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Tell me about spraying latex

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Tell me about spraying latex

#1

Tell me about spraying latex

Tim Greif - West of Chicago

I'm at the end of a kitchen remodel and LOML wants the base and window trim and bifold pantry doors painted grey to complement the new cabinets. I've already done the base trim by brush, but am thinking the 3-panel pantry doors would look better sprayed, it that's doable. I have tried a foam roller with latex before with mixed results. I always seem to get tiny micro bubbles in the finish and it feels like I added sand to the paint. Maybe it's my technique. Any advice to get rid of bubbles?

I've used short nap mini rollers for other painted doors and it comes out ok, but not as nice as a sprayed finish. I have a conventional pneumatic production paint gun and detail gun that I've painted motorcycles, a boat and golf cart with successfully, but never attempted latex with them.

Is this advisable, or should I stick with the mini roller?

Re: Tell me about spraying latex

#2

Ya-but

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

You should add some Flotrol and thin your product to get even atomization and leveling of the film. How much to thin (and limits) may be listed on the can. If not, contact the company, or try some tests by spraying sheets of paper to see the spray pattern. If the gun sputters, the finish won't be pleasing. You may need several coats to get an even color.

Other option is to rent either a turbine rig or an airless sprayer, but you'll still need the Flotrol and some thinning.

Re: Tell me about spraying latex

#3

Re: Ya-but

Chuck Jurvelin

If you try to spray latex with a conventional gun, you will not be happy with the results. I have a 3M Accuspray gun with a 2.0 nozzle that does a wonderful job. This gun and the various nozzles (1.3, 1.4 1.8 & 2.0) will spray any material and they have disposable inner cup and filter cap. Wish I would have bought this gun when waterborne finishes first came out.

Re: Tell me about spraying latex

#4

Latex

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

I've sprayed a bunch of latex through a conventional Binks gun. Just needs a bigger needle and cap and the paint properly thinned.

Re: Tell me about spraying latex

#5

Re: Ya-but

E Phillip Smith

I've sprayed lots of latex paint with conventional spray gun. I bought an inexpensive Ingersoll Rand gravity feed gun years ago. Put on adapter to use 3M PPS cups. Works well with right paint and with enough dilution.

The super paints like Sherwin Williams super paint does not work well. WAY too much viscosity modifiers. Those paints are designed for one coat coverage that looks ok from the street. It is hard to dilute this class of paint enough to spray well.

I've had good luck recently with Sherwin Williams A100 latex. Its an old formulation with much less of the viscosity modifiers. Its typically designed for two coats by conventional application.

Proper dilution is important. You have to dilute until the paint will atomize properly. I use distilled water, do not use tap water especially hard water. The ions, specifically Ca and Mg will mess up the latex emulsion.

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