Linda is correct, could be result of several things,not tacking being the most common. Doesn't matter,sanding and refinishing is necessary either way. Paint should dry smooth regardless how it's applied. Leave's us wondering if your painters have made the same mistake for so long that to them it's normal.

You're in trouble as far as getting a quality finish from this guy.

It sounds like the gun air adjustment was set to apply the paint dry so it's easier to get coverage but avoid runs. This makes it simpler to do and doesn't require a skilled painter who can choose the correct fluid tip, air pressure and paint with flow extender to produce a smooth finish. . . . without runs on a vertical surface. I'd recommend you get the trim sanded and require brush application for the finish coat unless this guy can show you on a separate sample smooth quality finish work. . . . . . But it doesn't look good. This guy is miles away from a quality finish. You should immediately bring in a real painter to evaluate and quote the job. It doesn't have to be sprayed. My favorite brush is a Wooster Alpha if you have to do it yourself.

I agree it is probably the spray gun instead of dust removal but it could be both. I can't imagine why anyone would spray paint casing trim. Have it sanded and repainted with a brush.

Air adjustment??? Flow extender??? Why anyone would spray trim???

Call Sherwin-Williams and ask what kind of sprayer you should buy for your friend that is a professional house painter. Every time, 100% they will say "airless sprayer". Airless mean's exactly what it say's,NO AIR. Why anyone would spray trim? Because it's 10 times faster and time is money so most pros do it and have been for more than 50 years. If OP hire's the best painter in her city to straighten this out and finish the job,odds are he will unload an airless rig. Don't put the new painter behind the 8 ball telling OP trim shouldn't be sprayed. OP has a problem,for goodness sake don't compound it with conjured up statements.

Here's some discussion of this problem using an airless. Could be too little paint too fast, . . . .applying the second coat too soon, . . . . over atomization (drying in air prior to hitting surface) try some
floetrol additive. . . . .311 RAC X tip seemed to cut down the atomization.. Wipng it down before spraying when dry with a dry cloth helped. . . . .the finish can be smooth if done right. The air adjustment comment I made applies to a HVLP system more likely found in a shop for production work although there are versions available as portables from Graco(new model coming) and others. It's unlikely these guys have one.

I was not asking why a painter would spray paint trim, I was referring to the designer/owner.

Thank you, everyone, for your insights and suggestions! Very much appreciated.

It seems that some spots are worse than others, which the painter acknowledges. I have spoken with the painters and my GC and they would like to address my concerns.

What we have discussed is sanding and repainting with a brush, as many here have suggested. I also heard from my local Benjamin Moore store that we might consider the Advance product for the trim. The painter suggested he could brush one side of my closet window with Advance and the other with the Satin Impervo and I could decide which I liked.

Does anyone have experience and thoughts on the Benjamin Moore Advance product for trim? Can we successfully apply this over the Satin Impervo? Thoughts/preferences/tips on the two different products?

I get the impression my painters don't use the Advance product regularly (and maybe haven't ever) so that is a slight concern for me if they don't know how best to handle it.

I will admit to being concerned about having these guys finish the job given that I was concerned about the first round -- but they do seem to be earnest in wanting to make it right for me and that is worth a lot.

Michelle I'm not overly optimistic you can come through this unscathed but for what it's worth,here's my view. If you haven't paid (or fully paid) for the painting,that might be why the contractor is wanting to stay on. If you have paid and they are willing to do it over,including material at their expense,you should allow them to try. Ben Moore Advance is a great product but it must be properly applied to best realize all it's attributes. Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo latex is not the problem,you were pleased with it on previous jobs. I get the feeling you might be allowing yourself to be convinced your choice of paint was wrong and at fault. I'm troubled by the fact when all this came up the GC and painter thought the paint was normal and acceptable (you said so) now 48 hours later they acknowledge "some spots are worse than others". I believe you have every right to be "concerned about having these guys finish the job." Only you are there to see the twinkle in their eye,only you can judge their sincerity.

Thank you - very good insights.

The more I look at this, the more I realize it was a substandard job to begin with, for whatever reason. My GC gives these painters a lot of business and while they acknowledge some issues with the job, they are maintaining it's fairly normal. (For the record, my family has a lot of experience with this GC, and he has been trustworthy and delivered good quality in the past, albeit using other painters.)

They are maintaining that the smooth finishes I am striving for as my standard are oil-based, and that you can't achieve the same level with latex. Is this true? Regardless, I know latex can still deliver a smoother result than what they are suggesting.

That said, my GC has gotten the painters to agree to doing another round of sanding and then brushing another coat of the latex -- either BM Advance or BM Satin Impervo -- at no additional charge. (I am paying the painters through my GC and still owe my GC a significant chunk.) They did a small sample of each and the Advance definitely seems smoother, though still shows clear brush marks. (Their Satin Impervo sample was still rough, which makes me wonder...)

Their new sample of the brushed BM Advance is certainly better than what they did originally -- and letting them finish the job to that standard would certainly avoid a big fight.

However, it still has very visible brush marks (is this to be expected?). I feel like I am now in a position where I'm accepting "just acceptable" work.

Am I expecting too much to have a smooth finish with very few obvious brush marks? What is considered a good quality finish for latex trim that I can hold them to?

Or should I cut bait and hire a new painter to finish the job -- and deduct accordingly from the current job?

Thanks for your help!

You bring up a valid point in what the standard should be. You obviously haven't seen a lot of paint jobs to set your standard by. Best I can suggest is finding some to look at. Where to look? If I was in your situation,I would tell my local Sherwin-Williams store I was vetting painters for some trim painting. Ask if one of their regulars would let me see their work on a current job. Another bench mark is open house model homes. Do you not have friends that will allow you to compare their trim with yours? I can't give you the ability to judge paint but i can tell you this. Any professional painter doing a sample can lay on a coat of paint with brush or spray that is smooth if he know's he is being judged. To give you something to consider,diy home owners often ask why they can see tiny pock holes after painting their oak cabinets or trim white. No mention of brush marks.

Here is discussion of using Advanced with a HVLP. You need to be an experienced skilled pro to get the finish that paint can give you. I don't think you're going to get what will make you happy from these painters. I wouldn't go another round. Tell your GC you don't want to waste more of their time and put more layers of material on your new trim. The probability for success is too low. Subtract the painting costs from the contract and find other painters through your BM dealer.

Here is the Sherwin Williams competitor for BM Advanced. A water based Alkyd Urethane Enamel that dries hard and is $9-11 less per gallon than Advanced. It can be brushed and rolled.

"They are maintaining that the smooth finishes I am striving for as my standard are oil-based, and that you can't achieve the same level with latex. Is this true?"

No. Modern latex finishes are state-of-the-art.

Tell your GC you don't want these liars back. If he insists, tell him any additional work is subject to your approval in writing.

Michelle, I just replied to your other post about oil vs. latex. In regards to the Advance: my experience is that it needs to go on thin or it tends to sag after tipping off. That's the biggest drawback in my experience. So, they might still have to do 2 coats. The recoat time is also long. The TDS list something like 16 hours. Depending on temperature, I have done 8 hrs with good results. The good thing is that the slow dry time leaves a very much near brush-free finish. I really think it looks exactly with the old oils.

I have also sprayed with an HVLP for kitchen cabinets, but there's some tweaking there with slight water reduction also.

If the painter is using an airless sprayer, there's not much to go wrong except for drips and sags.

I think Advance is the current top-of-the-line for trim, but there's a learning curve.

I would either:

A. Choose another painter with experience using this paint

B. Give these guys a chance and expect to do 2 coats to get the sheen to look right

Thank you, everyone, for your super helpful input! After giving the original painters a chance to show me how they would fix the problems, the sample they "fixed" actually looks worse than ever (orange peel texture), so I told my GC it was time to cut bait.

I think Joseph Corlett was right on in that these guys were dishonest in trying to put the blame on the product (water-based vs. oil) rather than their own faulty prep and/or application. (Frustrating that there are still some contractors who seem to think they can get away with that, perhaps especially with a single woman.)

I'm now talking with someone about fixing the previous painters' work -- someone whose work I have seen and comes highly recommended. I imagine he may have more work to do to correct the previous guys' work than if he'd started the project fresh.

Thanks again to you all!