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Pro Classic is supposed to go on thick and it's self leveling. Over brushing it will leave brush marks.

The picture looks more like raised woodgrain than brush marks. What species of wood is that?

If those are brush marks, you'll need to wait for paint to cure (about 30 days) and sand it smooth before repainting.

Pro Classic has a learning curve. Don't hire carpenters to paint. :)

I think it's birch. Is it better to brush on and use a roller to smooth it after each stroke, to avoid overbrushing? The SW sales guy said it'll work but we haven't tried.
Thanks greatly for the advice to wait for curing. No wonder we couldn't sand it properly now. It's either me or the carpenter doing the painting and neither of us had used pro classic before. I hope we end up learning it, not giving it up :)

I have ( not always) used the roller first and then brushed it , quickly

In my opinion, the paint brush era is over. Modern day paints just dry too fast for you to be dipping your brush, brushing out an area, dipping again, etc. By the time you are travelling your brush to get more paint, it's already too late. It's hard for seasoned painters to use a brush and not get brush marks these days. I roll everything now. I use little 4 inch pro dooz sleeves, or Wooster velour or whizz rollers. Also, even though Pro Classic is marketed as self leveling, I find that it really isn't the best self leveling paint around. I struggle to get that paint to lay down, so I really can't imagine how hard it must be for a carpenter or a homeowner painter (same thing really). I have also tried XIM, and while many painters around the globe swear this helps, I find that it doesn't do anything to control brush marks. Also, I worry that once you have brush marks, they are there forever...not sure you can sand them out unless you go back to raw wood.

I'm an amature woodworker - been doing it for 50 years - I've applied a lot of finishes. IMO, the Sherwin Williams enamels I have tried (years ago) gave the same poor results as your pictures.

It seems to be 'sticky' paint. Never have liked the way it flows.

I'd wait a couple weeks, sand down the paint with a palm sander - 120 - 150 grit - and get a quality solvent based semi-gloss paint. Use a foam brush. You can save the brush for another coar by wrapping in foil or plastic.

Thanks for all your comments above! At least I know there are people out there sharing the same pain. I talked my husband into painting these built-in bookcases white instead of staining so they would match other white trimming, when he was skeptical about the brush marks and imperfections with painting wood. I promised to find a high quality paint for a professional look and thought I did when my research turned up so many people raving about ProClassic, including this one: http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2012/02/pedestal-table-with-overlays/
They made it sound so user-friendly and I believed.

I think I'm going to wait a few weeks and ask my carpenter to sand it. If we can get it back to a smooth surface, we'll use the roll and brush technique as you guys recommended and also described in this earlier post:

"I roll a line of paint down the length of the cabinet about 4-5" wide (about the width of the mini-roller), then go up and down a few times with the roller to make sure the area is fully covered. Then take your brush (the first time, get a little bit of paint on the end of the brush but not too much-a totally dry brush gums up a bit) and go from top to bottom or bottom to top once or twice at the most). Keep a very light touch with the brush and try to hold it more parallel to the surface than perpendicular. Then reload the roller and roll another strip, slightly overlapping the previous one, then brush. Continue until finished.
When dry, lightly sand with 220 grit, wipe clean and apply another coat. It goes very quickly. Just don't take a break until you've fully finished your surface because you want to keep a wet edge."

BTW, is this the correct 4" roller to us? http://www.homedepot.com/p/Wooster-Pro-4-in-x-1-2-in-High-Density-Woven-Fabric-Roller-Cover-0HR2780040/204354021

If we want to skip the brushing, would rolling alone almost always cause orange peel?

Paintguy, if you come back to this post - what would be YOUR recommendation for the easiest for the DIY'r?? Cabinet painting is in my near future, so just trying to learn all I can.

I did use the Pro-classic on a vanity and it turned out great, but I remember having to work fast and efficiently! No room for dilly-dallying :)

I was extremely pleased with the final product - i.e. hardness, toughness, cleanability so want to same quality end results, but if there is something easier, I want to hear about it.

Tuesday_2008, just curious, did you brush only? Any tips? Many thanks!

Yes - I used a good quality 2 inch angled brush (Wooster, I think). It was an older oak cabinet with the raised panel, arched doors and I really needed the angle brush. The first coat looked terrible as I was applying, but it truly is self-leveling. Second coat looked better immediately - I can't remember but I may have done three coats.

My daughter painted her cabinets after seeing my vanity and she used a small good quality foam roller as she had more flat surface. They turned out very nice....I think you can see a very subtle "stippling" from the roller, but still a very professional look.

I think I remember thinning the paint with just a tiny bit of water, which to the pros is probably a no-no. Floetrel is recommended but I didn't have any....googled quickly and read that water was OK. In the future, I will make sure I have Floetrel on hand should I need it.

Like I said earlier, I found it slightly difficult to use and would like to try something that might be easier, yet give top quality paint job.

I think it's hard to tell a DIY'er what to do because they paint differently than a pro. I pretty much roll everything I can now and do not backbrush. I just leave the slight stipple. The key there is to put the paint on heavy enough so that the stipple pretty much goes away, but as a pro, I know how to roll an area out and move away from it. DIY'ers tend to roll too much, or not put enough paint on so that the stipple will stay there after the paint dries. Also, I don't think that Pro Classic is the worst paint out there...I just think it's not the best at self leveling. If I were to use 10 cabinet type paints, the brushmarks or stipple left behind by the Pro Classic would be the most noticeable IMO. This means that for a DIY'er, brush marks would be totally unavoidable.

Sherwin Williams ProClassic is a great paint for trim, but it definitely has a learning curve when applying with a brush. You must resist the temptation to "work" the paint into a smooth, thin film. It should go on relatively thick and wet in small, controllable sections. Don't try to brush out the little "wake" lines. For experienced painters, this will initially look and feel like you're doing a sloppy job, but you must trust the paint. If you brush it out into a thin, even layer, the paint dries too quickly and there's not enough paint for the "self-leveling" action to occur. Another tip: be sure to never connect fresh, wet strokes to areas that are even slightly tacky, which occurs within a couple of minutes with this paint. You may want to experiment on scrap material before the real thing. Good luck!

Hi,

I am having the same problem. I have to paint baseboards for my entire house (300 linear feet). I have been practicing on scrap pieces of baseboard, but apparently, the learning curve is steep, and I don't have that much time. I have added water, but that doesn't help.

I think the most frustrating thing is that I have been to Sherwin-Williams twice, and the employees, although very kind, have never heard of issues with ProClassic. I finally googled the specific paint, and voila, I found that it's hard to work with. I also have half a mind to walk in there with the paint, my brush, and a baseboard... and let them show me. I did ask one employee if he had ever painted, and he said no. :( Disappointing.

I have a sponge roller, and yes, there are marks from when I join a freshly painted section to the previously painted one, but compared to the brush (where I have lines AND that same overlap problem), it's better.

I have tried lots of suggestions, but nothing is really making a huge difference. I am using a Purdy XL Dale brush.. As soon as I lay the paint on, I see the brush marks. I tried working in small sections (between 6 inches and a foot), leaving the wet edge, but when I join the current section to the previous section in the series, you see the overlap. It seemed to be better when I used LESS paint; more paint led to deeper lines (and some dripping - I did try on the installed baseboard). Jerapa said to resist the urge to work the paint, but when I do these smaller sections, there's STILL the overlap... and yes, there are still lines.

I've attached a photo. This looks AWFUL.

Could someone please suggest a paint that will be easier for a DIY-er to work with?

Thanks so much!

I’ve used Pro Classic (acrylic, not the alkyd) on many projects— modern cabinets, trim, doors, etc. On doors where the wood grains show through, it’s pretty easy. For a completely smooth brush free look on other pieces, though, I’ve found using the small cashmere rollers are imperative. The chart at the SW store suggests something else, but after struggling on a few scrap pieces, the girl at my local store suggested the cashmere roller and it solved the brush stroke problem for me. It’s a small sage green colored roller.

Also try checking the temperature in your room. It paints beautifully at about 68 degrees, no ceiling fan on.

Hi Scraps,

I will be buying a cashmere roller soon. Thanks for the tip. I keep the house at about 75 degrees, so the air is not too dry. No ceiling fan is ever on, either.

I've been busy with other projects, so I still have plenty of baseboards to paint. ;-)

Thanks!

I stumbled upon this thread while searching how to deal with non-levelling self-levelling paint!! I am curious about the "cashmere" roller you referenced above, Scraps. Can you give me an idea of the brand name? The searching I have done has not led me to it. I am in Canada though...

Thanks so much for any tips you can provide.

Faron

Hi Faron,

It looks good to me. :)

i painted my trim in my last house with brightside brilliant white

thought i would try something instead of international brightside for my trim.

i do not think anyone could achieve a finish without brush marks using this acrylic

it drys so fast that if you don't keep the brush moving it will stick to the work piece.

now i have to sand this down and go back to an oil based paint that i can get a smooth finish with no brush marks.

yes the room will smell for a couple of days but the quality of the finish is like night and day.

there is no room for this product in my house! it is trash and if you think you have a smooth gloss finish with this you have never seen a good gloss finish.

i painted trim 15 years ago with brightside and it is still excellent and extremely glossy, it looks like its plastic coated, there is some yellowing but not much after 15 years

clearly there are no short cuts, if you want real gloss then an oil based paint is the answer and i would rather throw the used brush away than clean it just so i can have the quality finish.