Here is a question Cheri asked. “I am painting my bathroom doors and baseboards using ultra white semi gloss latex paint by Valspar. My problem is that it looks streaky even after 3 coats. I am using a good quality brush and I don’t like the texture of the small rollers. What am I doing wrong and should I use a satin finish instead”?
Answer
You may have 2 issues going on. The first is that Valspar is not what it used to be. It used to be great paint back in the day. Not it’s made to meet a price point instead of quality benchmarks. Try a good paint store in your neighborhood. The sheen level is not an issue here.
The second issue is more likely the culprit. That of premature drying. In warm weather paint can dry quickly. If you try to go back into it to smooth it out or blend it in it often sticks and creates an uneven appearance. You can address this a couple ways. And make sure you are overlapping, bringing your brush back into the area you just painted.
The easiest way is to use Flowtrol. It keeps your paint wet longer so it is easier to work with. You may want to consider adding a little extra speed to the Flowtrol. Either just work faster or do what I do. Generally, I use a small roller to do sections of the door and brush it out using long strokes.
More specifically, if you have a 6 panel door, this is a good technique to use. We will be doing a roller-brush, roller-brush technique. The advantage of working this way is that it takes 1/3 the time of brushing alone and keeps the paint in a workable condition, giving you a streak-free finish.
Load up your mini roller with paint. Roll out the raised middle section in a few strokes. The roll paint into the beveled areas around the panel. Take you brush, dip it in paint then brush what you just rolled. Start with the bevels, making sure your brush angle matches the 45 degree angle of the corners. Then stroke out the panel. Wipe of any excess paint that spilled out with a damp rag. Do that for all 6 panels. Once that is dry tackle the rest of the door.
Start at the bottom and work your way up. Roll the bottom, overlapping onto the vertical edges. Make sure you get about 6″ up between the panels as well. Brush the middle section first, bringing it down into the bottom section. Now brush the bottom. Take each side up with the roller and stop just below the middle horizontal section. Brush them out. Take the middle section between the panels past the top of the panels and start the next vertical section above the horizontal, just as did with the bottom. Roll out the horizontal middle section, extending out into the vertical areas on the sides. Stroke out the vertical middle sections, then the horizontal. Use the same technique up to the top. Should take two or three minutes per section once you get good.
Filed under: How To Paint Tagged: | colorado springs, door, flowtrol, Interior Painting, paint
