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Thread: Newbie spray finishing question

  1. #1
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    Newbie spray finishing question

    So I'm new at all of this, but I want to get off to the right foot.

    I'm going to be stepping up my project level quite a bit and starting on some plantation shutters in the next few weeks. Due to the number of parts involved, I'd like to spray on the finish rather than hand paint everything. I'm going to be painting the shutters white. They, of course, need to be primed as well. Where do I even start with this?

    Will the HVLP setups be able to handle the viscosity of the latex paint and primer?

    I have a small air compressor that I use for small jobs on cars and to drive finish nailers. What size compressor is required for basic painting though? I don't mind waiting so that the motor isn't running flat out / 100% duty cycle.

    Where do I start with the guns?!? HELP!

    Cheers
    -Davis
    Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

  2. #2
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    First, for spraying, latex paint isn't a good choice. If you want to say with a waterborne finish, you want a finish material that is explicitly designed to be sprayed. Target finishes has several that can have the pigment added to become very nice paint. I used Target USL for interior doors and Crown moldings for my new house and found they worked well. Check Jeff Jewitt's www.homesteadfinishing.com for both info on the Target paints and on spray guns. Different guns have different air requirements--these too are spelled out on Jeff's web pages. In general more is better than less. By the way, unless you plan to go to job sites away from home, portability isn't all that important. You can easily run enough air line hose to work quite a distance away from a compressor, as long as it has a little extra oompf to compensate for pressure losses due to the hose.

  3. #3
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    Jan 2008
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    spraying latex

    I have just started spraying finishes and have a hitachi compressor and an hvlp gun from a big box store (bare bones).

    I did recently spray a Zinsser water based latex primer, with passable results but had to thin it a bit with water,

    Most will recommend an airless sprayer if you are serious about latex, hvlp is just not meant for that kind of viscosity, it does not atomize properly.

    There a lot of fans of the wagner hvlp conversion gun, do a search, many have even sprayed a lot of latex with it.

    The big box stores are also selling some cheaper guns(kobalt/husky hvlp) that require less cfm and will work for small projects like you are describing.

  4. #4
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    I did some reading on the Wagner HVLP conversion gun. There was a review from the website you listed above from a fella with a pancake compressor. He said it worked great for him. I am skeptical that this is just advertising hype though. Can a pancake / hotdog size compressor really power one of these conversion guns?

    It also looks like the Target / Oxford line of tinted lacquers are the way to go.
    Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

  5. #5
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    I think that this is a great question. I have some sprayer equipment that I bought from Jeff, but it's all for lacquer both oil and waterbased. I have another less expensive spray gun that supposed to be able to be used with thicker latex type paint, but I haven't tried it yet. I think that Wagner has something called Paint Crew? I think the big box stores sell them. I think that I read some reviews of it that were not too good, but that was some time ago. I'll be watching this thread with great interest though since I'm tired of buying so many spray cans.
    Project Salvager

    The key to the gateway of wisdom is to know that you don't know.______Stan Smith

  6. #6
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    Plantation shutters go on the outside of the house though. Will the Target USL hold up to the elements? I'm leaning towards no, but I'm a complete noob at this.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ben Davis View Post
    I did some reading on the Wagner HVLP conversion gun. There was a review from the website you listed above from a fella with a pancake compressor. He said it worked great for him. I am skeptical that this is just advertising hype though. Can a pancake / hotdog size compressor really power one of these conversion guns?

    It also looks like the Target / Oxford line of tinted lacquers are the way to go.
    It depends on what you’re spraying. If it’s small, like a picture frame, it would be fine. If it’s a full set of kitchen cabinet doors, don’t even try it.


  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Merriam View Post
    Plantation shutters go on the outside of the house though. Will the Target USL hold up to the elements? I'm leaning towards no, but I'm a complete noob at this.
    Chris: The shutters are going inside the house in the window jams. I agree that the Lacquer would likely not fair too well in the elements.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Rose View Post
    It depends on what you’re spraying. If it’s small, like a picture frame, it would be fine. If it’s a full set of kitchen cabinet doors, don’t even try it.
    So I guess that you think the louvers, rails, and stiles for the shutters are likely too big of a chore eh? I know that I need to get a real compressor, but I'm trying to stretch my budget as far as possible while still producing a quality product. I might just have to put this off a couple of months and purchase a real air compressor.

    I've also begun the serious planning stages for a pergola that will be extended onto my existing deck. Since all of that will need to be painted, I was thinking of trying to purchase a painting system that would work for both interior and exterior grade applications. Does anyone think that one of those other Wagner products would suffice?
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  9. #9
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    Ben, exterior finishing products including paints and heavy stains are best served by an airless spray system. You can always rent one for that purpose. The Wagner HVLP gun is excellent for stains, lacquers, shellac, acrylics (like the USL) and oil-based paint. (The latter because it can be thinned) and with the multiple projector sets available, quite versatile. But I've never been happy with it trying to spray thicker water bornes such as latext paint and don't even bother to try anymore. And I do have a large compressor...60 gallon IR. (The gun will work nicely with a smaller compressor...I started out with a 20 gallon unit...but the compressor will run constantly)

    For your project, I think that the Target USL tinited to the shade you want is an excellent choice if you want to spray. My whole kitchen is covered in it and still looks nearly new since 2003 when it was completed. Jeff Jewitt is a good source to get the USL and have it tinited to the color you desire.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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