For our kitchen cabinets, I used primer + at least 3 coats (4 coats for some doors) with a sprayer, sanding and tacking after each coat, on both sides of the door. The doors look gorgeous, but...

Waited 2 months (!) after painting to let them cure, but the paint is still softer than pine wood. Fingernails dent this paint. Does the paint get any harder?

Everything was done inside, room temperature... I'm so disappointed, this was more than $1000 of paint and many many hours of work.

EDIT: example fingernail dent pic https://lensdump.com/i/ReM9fH

I am about to spray paint my kitchen cabinets that I am building. I did a test piece, which turned out okay. But from what I understand I should be able to get an even smoother finish, since I am using a spray gun and a nice paint like Sherwin Williams EUTE. Do y'all have any advice for how I can improve the finish?

Details of my process:

• Substrate = birch plywood, sanded to 220 grit

• HVLP sprayer = Super Finish Max HVLP Sprayer using a 2.0 mm tip

• Primed with one coat of SW Wall & Wood Primer

• Sanded after priming w/ 600 grit sandpaper (might be too high? - it's what I had on hand)

• Sprayed first coat of Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel paint in semi-gloss

• Next day I lightly sanded and applied a second coat of paint

• Each coat dried with the test piece laying down, to give it the best chance of leveling out.

• 50% overlap when spraying

I suspect I might have applied it too thinly. I read a post of this sub about someone applying EUTE too thickly, which resulted in the paint failing to fully cure, even months later. One of the comments said that darker colors take longer to cure, as well. For those reasons I was a bit afraid of putting it on too thick, and I used a smaller 2.0 mm tip (I have 1.4, 2.0, and 4.0 mm tips). Does it look like I sprayed too thinly, or is there some other cause?

Any recommendations on how to get a smoother finish are greatly appreciated.