Looks good from afar.. but far from good. Essentially I'm trying to match existing paint's color, sheen and texture. Here's the breakdown:

I'm remodeling, and I'm guessing last owner (or contractor) spray painted exterior door brown from outside while closed, leaving the borders white.

My thought was to just correct the borders rather than repainting whole door.

I tried matching the color code, using the rubber seal for a sample since they spray painted over that

Sherwin Williams got best results after allowing me to adjust several times (initially tried with Home Depot and they didn't come close and were stingy about adjustments).

I don't have a sprayer.. and it seems a hassle to rent one or buy one just for this.. but I did think about getting a $10 garden sprayer or other DIY sprayers.. but probably a bad idea? LOL

So I'm using a brush with Floetrol to 'level' it and 'eliminate brush marks'. Container didn't come with instructions and the internet is all over the place with ratio. But I'm starting with 1:8 (one part Floetrol to 8 parts paint).

I tried using the best brush available with the right technique, then lightly sanding afterwards but I'm not happy with the results. Maybe more Floetrol?? Internet says it won't affect color.

As for the color match, many are saying it's an acceptable match but the sheen disparity is what makes it look imperfect.

So... I can only think of two ways to go from here.

Continue the borders-only approach and use more Floetrol, perhaps use a roller instead of a brush, maybe even use a blower to smooth wet paint to help level and eliminate marks, then spray some kind of sealer/finish (like they do on stone counters) to achieve a semi-gloss to match rest of door..

Just repaint the whole door and be ok with whatever low-gloss matte finish my SW quart gives me. If this is best way, please expand on any helpful steps (Floetrol ratio, brush vs roller vs affordable sprayer, proper sanding and any other techniques, using different paint type, sealer/finishers, etc.)

Thanks in advance, hope the photos help.