Brushing a silky smooth finish on woodwork takes patience and attention to detail. We'll show you how to use the techniques that pros use to paint wood.

For dents and chips deeper than about 1/8-in., use a two-part polyester resin. It sticks well, doesn’t shrink and sands easily. It’s also the best material for rebuilding chipped corners. Auto body fillers also work well.

Sand the painted surface with 100- or 120-grit sandpaper or a medium sanding sponge. Then, finish-sand with 180-grit sandpaper or a fine sanding sponge. Spot-prime the filler and any bare wood with a latex primer.

We recommend you use an additive that slows the drying process and helps the paint lie smooth. (Floetrol is one common choice.)

Quickly coat an area with several brush loads of paint, and then blend and smooth it out by lightly running the unloaded brush tip over it (called “tipping”). Try to coat a whole board or section, but don’t let the paint sit more than a minute before tipping.