Best brush/roller and tips for painting cupboard doors

[greenbanana]

I'm painting our kitchen cupboard doors. They're solid wood so should take the paint ok.

I've sanded down the doors and applied two coats of primer, which has gone fine. But now I've put on the first coat and I'm struggling to get a flat finish on the paint. By flat finish I don't mean it's lumpy, but that if the light catches it you can see the roller marks. I'm using Dulux Satinwood paint in a pale grey (Misty Mountain - lovely colour). My roller is foam, with a large diameter to get coverage.

Any tips? Should I use a different type of roller? Should I be pressing harder or not as hard? Maybe I should just switch to a brush? I really want them to be perfect but we can't afford a professional. I have loads still to do so maybe I'll get better on subsequent doors :-)

cupboard doors:

take them off and lie them down flat before you paint them. Paint the edges before the face.

thin the paint a little so it flows better. Add a drop at a time, stir in and see how it feels, before you add more. Pour the paint into a jamjar and put the lid back on the tin so the rest doesn't dry or skin.

for a water-based paint use a soft synthetic brush, for an oil paint use a pure natural bristle brush. For a cupboard door a 2-inch brush or slightly smaller. Avoid brushes that are a pound a dozen. I use Hamilton Perfection but Purdey synthetic brushes are very good for water paints.

A used, clean, well-cared for brush paints better than a new one, as the tips of the bristles wear thin. So use your brush to do the primer and undercoat before the topcoat. This will also shed any loose or broken bristles before you do the topcoat. Modern water-based paints do not sand well.

Thanks PigletJohn!

Yep, I've got them off and flat, removed hinges and knobs, plus put them on top of a board so the edges are lifted and easier to paint.

Thanks for the paint thinning tip. And I will switch to a brush - I thought a roller would be easier but I'm much more used to a brush and I've already used a good synthetic one for the primer and undercoat.