Water based gloss advice please

searchlight123

due to my white woodwork going pretty creamy coloured within 18 months (oil based gloss in a non smoking home), i have now bought johnstone's aqua system water based brilliant white gloss (on the advice of my local paint store specialist).
my decorator has lightly sanded my panel doors and undercoated them. the first door was glossed today and i have come home and i'm not too impressed. it would seem you can see every brush mark on the door. much more so than on my old oil glossed doors that have not been top coated yet. i am using the same decorator as last time, so my question is: is this a trait of this type of paint or is this poor workmanship?
he says the paint is thinner than oil based and that is why he prefers oil based gloss as you don't get this problem, but i can't face (or afford) to have this job done on a yearly basis.
has anyone any advice that i can give him to improve the finish before he comes back to resume tomorrow?!!
many thanks in advance.

cattie

Would it be possible to use a small roller to apply the paint? At least this way you don't get brush marks.

I'm not sure I've ever used a roller on water based gloss, but have used it on eggshell paint and it goes on like a dream and leaves a really professional finish.

nickj_2

there's a trade off between solvent based gloss and w/b - with solvent based you can get a mirror shine without brushmarks if you know what you are doing , however the trade off is that it smells ,and with recent reductions in VC's has meant yellowing is a problem atm
water based gloss will dry quick , not smell and will have a certain amount of brushmarks depending on make and the surface you are painting, if you have a grain effect panel door then the marks are not noticeable, however if the door is flush then the drying properties of w/b can result in brushmarks to some extent . the w/b stuff will not yellow

daveyjp

Use a radiator roller if you want a smooth finish.

searchlight123

daveyjp wrote: »

Use a radiator roller if you want a smooth finish.

many thanks for replies.
is a radiator roller the small smooth foam roller type?

thanks

Waffle_On

I'd also suggest one of the small foam rollers. The other thing that may help is to make sure your decorator is following "the rules":

Oil based paint = natural bristle brush
Water based paint = synthetic brush

To be honest if a professional decorator doesn't know that they should be sacked!

searchlight123

Right. Consensus of opinion suggests I get him to use a small smooth roller then.
I wil report back on results.
Thanks again to all those who took the time to reply.
Appreciated.

Gloomendoom

Your decorator is correct... sort of. It certainly isn't his poor workmanship. The water based paint dries too quickly so it doesn't get a chance to level out which makes the the brush marks very obvious. The oil based paint takes a lot longer to dry gradually and levels itself meaning that the brush marks are a lot less noticeable.

I never use water based gloss if I'm bothered about the finish. It does have its uses though. I've just painted the inside of a cupboard with it where the brush marks don't matter. It was touch dry in less than an hour and it hasn't stunk the house out.

Leif

I've used a mini foam roller and it gives an orange peel finish, not unlike a rollered wall. Not bad, but distinctive and not really to my taste. Some professionals add Floetrol to water based paints, to improve the flow, and keep a wet edge for longer. I've never tried it. I didn't like water based paints, possibly due to inexperience, although there is quite a variation and several kinds i.e. acrylic based and polyurethane based. The latter is thicker. The acrylic ones I tried were very thin. There is said to be another kind due to appear, supposedly. And acrylic water based paints are not as tough as oil based. Oh, and I am not sure there is a true gloss WB paint, they tend to be satin despite the claims on the tin, or at least that was true of the ones I tested.

An alternative is to use a satin oil based paint. They are more resistant to yellowing. Some are said to not yellow, but I've seen no real proof.

searchlight123

just as an update i followed the advice from other members (thank you) and the small foam roller is definitely the way to go. it has given a much smoother finish than the brush.
i'm now a happy bunny.
cheers.