Gloss/satin. Best paint or use additive

[pilsbury]

I'm dreading my next task. Hall, stairs and landing. So much fiddley woodwork to sort and prep....

Currently it's all white (ish) gloss. Some chips and drips and must be 20 years old. I'm making an assumption it might contain lead.

I have in the past used a range of gloss and satin paints, both oil and water based. The oil based gloss went on lovely but yellowed. Best avoided I suspect. The zinnser allcoat has the real bonus of apparently being painted with little or no key and no primer/undercoat needed. But it was a pig to use. Dries super fast and coverage was mediocre. Plus very expensive.

So what is the paint I need to use to make this a pleasure?! Heard floetrol can make paint nicer.... But again, expensive. Primer/undercoat on the old gloss once keyed? How to sort the paint chips? Fill? Feather out by sanding?

Advice appreciated

 

[opps]

20 year old paint should be lead free.

I have never sanded Allcoat- I assume you mean the waterbased version. My experience of sanding waterbased finishes is that they are a complete pig. 180+ grit paper just clogs, less than 180 and the paint rips off the surface. If you do have issues, consider using webrax sanding pads to provide the key.

Floetrol is great stuff. Not cheap but you don't add much so it goes a long way.

If you are sticking with WB finishes, no undercoat/primer should be required unless you have sanded back to the bare wood.

Chips in the paintwork- if they are very deep, it is often easier to use two pack filler rather than trying to feather them out.