# Tips on Spraying General Finishes milk paint with HVLP



## Brian89 (Apr 12, 2015)

Just wanted to make a quick post to pass along my experience and tips spraying General Finishes milk paint with my HVLP. I just finished building a crib for my first child. The wife wanted it painted so I used 6/4 poplar and so far it looks great. I'll post project once I'm done.

I used my cheap but useful HF Sprayer(#94572) and 60 Gallon compressor. Although it says you can spray straight from the can this paint is very thick. I even called GF support to make sure it wasn't a bad can because it was so thick. Per their recommendation I thinned 10% (3.2 oz) with water, however it didn't help and clogged my gun instantly. I called support again and was told I could thin it up to 20% and I should be using a 1.8mm tip instead of the 1.4mm I originally tried. They also recommended a higher pressure.

Ultimately I ended up using these settings:
6.4 oz of water to thin the paint (1quart)
1.8mm tip
35psi
gun set 1 turn from full fluid

It sprayed great with no runs. I would recommend buying a larger sealable container so you can thin the paint. I would also recommend priming first. I used 2 coats of Bin Shellac primer with a 1.4mm tip and 25psi sanding with 220 between coats

Hope this helps


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## RocketDogs (May 5, 2014)

Good info….Thanks….and congrats on the new baby

RocketDogs


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## CB_Cohick (Dec 22, 2014)

Thanks for sharing this info! I considered spraying some General Finishes milk paint recently, but when I saw how thick it was I quickly changed those plans. I may try your recipe with some of my leftovers to see how it works for me.


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