Small Handheld Sprayer for Latex Paint

[John Goodin]

For big painting projects I have a Graco X5. It is small for an airless but has done me well. Like all rig-style airless sprayers it is a major pain to set-up and clean up. How do the small handhelds, such as the Graco 360 Truecoat, spray latex specifically on trim, doors and even cabinets?

I do not have a compressor big enough for a sprayer. I would not be opposed to buying three or four staged system if it could handle latex and my other wood finishing needs (dye, shellac and waterborne).

[Allan Speers]

If you're thinking about a turbine system, then you're looking at a pretty large investment.

See my recent thread for some good info:
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....a-3-Stage-HVLP

This thread talks mostly about Multispec, which is an extra-difficult thing to spray, but most of the info also relates to latex in general.
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The key points I'd make, now that I've done a ton of research on this: (And taking into account that you're looking for easy cleanup and smallish projects

1: A 3-stage turbine is going to be extremely marginal. It can be done, and even work well by adding an HVCLP adapter, but you'll still be limited in adjustments.

2: Best results will be with a 5-6 stage and a 2 qt remote pressure pot, but that doesn't meet your key criteria.
Second best is a gravity-fed gun, especially one that has a pressure-feed hose going into it. That can be accomplished several ways, but it's a complicated subject.
The main thing is, having, or turning your existing 1 qt cup into a pressure cup is the critical step. In other words, some of the air from your turbine is diverted before it enters the gun, then enters your 1 qt cup directly. Thus, it pressurizes the cup and helps push the latex into the venturi. You can then lower the gun's air knob for more spray control.

Another advantage is that you can then turn the gun sideways or upside-down, which is obviously useful when doing cabinets.

3: For easy cleanup, a 3M PPS system, or the K Cups system, seem to be great.
If going with a system, I prefer the K Cups as the guns look nice and you can go larger with the air caps. The 3M gun maxes out at 2.0 mm.
3M used to make a PPS system with a pressurized, gravity-fed gun, called the H/O, but that was version 1. I'm not sure if they have it in version 2.0.

If retrofitting some other gun with PPS, then no worries. Get the PPS 2.0 suction gun conversion, plus an HVCLP adapter, remove the suction tube, and flip it upside-down. (I think that will work.) Or just buy a complete K Cups. That's a really nice looking system.

4: For latex, a bleeder gun does slightly better with atomization, though you can achieve the same thing with a 2-stage trigger.
- Also consider how the air hose attached to the gun. Some guns, like my Maxum II, are convertible. When you switch to bleeder, the air hose enters from the back, making it easier to get inside cabinets. The Maxum Elite does the same, and is a gravty gun, so that might be one to consider.

5: For cabinet work, adding a whip hose is highly recommended, for extra manueverability. These also supposedly cool the air a bit, which helps keep the latex from drying in the air.

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Parting thought:

I think if I was considering an HVLP system JUST for latex, I'd be looking at investing in a shop compressor. In the end, the cost would probably be LESS, with better results, and then you can use the compressor for all sorts of other stuff. The only downside is that you can't easily take it on location.

OR: Buy a cheap, used 3-stage turbine, and add a pancake compressor to feed the (still modified) 1 qt pot.
This would be an experiment, but would probably work.
Significantly less cost, and just a little bit more to carry, if spraying on location.

[John Goodin]

Thanks for the advice Allan. I meant to say I could buy a four or five stage HVLP system. Luckily, I am in a position where the quality and diversity of my woodworking tools exceeds my talent so I can concentrate funds on finishing equipment. Space is a premium so I am reluctant to buy a larger compressor. Can a four or five stage HVLP spray cabinet quality latex or is that best left to some type of airless? If an airless is the best option do the handheld airless, such as the Graco 360 Truecoat, provide great results. I know a lot has to do with the user's ability.

[Allan Speers]

I don't have the experience to say.

But from what I've read, a powerful HVLP system is better because there's less overspray & less waste.
It's just not as fast.

- But other members here will surely know more than me.

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If I had the money, and was planning on spraying a lot of latex, I'd probably get a 6-stage turbine, a whip hose, a 2 qt remote pot (Both Titan and Fuji make them, maybe others as well)
And a good gravity gun with PPS conversion. (Not the 3M gun) - or a Devilbiss deKups system, with whichever of their guns is designed for heavy viscosity.
Preferably also a gun that has a 2-stage trigger or can be converted to bleeder style. (Such as the Maxum Elite)

You'd have the 2 qt for volume, but the gravity feed for easy cleanup when you don't need to spray a lot of matrial, or when you're not in a rush.

[Tom M King]

I have the first version of Graco handheld airless sprayers. It does do a good job with latex, straight out of the can. You have to take it completely apart in a sink to clean though. It takes me longer to clean it than to spray what I'm going to with it. I understand they made cleanup simpler on the newer models.

Another issue is that it only holds a quart, and you have to go to the sink to refill the cannister, if you're spraying more than one cannister full, as you're going to make some sort of mess changing the cup.

I've owned turbine systems that could spray latex, with some thinning, but I sold them long ago. There is nothing better for spraying latex than airless, especially since they came out with the Low Pressure Fine Finish ones. I won't spray latex with anything but airless.

[Jim Becker]

Can a four or five stage HVLP spray cabinet quality latex ...

"House paint" (which is what I think of when I see the tern "latex") is a different animal than the colored waterborne finishes often used for cabinet finishing, not so much in consistency as in expectations. I have sprayed SW ProClassic successfully with my HPLV conversion gun with the 3M PPS cup but that pressurized cup is pretty essential for the task. That is true as well for the tinted Target Coatings EM6500 product I tend to use for this kind of work. My gun particular is compressor powered. A high end turbine can do the work in providing the air but it's still about the gun. The gun is "everything", honestly. The reason that airless is most often used for paints is because it's pumping the paint directly to the nozzle which works very well for more viscous coatings. That same setup, however, isn't the best for thinner clear coats.

Tom hits the nail about the handheld airless...a decent one works well, but is a "limited coverage" tool because of the small quantity of finish it can hold. Whether or not it would work for you in spraying trim and doors will be related to how much of that work you intend to do.