Dulux Diamond Satinwood waterbased paint - achieving the finish

[Millwright]

Hello. I'm doing some painting at home with Dulux Diamond Satinwood waterbased paint!

Runs and drips everywhere! I made sure I wasn't putting too much on and spread it/covered it well. Some research suggested using a low stock brush which I have now done. I'm now using Purdy Monarch Elite XL brushes with it and it is much better, but it's still not a perfect flat finish like solvent based, there are still some runs.

Can anyone offer me any advice on this? I've got a bit more to do where I could try some tips. I would like to master water based paint, but if it becomes too much hassle, the next room may see a return to solvent based.

Thanks.

 

[opps]

I am not a fan of waterbased finishes. I can achieve a very high quality of finish with oil based paints but not with waterbased. To be fair, that is partially the result of me trying to use the same technique I use for oil based paints. In short I spend too much time trying to move the paint in order to achieve uniform tram lines.

I get the impression that with WB paints you need to literally throw them on and then let the paint "shrink back". WB based paints cure via a process called coalescence. As the paint dries the water evaporates and the molecules shrink down and bond together.

Additives such as Floetrol can help to maintain a wet edge and minimise tramlines (read:brushmarks). Not cheap but a great product.

If you want a durable finish stick with oil based. If you want a fast drying, non-yellowing and less smelly paint, use waterbased.

 

[GoodDIYjob]

Can't resolve your problems but maybe make you feel better. I have a fastidious friend building a house. He's attention to building detail and fastidiousness is second to none.

He asked if I had used Diamond Satin Wood water based as he was having a hell of a time. I sent him some of my photos with ordinary water based, fast dry satinwood and said it was good to work with and a pretty reasonable finish.

After exchanging photos and comparing preparation and application methods, we concluded that either the diamond satinwood is a crap product or a bad batch....edit: it is all we could come up with his as he followed instructions by the book.

 

[opps]

After exchanging photos and comparing preparation and application methods, we concluded that either the diamond satinwood is a crap product or a bad batch....edit: it is all we could come up with his as he followed instructions by the book.

Last year, I hand painted some units for an interior design company. I needed to turn up on site to hand paint the end panels. Whilst I was there I was asked to "quickly" recoat the existing skirting boards with Leyland waterbased eggshell. I am used to trying to run the brush over a 1.5m section to maintain constant tramlines. With the leyland paint if I went more than 30cm the paint would start to gum up.

I wasn't happy with the finish but it got signed off and I got paid.