1. Apply the paint along the grain; with non-drip paint (left) you can apply thicker coats in one go without further spreading (brushing out).

2. Still working with the grain and without reloading the brush, paint another strip alongside the first one and blend the two together.

3. Reload the brush and apply strokes back and forth across the grain over the area you’ve just painted to ensure full, even coverage.

4. Now you must lay off the paint with very light brush strokes along the grain to give a smooth finish that’s free from brush marks.

5. Paint an area adjoining the first in the same way, blending the two sections together by about 50mm (21n) and laying off as before.

6. Brush towards edges, not parallel with them or onto them, as the paint will be scraped onto the adjacent face, forming a ridge.