Spraying HVLP

[Mark Hultzapple]

Hi guys and gals,
I'm interested in spraying a shellac base primer over oil in preparation for a latex top coat. The interior room doors I want to spray are rather old and I want to match the trim paint currently on the baseboard and door frames. I have a coleman, twin cylinder compressor and recently purchased a HVLP sprayer from Harbor Freight. Either the book was lost in shipment or it never had one. No information is available for directions for spraying. I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea of what to thin shellac primer and Latex paint with. (mineral spirits for shellac and Flowtrol for latex? Is that right?) How much do you thin paint to spray and what pressure is good for the sprayer?

[Jim Becker]

You'll likely have no problem spraying the shellac (such as Zissner Seal Coat) with the gun. It's a 2 lb cut out of the container and really sprays nicely. (Do practice on a non-project first...)

Spraying latex paint with an inexpensive HVLP gun is not necessarily going to be a fun thing; you need a larger projector set and may still get a lot of "sputtering". And you really cannot thin it. Flotrol will help a little, but even there you are very limited in how much you can put in the finish. Latex is usually best sprayed with an airless system. Consider renting one for your doors. Or using a different finish, such as a tintable 100% acrylic product made for spraying. (Fuhr 380; Target Oxford, etc)

[Phil Phelps]

Hi guys and gals,
I'm interested in spraying a shellac base primer over oil in preparation for a latex top coat. The interior room doors I want to spray are rather old and I want to match the trim paint currently on the baseboard and door frames. I have a coleman, twin cylinder compressor and recently purchased a HVLP sprayer from Harbor Freight. Either the book was lost in shipment or it never had one. No information is available for directions for spraying. I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea of what to thin shellac primer and Latex paint with. (mineral spirits for shellac and Flowtrol for latex? Is that right?) How much do you thin paint to spray and what pressure is good for the sprayer?

Jim is on with spraying latex. Floetrol is an extender, not a thinner. Water is a thinner and you break down the product the more water added, and several coats will be needed. If you have just a few doors to do, using an airless is the best application but, it is a lot of trouble for a "few" doors. Is your Coleman enough strong enough for your HVLP? Alcohol is the reducer for shellac.

[Mark Hultzapple]

Thanks for the response guys.
Yes I think the compressor is strong enough for HVLP but not sure about the quality of the spray gun. I'll have to give the shellac primer a shot on some junk first. I think I'll try the tintable acrylic if I can find a source. Is the Fuhr 380 or Target Oxford sold in paint stores or Lowes? I've never heard of it before.

[Mark Hulette]

You can find plenty of info on spraying at Jeff Jewitt's site- homesteadfinishing dot com

That's also where you can buy Target products

[Jim Becker]

Is the Fuhr 380 or Target Oxford sold in paint stores or Lowes? I've never heard of it before.

Nope, Target Coatings, Fuhr International and other similar products are not found in home centers. Homestead Finishing is a good resource and Jeff can also do the tinting for you.