Painting - Painting Pre-Primed Slab Door

I want to paint a new pre-primed interior slab door in a high gloss white, along with the trim.... how do I get a smooth result, without any "orange-peel" and how do I reduce the brushstrokes on the trim? :wall:

Lightly sand with 220 grit. Clean off all dust. Now paint. Sand and clean again. Then put on the second coat.

Keys to success: After sanding make sure all dust is gone. Don't skimp on either the paint nor the brush. Do not use a cheap brush or cheap paint. Get the paint from a paint store, not a big box. Use the proper brush for the paint. If you buy latex paint, get a brush made for latex paints. If you use an oil paint, use a brush made for oil paints.

I was told to add floetrol to the paint, but am not too sure if my ratio is correct. To make things worse, my husband took it upon himself to roll the door with a 3/8 nap roller, so now I do have the orange peel.... can I fix it or do I need to strip and start over? :eek:

Its awfully hard to smooth out roller stipple. If a truly smooth finish is your goal, then yes, stripping would need to be done. But think twice, it is not an easy task.

:o Well i managed to get the door covered using a sprayer, but it clogged and i had to brush out some of the spots... now (what next you are probably asking) i have nice brush lines .... if i respray (sans the clogging) do you think it will fill in? Maybe more (or less) of the floetrol? I really appreciate all your help! :p

I do not believe floetrol is to be used in high gloss paint. Read the instructions :wall: . Maybe it has changed.

Sand out the brushmarks and use foam brushes and rollers. or spray without the floetrol. If you already added it to all the paint call the Flood company and talk to them about it or just buy some more paint. Floetrol may have caused the clogging. It should not happen is such a short time if all is right.

I don't think the Floetrol has anything to do with the brushstrokes showing. That said
if i respray (sans the clogging) do you think it will fill in?
No. Paint covers, it doesn't fill. If you are using a brush, you will see some brushstrokes. Latex/acrylic will show more than oil, as oil has much better leveling properties. The best water-based paints I know of that give a smooth finish are Sherwin's Proclassic Waterbourne Trim paint, and Ben Moore's Waterbourne Satin Impervo. They both perform like oil in the leveling category.