There continues to be renewed focus on waterborne alkyd resins due to advancements in their chemistry, as well as increased interest in green chemistry. This has led to new waterborne alkyd resins and coatings that offer many of the attractive performance features of older alkyd resins while also providing some additional benefits. Of course these newer resins pose different formulation, application and performance challenges, some of which are due to different surface chemistry properties. This can lead to different surface wetting, flow and leveling characteristics, as well as a tendency to foam. These traits, if not addressed adequately, lead to coating application and performance deficiencies. This article describes the selection of optimal defoamer and wetting agent additives for use with newer waterborne alkyd resin technology and related coating formulations. Recommendations for specific additives are provided, along with associated performance benefits.