About

About PaintBrushBuddy – The Tool I Wish I’d Had When I First Started My Painting Career

Hey man, pull up a bucket (or a PaintBrushBuddy) and let me tell you how this whole thing started.

My name’s Scott Johnstone. I’m a full-time residential and commercial painter, and I’ve been slinging paint professionally for over 20 years. I’m also a guitar player—that’s my escape after a long day on the job.

About halfway through my career, those damn wire handles started destroying me. Wrist pain that felt like fire, fingers going numb, grip so weak I was dropping brushes off ladders. Worst part? I couldn’t even barre a simple F chord anymore without my hand shaking like I’d had six espressos. I knew exactly where it was coming from—hours and hours every single day death-gripping that thin metal wire while cutting in or rolling ceilings.

I searched everywhere for something that would let me hold a gallon can without killing my hands. Nothing. Not a single product did what I needed. So I did what any stubborn painter would do—I went in the garage, grabbed some Baltic birch and hardware, and started building prototypes.

First couple were ugly as sin, but by the third one I had it. A real ergonomic handle that snaps onto any standard gallon can, gives you a comfortable grip like a big mug, and—here’s the part that made my crew lose their minds—lets you hang your brush right inside the can so the bristles stay wet and nothing drips on the drop cloth.

I made a handful for the guys I paint with. Within a week they were straight-up arguing (good-natured, but still) over who got to use one that day. As the company grew and we took on bigger jobs, those few prototypes got passed around like the last cold beer on a hot roof. I’d just stand there laughing while my wrists felt brand new for the first time in years.

We’ve been beating the absolute hell out of these things for the last 3.5 years—ladders, scaffolding, 100° attics, freezing garages, commercial reps that don’t care if you’re comfortable or not. Not one has cracked, split, or failed. Zero. That’s when I knew I couldn’t keep this to myself.

So here we are.

PaintBrushBuddy isn’t some gadget cooked up in an office by guys who’ve never held a brush in their life. It’s built by a painter who was hurting, for painters (and DIY warriors, and handymen) who are tired of hurting too.

Whether you’re a pro putting in 50-hour weeks, a weekend warrior fixing up rentals, or just a guy who wants to repaint the kitchen without regretting it Monday morning—this thing will save your hands, save your time, and make painting feel easy again.

We make them by hand in small batches right here in the USA, using the toughest materials we could find. Every single one gets the same promise: if it ever breaks (it won’t), send me a picture and I’ll ship you a new one the same day. No questions.

Because at the end of the day, PaintBrushBuddy isn’t just a handle.

It’s the buddy that’s got your back—so you can keep painting, keep playing guitar, and keep doing whatever the hell you love with hands that actually work.

Let’s keep those hands strong for another 20 years, brother.

– Scott Johnstone Creator & Fellow Painter PaintBrushBuddy