Which HVLP?

[Bob Carreiro]

I want to buy an inexpensive sprayer (system - no compressor-required guns). It MUST shoot latex paint (preferably without having to thin the paint).

I want it for painting sanded & primed kitchen cabs - especially the doors/drawer fronts. I've been reading reviews all day! Will this Graco do the job? http://www.lowes.com/pd_384235-8918...L=?Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

I don't even want to spend this much, but will if I have to.

Lemmie knoe.

thx guys,
Bob

 

[ErnieM]

I have this one that might fill the bill for you.

 

[Bob Carreiro]

I believe with this one (the current Rockler model anyway), that Latex must be thinned 25%.
Am looking for latex shot right out of can (requires stronger motor).

 

[Phil S]

Bob, I have several guns with the same tip size as the Graco and they will only spray latex effectively when I thin it. A different system the airless sprayers that you see pro painters using spray latex well but they are costly. For your application, I would think a quality water borne colored lacquer would be the best bet. Campbell, Mohawk and Target all carry this product. You can spray it with any system using a 1.3 to 1.5 tip and the finish will be professional. I have a small compressor and gun if you want to try one out. The sprayer that Ernie is selling would do a great job with lacquer

 

[SubGuy]

I had a Graco HVLP from Lowe's. It did better than a brush, but when I lost a part, there were no replacements. I even called and they said they only do whole unit swaps and since I lost the part, that's not covered under warranty... Mine was a step or two below the one you listed, but I would want a sprayer I could replace parts on if I was you.

 

[ehpoole]

While I do not consider myself a finishing expert I do, nonetheless, have some experience in the area.

What you say you are seeking is really a paradox that likely can not be fulfilled unless you can find someone willing to give you, free of charge (or at least dirt cheap), a top of the line turbine (self contained) HVLP sprayer system...which could happen but seems unlikely!

To spray latex, especially unthinned, with an HVLP gun requires a large diameter tip (2.0+mm) and a very large volume of sufficiently pressurized air. To get that volume of air in a turbine system while still maintaining the necessary pressure, a multiple-stage turbine system with a number of stages is required -- probably on the order of 4 or 5 stages if you are to have any chance of spraying unthinned, or at least minimally thinned, latex paint. Such self-contained turbine-based sprayers are at the very top of the line in turbine HVLP sprayers, so the requirement that it be cheap tends to rule such a solution out without a generous benefactor to donate one.

If you were opting for an air compressor driven HVLP gun and already had a compressor of adequate specs (or can secure one), then you could do so on the cheap as you would only need a suitable HVLP gun plus a large diameter tip and horn for it. Decent HVLP spay guns of this type can be obtained rather inexpensively. Plus you can adapt the spray gun to a wide array of jobs by purchasing a selection of spray tips and horns (1.0mm for touchups, 1.3mm, 1.7mm, and 2.0mm +/-) to match the intended finishes.

However, if this requirement to spray unthinned latex stems from a perception that an HVLP spray gun could be used to paint your next house then it is best to dispel that idea. For the money (on wasted paint) you would waste in overspray with an HVLP spray gun you could probably buy, and certainly rent, an airless sprayer, which is the proper tool for the job if you are going to be covering a significant amount of surface area. At most an HVLP sprayer is potentially suitable for finishing trimwork or some cabinets with a latex finish, but no more. I mention this aspect because this often seems to be the thought process that leads many to tack on the "unthinned latex" requirement to their list of criteria. Please ignore this paragraph if that was not your intent.

Best of luck in your search!

 

[Bob Carreiro]

I have reviewed just about every sprayer of various types & brands under $350 (most outright admit they are not for latex) and I read EVERY review of each of them. The Graco I linked showed consistant satisfaction among (many) reviewers in shooting latex w/o thinning. I already purchased the paint - a custom-tinted semi-gloss Valspar Optimus (100% acrylic latex), Valspar's best, from Ace Hardware in Hampstead.

Selection has evolved into less about ability to shoot latex (since I am satisfied with review consensus), and MORE to do with levels of overspray. Because of this - also a reviewer consensus, I will brush the cabinets in my kitchen, and "if I pull the trigger" (punn intended), shoot the doors/drawer fronts in the shop.

NOTE: Refinishing my own kitchen cabinets (i.e., shooting latex) is only the catylist for a sprayer purchase, and will not be its life's mission. Varoius poly's, shellac, varnishes, etc., will be it's mission as I ween myself off brushes. I hate finishing, yet find myself doing more and more of it! Spraying will speed things up & improve the outcome.

Thank you all for your comments, and Zach for the vote of confidence!

 

[medicfirefighter2005]

Check out the Wagner Flexio sprayer I bought this when remodeling my house and it worked well for me.

 

[Endless Pursuit]

The current issue of FWW has an excellent review of HVLP systems - bang for the buck info.

 

[JimD]

You are looking at airless spray rigs, not HVLP. That adds confusion to the responses. Airless spray rigs pressurize the finish and shoot it out a nozzle. They are often used to paint houses. They are not known for fine finishes but should work fine for latex on cabinets. Latex flows out nicely which is why you can get a good finish with a brush. I've never tried it but I doubt an airless will spray much thinner finishes well. Polys are pretty thick so it may work. Shellac is not so I doubt it will work.

For furniture finishes, a HVLP setup is desirable since it will spray all finishes well - with the appropriate tips. I use a Fuji Mini-mite which is a low end professional quality rig (or at least that's the way I look at it). I haven't purchase the nozzles for latex but they are available. It is a turbine setup, I think it's a 3 stage. My normal finish is Resisthane either clear or white tinted. It is a water borne finish characterized as a pre-cat lacquer. It dries much faster than latex making 3 coats possible in a day. There is an article on Highland Hardwares website (if it is still around) about mixing Resisthane with latex paint to improve durability. I have tried it but might if I wanted a custom color.

I hope you enjoy your airless setup. I think it is a good choice for at least you first job and hopefully at least most of the other envisioned usages.