# Are you spraying latex paint?



## eastside (Jun 21, 2009)

If anyone is spraying latex interior paint successfully i would like to know what system you are using. I really do not want to thin it down more than 10% if that's possible. If not whats the best anyone has found. I have a large enough compressor and i have been spraying lacquer with an hvlp for some time now but when it comes to paint i have to brush it and i want to improve my finish. I tried the cheep harbor freight hvlp guns and their 2 quart pressure pot with no luck unless i thin it down a lot. So I went looking for better guns and i found the Xseries pressure pot gun at spraygunworld for $300.00 and they told me i can spray latex after thinning 25%! 
Spraygunworld is a site that claims they sell guns for the woodworker. I want to spray cabinet doors, entertainment systems, kitchen cabinets etc. I used one of the graco guns and that's more for painting walls not fine finish work so that want back to the store. Any suggestions? Mike


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Is this for woodworking projects? By latex, do you mean wall paint? If yes to both, forget it, and use a good quality 100% acrylic paint instead. Latex (as in wall paint) has a property called blocking (stuff sticks to it) and using the acrylics eliminates that as well as being more durable on a piece of furniture. The one I used most is Olympic Icon, and it's easily thinned 10% for spraying. (BTW, some acrylic paints identify themselves as "acrylic latex", hence the wording confusion that sometimes occurs.) Now, if I'm wrong about the woodworking projects and you do want to spray wall paint, my suggestion would be to get an airless sprayer.


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## eastside (Jun 21, 2009)

Thanks Fred now I'm confused, i thought they were the same. I looked up the Olympic Icon and this is it at Lowes Olympic Icon Interior Satin Tintable White Latex-Base Paint and Primer in One. I do see were you explained some acrylics call them self latex but i always assumed it was a waterborn acrylic paint. Still in the latex family and still thick. so maybe i can clear my needs up. When a customer wants a unit painted they will look at Sherwin William or Ben Moor etc. I can use any paint company i want as long as they can mix the same color and sheen. So you are suggesting stick with 100% acrylic and it will be a spray-able paint but what system do you use. Is acrylic naturally thinner?


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

I recently finished spraying using Lowe's interior water based enamel unthinned and it went on great. I was using a Harbor Freight HVLP gun (http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-hvlp-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-with-regulator-62381.html) at a relatively high pressure (about 45 PSI) at the gun. The more viscous paints need to be sprayed at a higher PSI both to move the paint through the gun and to atomize it. The spray I had was a very fine mist and it went on very smoothly. Try a higher PSI and your results will improve.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Sorry, there's as much brand name confusion as anything else, and it looks like Olympic changed the name (again), I just used it last year under the Icon label. Look for Olympic Premium or Olympic One, sometimes the acrylics will be labeled as "acrylic enamel" as well. Here are some other names of 100% acrylic paints (if they haven't changed):
Benjamin Moore MooreStyle Interior Acrylic Latex
Devoe Ultra-Color
Pratt & Lambert Accolade
Valspar Medallion

I've sprayed the acrylic paints with both my HVLP conversion gun on a compressor, and more recently my HVLP turbine system (Fuji Super 4). The acrylics will be thinner than wall paint (substantially) and modt can be thinned…be sure to follow the manufacturer's suggestions for the maximum thinning. I seem to recall I thinned the Olympic product 20%, which is about as much as any waterborne I've seen will allow. BTW, here's some info may (or not) be useful,


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I spray latex regularly using an HVLP. Recently, I did all our kitchen cabinets and our deck using one.

I've painted a lot. A whole lot. Based on my experience, I'd say a brush or roller cannot compete. If I'd done our cabinets or the deck railing using a brush and roller, it would have taken me many times longer. I "might" have been able to get the same quality level, but it's not likely.

The HVLP I use the most is a Capspray four stage turbine. Sold by Triton now, under their name, they're spendy new, but I've seen them on craigslist for around three or four hundred.

If you get one off the list, make sure it has the gun. They are good, and replacing them cost around three or four hundred. Hose isn't cheap either, but can be had for fifty to a hundred.

Look at the filters (pull them out) and see what you can see inside with them removed. If there is a lot of garbage, it's been poorly cared for and the price should drop.

Run it and you should get a nice turbine whine and no noise that might be attributed to tired bearings.

Pull the nozzle and see how well it was cleaned. Shoot a little water through the gun. You should be able to tweak the pattern from the high output of an airbrush to enough to paint a fence.


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## exelectrician (Oct 3, 2011)

I sold my 4 stage Capspray and bought a couple of 2" foam rollers and a small tray - Works way better than a spray gun when you add 20% Flowtrol to latex …. just my 2 cents.


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

whether acrylic or latex i found tip size to make a difference. i have a devildiss finishline 3, which originally was purchased for auto painting, and have a 1.3, 1.8, and 2.2 tip. tbe 1.3 is worthless with both acrylics and latex, unless i feel like just cleaning my gun.
tbe 1.8 can handle acrylic and latex thinned. the 2.2 can spray just about anything without thinning. 
however, psi's at gun, fan pattern, overlap of each pass( i go about 50%), distance from surface, and speed of travel all come into play to achieve a flat surface with no orange peel.


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## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

Latex paint is not a finish and should not be used on cabinetry or furniture for any reason. Customers can pick the color they want from anywhere. It's up to you to use the proper finish for the job. Unless you're painting your house, latex is almost never the answer.
A pigmented top coat is what you should be using. Take a look at - http://oem.sherwin-williams.com/products/wood/pigmented-wood-finishes


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## Nubsnstubs (Aug 30, 2013)

Since you indicated you can spray lacquer successfully, and you want to spray cabinets, furniture and such, why not buy colored lacquer? It's available, and probably cost the same as other paints.

Other than what I said above, Earlextech is right about latex not being the coating for cabinets and other like pieces. My experience with latex paints is whenever you paint a door or wall, and put something up against it, when you remove said something, you will remove paint from painted surface.

Sherwin Williams link is good. Their people are knowledgeable in the + - of their products….... Problem is, Sher-Will isn't everywhere, but their site can steer you towards what will work for you…........ Jerry (in Tucson)


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## retfr8flyr (Oct 30, 2013)

I have an Earlex HV6900 system and I have had good success using Acrylic paint. I usually use SW Superpaint or Pro Classic. I thin it about 10% and it goes on just fine. If you really want to paint walls and such, you would be better off with and airless setup then an HLVP.


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## eastside (Jun 21, 2009)

Thank you all for the info on this problem. 
Fred the info on that web site was helpful when i have to paint a project a was usually using an acrylic paint purely by dumb luck. I like to buy my paint at a professional store and they always led me to acrylic and the past few jobs i used a product called Cabinet Coat sold at Ben- Moor. This stuff really goes on nice just like it advertises.
Kelly I looked up the Capspray and Triton and they are pretty expensive for something i can't return if i don't like it. At that price i would like to see it in action locally before buying. Retfr8flyr uses the Earlex and that is sold at Home Depot but at least their i have 90 days to return it. 
I was really looking for i set up like Tomsteve is using since i already have a compressor and the gun he uses is less expensive than the one i was looking at and is sold at the same place spraygunworld! They have a # to call for advice before buying so maybe when it gets closer to deciding I'll give them a call. 
Earllextech, I heard of pigmented lacquer but didn't know Sherwin Williams sold it. If they can match all the colors a customer can want that sounds like something i could have a use for I'll have to go down and talk to them.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

So I need to go back and strip all the plywood cabinets I made with poplar face frames?

Hmmm

Why would you say something like this?



> Latex paint is not a finish and should not be used on cabinetry or furniture for any reason. Customers can pick the color they want from anywhere. It s up to you to use the proper finish for the job. Unless you re painting your house, latex is almost never the answer.
> A pigmented top coat is what you should be using. Take a look at - http://oem.sherwin-williams.com/products/wood/pigmented-wood-finishes
> 
> - Earlextech


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Eastside, that's why I mention the idea of looking on craigslist. I've seen several, over the years, for around three hundred.


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## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

Kelly, Because latex is rubber. Rubber is not a good/durable finish for furniture or cabinetry.


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## jar944 (Jun 19, 2014)

> Kelly, Because latex is rubber. Rubber is not a good/durable finish for furniture or cabinetry.
> 
> - Earlextech


And to most people "latex" encompasses all waterborne paints, regardless of what the makeup is.


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