How to get a smooth finish with gloss paint

First, it’s important to know where to use gloss paint. Gloss is an oil-based paint which does not flow as smoothly as water-based emulsion but when dry forms a very hard layer. This makes it perfect for small areas of trim such as skirting boards, wooden windowsills, furniture, doors and door frames.

We always recommend you start by preparing the room. Move any furniture out of the way and then lay a Seriously Good Cotton Rich Dust Sheet and tape it into place using some masking tape. Use some Seriously Good UV Masking Tape to protect any areas around the trim you will be working on.

In this step you need to make sure the wood is smooth with a matt finish instead of a gloss finish. Depending on the thickness of the paint you can either use some Ultimate Fine Sandpaper and a Seriously Good Cork Block to sand away the top layer of gloss. Alternatively, you can use a paint stripping solution, dabbed onto the old paint. Then use an Premier Paint Stripper, Premier Shave Hook or a combination of the two, and remove the paint entirely. You may need to spend additional time using wood filler and caulking to fill any holes or cracks. For more help on this step take a look at our guide, how to prepare wood for painting.

To get a perfectly smooth finish with gloss paints don’t paint directly onto the wood. First use a primer which will block stains from coming through the wood. Shake an unopened paint tin well, open and stir again if necessary, to remove any lumps and ensure the paint is mixed well. Pour into a Large Handyhold or paint tray and paint onto the wooden surface following the direction of the grain. You can use a variety of brushes and rollers for this step.

For large flat surfaces use the Taskmaster Gloss Roller Sleeves and 4 inch Roller Set.  This will give you a very fine finish very fast. For areas with some detail use the Taskmaster Short Brush. For areas of very high detail use the Taskmaster Round Brush.

When you have finished priming, clean the brushes by adding some white spirit to a container and working the brush bristles into the solution. Then wipe the paint away with a Seriously Good Paper Towel. Repeat the cleaning as necessary until the brush is clean. Roller sleeves are very difficult to clean, we recommend using a new roller sleeve for the next step.

To get a perfectly smooth finish wait for the primer to dry and then lightly sand the surface with some a Fine Sanding Block. This will remove any brush marks and give you a perfectly matt surface to paint on. Clean the dust away with a Seriously Good Microfibre Cloth and then add the top coat using the same tools as the priming coat.

Ok here it is, the last technique which will give you a perfectly smooth, glass like finish with gloss paints. Use Short Flat Brush for large areas, or the Round Gloss Brush for detail areas. Load the brush and wipe away any excess paint, then paint very lightly, very gently one final coat with the gloss. This step requires some practice, but when mastered, this along with the preparation work will give you a perfectly smooth gloss coat.