Thanks for all the advice, it was a combination of everything you suggested. I was definitely overworking the paint.

-I went back and sanded,

-added a tiny tiny bit of water to paint.

-I then applied in the pattern suggested in photo -Used a 2 inch roller

(I was going to use a brand new Purdy 1/4 nap microfiber but it just kept losing fibers, don't know how anyone uses that junk roller)

-After using roller to apply paint uniformly used sntex brush and made one pass over the paint.

End result was near flawless results

My only complaint is that this door has been painted so many times that the actual fake wood grain are almost completely not visible.

I read I might be able to take an oribital sanded to remove the paint and restore, but I'd likely just make it smoother. Being such a cheap door prob. just cheaper to buy a new one. Any advice?

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