. Not only will other fluids be ineffective but they may cause irreversible damage to your Trade 20.

Brush Mate products are rugged and designed to withstand many years of use (and in some cases abuse!) ‘on site’. Under these conditions it is perhaps not surprising that lids may cease to fit as ‘snugly’ as when new. Whilst large gaps around the lid may lead to increased fluid consumption, slight bowing or minor gaps should not have an appreciable affect. Even when new, the lid is not designed to create a seal; there is necessarily some slight movement of air into and out of the Trade 20. If your Trade 20 lid is in a sorry state, you can purchase a brand new metal lid here.

Andy Sandy is a clog free sanding block manufactured from medium/coarse carbide grit. The grit is ‘rubbed away’ during use and therefore never clogs.

Andy Sandy can be used on most surfaces including old paintwork, plaster, wood, metal or plastic.

Andy Sandy is more convenient to use. It has a contoured shape so it is easy to grip and has a nice ‘weighty’ feel to it. Unlike abrasive paper it won’t tear when you rub over an old nail or similar sharp object. You are also less likely to cut your fingers on sharp projections! The Andy Sandy can also be shaped easily to fit timber mouldings.

The Can Handle is strong and sturdy, certainly capable of carrying weights up to 20kgs – not that we would recommend you to try to take that much up a ladder!

Yes. By rotating the clamp mechanism 180° the Can Handle can easily be switched from one side of the ladder to the other.

The Can Handle is designed to fit most conventional, runged ladders but will not work with stepladders.

Most certainly. The clamping arm features a special ‘pinch’ designed to accept paint kettle handles and clamp them positively in place. The Can Handle can grip spray guns, cans, kettles, scuttles or buckets with or without handles (even rimless, plastic pots!).

A Can Handle is far more convenient, versatile and safe than a simple wire hook. It can grip cans, kettles, scuttles or buckets with or without handles (even a rimless plastic pot!). It holds them clear of the ladder, so you don’t have to reach through the rungs. And it’s designed for the job! Will your insurance cover you if your pot of paint falls off your bent wire onto someone below? The Can Handle will last you a lifetime .. a small investment for the added convenience and peace of mind!

Just a few drops will normally suffice.

The Original Fluid can be purchased immediately from the Brush Mate website: https://brushmate.co.uk/

A new Brush Mate Trade 20 will come with a bottle Brush Mate Fluid. included.  If you would prefer a bottle of The Original Fluid, this can be purchased separately from our website.

There were changes in EU legislation, meaning that the substance Methylethyl ketone oxime ‘MEKO’ also known as Butanone oxime (CAS number 96-29-7) contained within the Fluid was reclassified. This affected the entire painting and decorating industry. It has now become clear that the reclassification does not apply to products only sold in the UK, as we are no longer part of the EU.  We sell Brush Mate in Europe as well as the UK, so we made the decision to change the Fluid for everyone. To give painters and decorators more choice we’ve been able to reintroduce The Original Fluid for the UK market only.

There were changes in EU legislation, meaning that one of the ingredients (Methylethyl ketone oxime) within the Fluid was reclassified. Therefore, we made the decision to change the chemicals within the fluid so we could continue to provide decorators with their favourite decorating accessory – we know Brush Mate is an important part of a decorator’s toolkit.

Our stockists were also pushing for an EU compliant product so that they could continue selling through there stores.

It has now become clear that the reclassification does not apply to products only sold in the UK, as we are no longer part of the EU. This means we’re now able to provide both types of Fluid, providing more choice to decorators, but The Original Fluid will not be available outside the UK.

The feedback we’ve had from decorators and our rigorous testing shows there’s no clear ‘winner’ between The Original Fluid (containing MEKO) and the current Brush Mate Fluid. Each decorator has their own preference based on the paints used and the amount of painting they do; so we wanted to be able to provide both options. The Trade 20 will continue to be supplied with the current Brush Mate Fluid.

Both Fluids only work for oil-based paints and varnishes, not hybrid or water-based.

Both of our Brush Mate Fluid products have been developed to release vapour into the Trade 20, allowing brushes to remain soft and pliable.

The main difference is one of the ingredients. The Original Fluid is mixed using MEKO (Methylethyl ketone oxime), whereas the more recent Brush Mate Fluid is mixed using Ascinin. They both do the same job.

Due to changes in EU legislation, meaning that the MEKO chemical within the Fluid was reclassified, we made the decision to change the chemicals within the fluid to a less hazardous, EU wide compliant version. This was so we could continue to provide decorators with the product that complied with the change in the law.

Our stockists were also pushing for an EU compliant product so that they could continue selling through their stores.

It has now become clear that the reclassification does not apply to products only sold in the UK, as we are no longer part of the EU. This means we’re now able to provide both types of Fluid, providing more choice to decorators, but The Original Fluid will not be available outside the UK.

Methyl ethyl ketone oxime ‘MEKO’ also known as Butanone oxime (CAS number 96-29-7) is a substance that has been reclassified in UK and EU law as carcinogenic. Since 1^st March 2022 this has resulted in mandatory labelling and classification of any products containing MEKO sold on the general market. The EU REACH has also restricted the sale of any products containing this substance to the general public. This is not currently the case under UK REACH and therefore the restriction on supply to the general public does not apply in the UK.

For more information about UK REACH visit UK REACH: UK REACH Explained (hse.gov.uk)

The Brush Mate Trade 20/Trade 4+ are manufactured by our own workforce in the U.K. All removable parts can therefore be supplied. Your local Brush Mate stockist may be able to order spares for you.

Forget about brush cleaning! The Trade 20 and Trade 4+ keep brushes used with oil based paints and varnishes soft and ready for immediate use without the need to clean them. With a Trade 20 or Trade 4+ you don’t need to clean brushes unless changing paint colour.

The Trade 20 and Trade 4+ use a specially formulated solvent (Brush Mate Fluid) which fills the product with a vapour. This vapour prevents the paint on the brushes from drying. It does this by stopping the paint solvents ‘flashing’ off the brush and also by preventing the chemical drying process (polymerisation) that normally takes place as paint dries. In the Trade 20 the solvent (Brush Mate Fluid) is drawn from a bottle and up a wick onto the central vaporiser panel. The Brush Mate Fluid evaporates from the vaporiser panel to create the vapour. Instead of a bottle of fluid and central vaporiser panel, the Trade 4+ contains a panel (Vapour Mate) which is impregnated with a solvent similar to Brush Mate Fluid.

The Trade 20 and Trade 4+ are designed to be used with all conventional oil based paints and varnishes (i.e. all paints and varnishes which normally require brushes to be cleaned in white spirit/turps substitute). The Trade 20 and Trade 4+ do NOT work with water based or acetone based paints (introducing water or water based paints into your Trade 20 or Trade 4+ can cause irreversible damage).

No. However, it will help to keep your Trade 20 or Trade 4+ cleaner if you remove any excess paint before storing the brush, by wiping on an old rag or newspaper. (If for some reason you have been standing your brushes in water do NOT put them into your Trade 20 until they are thoroughly dry of water – see “What happens if I put water or water based products in my Trade 20?”

The Trade 20 and Trade 4+ can be used with all brushes except those with copper or brass ferrules or rivets. Sometimes the covering of the handle may be softened, but most painters consider this a minor inconvenience when compared with the benefits of using their Trade 20 or Trade 4+ (to avoid this inconvenience many painters now chose brushes with natural wood handles for use in their Trade 20 or Trade 4+).

The powerful solvent vapour generated by the Brush Mate Fluid will corrode brass and copper producing a viscous green liquid. This green liquid may contaminate the paint on the brush. Eventually the brass or copper will be completely eroded.

Yes. Tests carried out by us have shown that Brush Mate Fluid has no detrimental effect upon any synthetic bristles so far tested.