Let’s chat about the Cricut Brayer and why every Cricut crafter needs one. I am a HUGE fan of the Cricut Brayer but there are other options on the market. If you already have something similar in your craft room or kitchen, you can use that for your Cricut crafting!
If you’re new to Cricut, make sure you check out my Cricut Starter Kit. You’ll learn about 10 Cricut tools I think you need in your craft room.
The Cricut brayer is one craft tool I cannot live without and I don’t think people understand how necessary this tool is.
You can see the Cricut brayer in action by pressing play on the video below.
All About the Cricut Brayer
If you have been around here a while, you know I talk about how much I rely on my Cricut Brayer frequently in posts. Why do I love it? How do you use it? Do you need one? I am answering all of that and more below!
Why Do You Need a Brayer?
If you’ve ever struggled with getting clean cuts with your Cricut machine a brayer can help. If you’ve experienced your material lifting off the mat, a brayer can help.
Using a brayer can help with a variety of different issues you may be having with your Cricut machine. If your cuts are not what you expect, get a brayer and give it a try!
How Do You Use a Cricut Brayer?
I use a brayer to help adhere different materials to Cricut mats. Place the material on the mat like you would normally and then roll over the entire surface with the brayer to press the material down into the adhesive.
How Does Using a Brayer Help?
Using a brayer helps in a variety of ways. Having the material secured to the mat helps you get better cuts on all materials.
This also helps extend the life of the mats. Because the brayer helps the material stick to the mat, mats last longer which means you’ll end up replacing mats less often.
I also find using a brayer extends the life of my blades. Often people are replacing blades because they aren’t getting clean cuts. However, the cuts are often poor quality because the material isn’t stuck well to the mat. Having the material stuck down on the mat helps ensure amazing cuts.
Do I Need to Use the Cricut Brand Brayer?
You do not need to use a Cricut branded brayer. The Cricut version works really well and I am a fan but you may already have something on hand that will work.
I own a few different options from different types of crafts. I have a Speed Ball brayer for ink application and another one for glue application. You may even have a handheld rolling pin in the kitchen that would work.
You do want to make sure the surface of your brayer is smooth and that it rolls. For this process, I don’t recommend a scraper, I think the rolling and pushing do a better job ensuring everything is stuck to the mat evenly.
Brayers Used:
Any of the options shown above work similarly and will have the same effect as the brayer from Cricut on your crafting.
I hope I’ve answered any questions you have about why you need a Cricut brayer. From increasing the life of other supplies to making my crafting less frustrating, the brayer really is a lifesaver. If you have any other questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer them for you.
Hi Angie, I loved your website and it’s very informative. I just received my Cricut Bayer yesterday and I have had my Cricut machine for 3 years! I did the Crafting for Profits about 2 years ago, since then your website has helped after suffering from a stroke (Nov 2023 ), brain cancer (Feb 2024) and massive brain cancer (June 2024). Thank you for the hard work you put into everything!
Hi Angie, I recently watched someone also use their brayer over the fold in a card base, instead of using a bone folder. This helped me decide that they definitely have a place at my Cricut craft table. I will purchase a dedicated one eventually, but I would like to start with what I have, which is both a hard & a soft brayer. I am wondering if you would describe the Cricut brayer as hard, or soft, so I can try with a similar one of mine.
I think it would be a hard one.