Getting poor paint finish

DiG

DiG

DiG

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Joined
16 Mar 2004
Posts
2,257
Hi,
I'm having problems getting a good finish when painting some wood doors. I'm using Johnstones Satin paint and (I think) decent brushes.

I've sanded it down, given it two coats of primer then given that a quick sand and applied the satin wood final coat. First coat was bad so I sanded lightly again and gave it another coat but its no better.

Does anyone have any advice or tips on how to get it looking better?

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looks like bits of dirt in the paint in the second picture.
Other than that it almost looks like you are over spreading it, or the brush really isn't up to much.
 
Looks like the brush, what brush is it? Try using a synthetic bristle brush and if you don't want to spend loads screwfix do a harris set for a tenner that are pretty good
 
Looks like you need to "work" the paint more too - not just slap it on but kind of spread the paint out, then finish off with a smooth stroke (fnarr).

There is a possibility that the grain of the door is very open, and that's what's showing up as those lines.
 
Buy a decent brush like a Harris

Paint a wall with emulsion this will even up all the bristles and give the brush a nice edge.

Never paint out the tin. Pour enough paint into a kettle and never pour back.

Make sure you stir the tin well.

Clean the lid and stamp back on. Never leave the lid off.

Learn how to wash a brush properly and have a small selection of good quality brushes you keep clean.
 
Thanks for all the advice, I've been using a non-synthetic Harris brush but have been been putting quite a lot on and trying to avoid working it too much, clearly the wrong idea.

I'll have another go tonight on a freshly primed side and update with the results!
 
Another tip is to brush it on and then lightly finish with a very small non textured roller.
 
Get a decent brush, Harris are ok at best. Get yourself a decent purdy or wooster.

Is it oil or water based?

You'll struggle with the latter this time of year because the cold temperatures make it much less workable, stand it in some hot water before mixing it and pouring it into your paint kettle and try adding a dash of floetrol if it's still not very workable. Also if it is water based you shouldn't be using a non-synthetic brush because the water will make it's way into the bristles - non synthetic are oil based only.

When trying not to overwork it just brush it on THEN lay it off. A lot of people make the mistake of working it as they go which you do need in a large area but for trim you can do a whole length then lay off after.
 
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So I had another go last night, I think I went to far the other way and didn't put enough paint on this time:

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Warming the paint up sounds like good advice as there is no heating in the room at the moment and it is a little cold. When you say that paint is not very workable what do you mean? Just that its very viscous or something else?

I'll go on a hunt for a better brush as well, didn't realise that I should be using synthetic, are synthetic brushes ok for oil based as well or should I keep my non-synthetic ones nice for later if I need to use any oil based paints?
 
Wilkinson's do some decent, inexpensive synthetic brushes. Bare softwood handle, nice soft bristles, and I've not had any loss from them yet.
 
Synthetic or non synthetic = Oil based

Non synthetic = Water based

If a paint is too thick it won't flow well, it'll go on poorly and it'll have reduced working times. Paint is thicker when it's cold hence heating it and preferably the working conditions will help with the finish.

If you can confirm if it's oil or water based I'll be able to give you specific advice.
 
It's water based, this one in fact

Do I need to give the first final coat I did yesterday a quick sand before doing another coat? Or that only for between primer and final coats?
 
There's your problem, waterbased are hard to work, even professional deckies find it's a learning curve. It's difficult to work into a nice finish and often doesn't lay off flat if you're not careful.

Admittedly you can't use oil based for white since VOC2010 - it all yellows in a few weeks.

What I'd say is warm it up, bucket of hot hot water and put the can inside, heat the room you're working in too if possible. If it's still quite thick considering thinning up to about 5% with water.

Give it a rub down to flatten it or you'll never get rid of the brushmarks. You should rub down and clean between each coat for the best finish, especially Satinwood which is self undercoating.
 
Water based satin wood or gloss are terrible, we have banned them on site even though we are supposed to be using them, Dulux have a new one that is supposed not to yellow and be easier to apply. Go for an oil based satin wood.
 
I've heard good things about QD but it's acrylic, water based. Mate of mine reckons it's Satura in a dulux tin because Dulux owns Sikkens.

Oil based is useless for white these days, you get probably 3 months max before it yellows noticeably. You will always get that problem since the VOC 2010 regs messed everything up.

I use acrylics but you've got to have skill in applying them, I use floetrol to thin and condition the paint to an appropriate viscosity and use a brush dampened in floetrol to apply. You need to work fast and depending on the climate you may need to select a softer/ stiffer brush.

But I get comparable results to an oil based, for gloss though not quite the sheen of the good old days of superb oil based trade paints. When you consider it'll never yellow thought it's not really an issue.
 
When you say an appropriate viscosity what do you have in mind? At the moment its reasonably thick, should it be closer to say double cream?
 
It should flow easily from the brush and load easily into it, you shouldn't be slapping it on and spreading it out you should be using a well loaded brush to, well, paint it on.
 
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