Hi, I am having the same problem. I have to paint baseboards for my entire house (300 linear feet). I have been practicing on scrap pieces of baseboard, but apparently, the learning curve is steep, and I don't have that much time. I have added water, but that doesn't help. I think the most frustrating thing is that I have been to Sherwin-Williams twice, and the employees, although very kind, have never heard of issues with ProClassic. I finally googled the specific paint, and voila, I found that it's hard to work with. I also have half a mind to walk in there with the paint, my brush, and a baseboard... and let them show me. I did ask one employee if he had ever painted, and he said no. :( Disappointing. I have a sponge roller, and yes, there are marks from when I join a freshly painted section to the previously painted one, but compared to the brush (where I have lines AND that same overlap problem), it's better. I have tried lots of suggestions, but nothing is really making a huge difference. I am using a Purdy XL Dale brush.. As soon as I lay the paint on, I see the brush marks. I tried working in small sections (between 6 inches and a foot), leaving the wet edge, but when I join the current section to the previous section in the series, you see the overlap. It seemed to be better when I used LESS paint; more paint led to deeper lines (and some dripping - I did try on the installed baseboard). Jerapa said to resist the urge to work the paint, but when I do these smaller sections, there's STILL the overlap... and yes, there are still lines. I've attached a photo. This looks AWFUL. Could someone please suggest a paint that will be easier for a DIY-er to work with? Thanks so much!

Perfect timing for me, this thread. We've replaced our 2'x11' kitchen bench seating area (termite damage -- caught early, but still...), and I just finished priming with Stix. In all my reading, I didn't anticipate how thick the primer would be, fresh out of the can -- my stir stick, jammed into the primer, stood at attention without issue! I contacted INSLX customer svc and was told I could thin with water. I did so, but it was still too thick to level well (I didn't want to exceed the amount of water recommended). I had to sand a fair bit to knock down the ridges. (I've repainted every door, spindle, baseboard and trim in this 26 y/o house of ours by now, using Lowes' American Tradition semi-gloss, and always got a smooth finish.) I have a can of Cabinet Coat at the ready, but am concerned about obtaining a flat finish: foam roller vs quality brush. How does one keep a wet edge when painting such a large swath, even if the paint levels well? (And I've read CC dries rather quickly.) I'm crossing fingers that CC will be the proper consistency (after a good stirring), so I won't have to worry about buying an extender (such as Floetrol or whatever INSLX might recommend). Whizz high-density foam rollers were recommended on one DIYer's site. Though, she was painting only cabinet door surfaces and wasn't dealing with the surface area of a wall-to-wall bench.

I did read one publication (I think it was a us govt pamphlet from the early 20th century) that said metallic paint reduces btu output, but haven't seen anything else on the topic. They came from the factory pre-primed and the seller recommends painting them. As a practical matter I don't know how you would preserve cast iron without painting it. These systems are-over designed anyways. They'll put out a 70 degree delta t from the odt, which you hit only a small percentage of the time, with a margin of error. The entire system is within the insulated envelope, and generates heat as long as the thermostat and/or the TRVs call for it. That heat will distribute throughout the house more easily than escaping it. Maybe in old systems where the boiler and uninsulated pipes sat in an uninsulated basement, a small amount of thermal resistance at the radiator posed a problem, but in a properly designed modern system I find it hard to believe it will ever be a real world problem.

@wiscokid I had that thought as well... Of course there was added confusion because he usually does Sherwin Williams but I wanted a specific Benjamin Moore white and asked him to get it at BM rather than matching it in SW. @jellytoast This is the one guy I let my husband handle on his own, and apparently there was a lot of verbal agreement because the paperwork is completely insufficient. He has also been doing a lot of dry wall and texture repair for us as well, which complicates scope of work even more when the two of them start riffing on things in person. I know I know... Believe me, it has been a point of contention several times and will never happen again, but it is unfortunate that it is too late with the painter. I do have very specific quotes and agreements with every other contractor, and almost all of them have had me go pick out and pay for the materials myself so I get exactly what I want. Certainly wish I had done the same thing on paint. @sofaspud The trim is already an issue because I originally went a long with my husband when he said he wanted semi-gloss trim. Then I started doing more of my own paint research and realized I wanted satin instead. Well, apparently the one and only thing this painter did on time was buy the paint, and he'd already purchased semi-gloss. I think it will be about $200-250 if I want to change at this point, and I'm very tempted to do that. He did say he could add a certain type of lacquer to dull the sheen a bit, so he did one room that way for us today and then I'll decide if that's OK or not tonight. As I'm typing that out, I realize it will make touchups difficult and honestly sounds like a bad idea compared to spending another $250...