Spray Equipment for Wide Variety of Finishes

Wilsoncb

Williemakeit
Corporate Member
I don’t typically use a spray system to finish my wood projects, but do occasionally. Because I don’t spray that often, I need a system that is somewhat forgiving and very flexible. I want to be able to spray shellac, lacquer, polyurethane and latex. When I spray latex I want to thin as little as possible. So I’m not asking for much 😂.

I have a 33 gallon compressor capable of about 6 CFM. With that I’ve used a cheap (TCP from Amazon) spray gun with OK results. For latex I have to thin to the point where I loose some gloss. I was looking at the following options and would appreciate any comments if you have a similar setup.

1. Better compressor gun - Fuji LX-20 gravity cup gun with 1.2, 1.4 & 1.7 cap set. I would add a 2.0 cap set for latex. This gun is $350 and requires 15 CFM. I only have 6 CFM, but have seen reviews that say it works fine but don’t expect constant use. This appears to be a good gun, but I wonder if it’s that much better than a $100 gun.

2. Turbine system - Fuji Mini-Mite 4 with gravity gun & 1.3 cap set. Again I would add a 2.0 cap set for latex. This setup would be about $1100. I’m looking at the 4 turbine unit based on its ability to spray latex with minimal thinning, and it’s $200 less than the 5 which is slightly more powerful. I know there are people out there that can effectively spray latex with less powerful setups, but that’s where my opinion #1 kind of fits that category.

3. Hybrid solution - Decent compressor spray gun for thinner materials ($200-400). Graco Ultra airless handheld sprayer ($600) to cover the latex. I have used an airless sprayer for latex and found they can lay down a ton of material without any thinning. The biggest problem is it’s hard to dial it back to eliminate runs on vertical surfaces. The only real advantage to this option is it ”might” allow me to get a less expensive compressor gun initially and the airless gun later on Marketplace cheaper…and it takes the latex requirement out since it’s not a great fit for options 1 & 2?

 

Wilsoncb

Williemakeit
Corporate Member
For a small compressor, I check out an LVLP Gun (Low Volume Low Pressure) gun like this one:

I've never been happy with the results of spraying latex from a regular spray gun even with a 2.0 tip.
I did consider the LVLP gun, but they don’t recommend it for latex. Have you tried the LVLP?
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
I use a Fuji Mini Mite 4 and spray Latex regularly, but thin it with water. The Fuji is an extremely easy gun to learn to use and control. Easy to clean and very flexible, I highly recommend it.
 

PeteM

Pete
Corporate Member
lvlpI did consider the LVLP gun, but they don’t recommend it for latex. Have you tried the LVLP?
Yes, I have an LVLP setup. I use it to paint cars and it works fine for me. I wouldn't use it for Latex paint.
Also, I wouldn't use a conventional gun or an HVLP with a small compressor. Yes, you can do it but you'd be stopping every few minutes waiting for the compressor to catch up.
Comparing a $100 LVLP gun to a Fuji Mini Mite isn't really fair. You're comparing something that costs a bit over $100 to something that costs over $1,000.
 

golfdad

Co-director of Outreach
Dirk
Corporate Member
The sprayit gun recommended will spray Latex. The Earlex Sprayport 6000 series will also spray latex with ease. Its a turbine system like the Fuji for almost 1/2 the price
 

Graywolf

Board of Directors, President
Richard
Staff member
Corporate Member
The Fuji system is worth its weight for spraying a wide verity of product. I currently have two gravity feed Fuji guns with a 4-stage turbine. I have several needle and cap sizes to work with. I primarily spray dyes, stains, conversion varnish and lacquer. But I can spray varnish, paint-oil and latex, along with a verity of many other finishes. This system will keep you from having to invest in a large compressor and can be transported any where. I use mine for large touch up jobs, so I’m setting up on jobs sites working on cabinets. I also use it in my garage to finish some one off projects.
 

Wilsoncb

Williemakeit
Corporate Member
The sprayit gun recommended will spray Latex. The Earlex Sprayport 6000 series will also spray latex with ease. Its a turbine system like the Fuji for almost 1/2 the price
Do you have both the sprayit and Earlex 6000? Can you provide more details of your experience with them? Thanks.
 

Rwe2156

DrBob
Senior User
Pluses and minuses on both. If you have the compressor capability, it will be vastly cheaper to use, you could even buy an upper level gun. IMO your compressor is borderline, but ok for non-intensive projects.

I've seen people spray latex through an HVLP gun, and I've tried it, but I wouldn't even bother anymore. You really want an airless for latex.

I have an Earlex Sprayport3. It does a good job without investing a ton of money. But I still like using a compressor gun, maybe b/c of the noise?

You want multiple guns, ones for paint, ones for clear finishes.
 

OldManK

New User
Kyle
I'm also in the market for an airless sprayer for finishing cabinetry mostly, so watching this intently!
 

Ed Fasano

Ed
Senior User
I have a Fuji Mini Mite 3 and am very happy with it. I shoot water-based coatings only (from General Finishes and Target Coatings). I tend to stay with just a few reliable coatings that are comparatively easy to clean up. Personally, I believe that bouncing from one coating to another is asking for trouble.

There are 3 General Finishes Milk Paint color layers and 2 final layers of GF Enduro-Var topcoat on this Hoosier-style hutch. The Fuji HVLP earned its keep over the 3 days it took to complete it!

I volunteer at a Habitat for Humanity facility where I've made several ReStore retail fixtures. For those I shot un-thinned latex with a $350-ish Graco airless sprayer. It laid down the latex well. I was shocked at how much paint it ate though.
 

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