Why is my cabinet spray finish gritty after thinning and adjusting air?

[Ella33]

I’ve been trying to get a really smooth, even coat with my spray gun on this cabinet project, but I keep ending up with a slightly gritty texture. I’ve thinned the paint according to the can, checked the air pressure, and kept my passes consistent, so I’m not sure what I’m missing.

[Sophia32]

I had that gritty texture too. I found thinning per the can didnt tell the full storydust in the air was the culprit. I started spraying in a cleaner space, used a tack cloth between coats, and swapped the filter after a few hours. After that the coat leveled out a lot.

[Harper_S]

I swapped to a smaller nozzle on the spray gun and slowed the passes a bit, keeping a little more distance. It helped the flow stay smoother, though I still had some orange peel between coats.

[Michael.J]

One time I blamed the reducer and even tried a different brand, but it turned out surface prep mattered more than I expected. I let the cabinet sit in a breezy spot for a while, did a final tack wipe, and the texture softenedthough I can say its solved.

[PenelopeWL]

Could the real issue be the prep or the surface rather than the spray itself?