In my opinion, it's just hard to get a nice finish if you are not a pro with these quick drying paints on doors. The mirror was easier because it's one piece and it's narrow. Doors are tougher because there is so much area to paint, people really tend to overwork the paint. Foam rollers do tend to leave behind bubbles which is why you don't see many pros using them. I would try a normal 4" roller like a ProDooz 1/4" nap. Use that to apply the paint and then brush it out. Work in small sections and while working in one section, don't get any paint into the sections you are not painting. Do the panels first, then do the horizontals and then the verticals.

Thanks paintguy; I'll give that a try!

First, you've got your application procedure backwards; If you are going to use a brush AND a roller to paint a door, always use the roller to apply the paint first, then lay the paint off with a brush second. Never just use a roller, as it will leave wierd texture on the door that is undesirable.

To make the paint more workable, find some 'Latex X-Tender' by XIM, and add it to the paint in the maximum quantity recommended on the label. If you do this, plan on brushing out 2-3 nice thin coats instead of 1 thick coat.

Paint any edges of the door you want done first, then any insets or recessed panels. Hit the flat 'Face' surfaces last, and always go with the wood grain. Make sure any knobs or other hardware are off the door before you start too.

I have included a link to a pretty good tutorial below:

Here is a link that might be useful: Painting a door

I do happen to have some Flotrol (sp?) on hand. Can I use that product with the BM Advance paint?

Thanks for the link on how to paint a door; I've saved it to my favorites!

Flotrol will do, I just prefer the XIM product. As far as I know, the only acrylic benjamin moore paint that "cant" take standard additives is the Aura line, so you should be good with the advance.

Advance is a waterborne Alkyd paint. I would have concerns before adding any extenders. It's a very different formulation from acrylics or oil-based. On the Ben Moore website I could find no guidance for adding any extenders to it. So before ruining an expensive (!) gallon of paint, call their tech line for real advice.
Casey

Floetrol and X-tender claim to be compatible with emulsion coatings (like waterborne alkyds). That being said, Casey is right - check w/ BM just to make sure. Double check with Flood. Never hurts to be careful.

I checked with my local BM store since I couldn't get a hold of anyone on the BM technical advice line. The gal at the local store said that BM recommends adding water to thin Adance; not Flotrol or any other extending agent. They recommended no more than 6 ounces of water per gallon.

So there you have it...glad i asked! I am going to add a little water and see if I can apply a thinner, nicer coat. I really like the paint, and I'm sure if I was working on a horizontal surface the paint wouild level much more nicely.

I just put the 3rd coat on the door, and it turned out much better. The advice to use the 1/4 nap roller was key, as was working the paint in the direction of the wood, and, not overworking the paint. I didn't add water to the paint because I didn't have a stir stick and I didn't have time to run to the paint store. The paint is still drying but I'm quite optimistic that the finish will be much better this time.

Thanks for the help and advice!

One final post on this topic, in case someone in the future searches and finds this topic and has the same question about BM Advance.

Guy from the BM Technical Advice line did call me today and discouraged adding anything to the Advance paint except water, and he said only add the minimum amount of water absolutely needed. He also said that water should only be necessary if I was working in a very high heat type situation.

Last but not least, he said that I may be having issues with the paint because it had been more than 2 hours since I stirred it. He said paint colorant starts to settle within two hours so it must be stirred frequently. That also explains why i got such a nice finish on the mirror frame, because the paint was just brought home from the paint store when I painted the mirror frame, but it had been a few days by the time I painted the door. Geesh, slapping self on the forehead, stir the paint!

Thanks again everyone for your help.

Kind of late . but I had the problem with bubbles on the newly painted surface. Benjamin Moore retailer told me that it was necessary to use Fresh Start primer to avoid that is problem. I did reprime the item & then 2 coats of Benjamin Moore Advance & all was good. I suggested that it would be an excellent idea to tell customers that hint when they buy the Advance not they spend there time painting & need to redo it.

Joan, Did you end up having to add water? I have tried everything and I am getting bubbles (with a high-density foam roller) and brush marks (with my Purdy brush). Luckily, I have only done the back side of the cabinets thus far. I've got to get this figured out before I do the fronts. I don't even feel like my can of Advance is very thin either?? If anyone has some advice, please help!! Thank you!

Behr Water Based Alkyd says not to thin it on the label. I thought this odd and called Behr Corporate and talked to one of the chemists that had developed it. He said that it can be thinned with WATER. They had only put that on the label to discourage old line painters from seeing the "alkyd" label and grabbing the mineral spirits to thin it!

I have had feedback from persons having thinned it with both water and Floetrol, in order to get it to spray through an air powered siphon gun. They said it was a learning curve as to how much to add, but they succeeded in getting a glass like finish.

I must be getting something else instead of Advance all of these years. This stuff takes way longer than any acrylic to set up. In fact, the data sheets says recoat in 16 hours, so it is no surprise that it levels so well. It is very similar to an oil. The issues that I have with it is that it tends to run way after laying it off on verticals, and bugs landing on it while wet.

I have dilute it with about 10% water to it make spray-able in my HVLP gun. For applying by hand, roll it on and tip it off with a brush and it levels very well. I did a smooth plywood headboard this way and it looked flawless. It's best to apply it on a horizontal surface and apply it a little heavier.

The reason for the long re-coat times for WB ( and oil) alkyds is that internally polymerization is taking place in the presence of oxygen, even when the surface feels dry. If you re-coat too soon, you deprive the base coat of that oxygen. It will still eventually dry, but could take weeks to totally harden.