Sorry, this is sorta O/T. Don't fret. I am not spraying one of my cars. The restoration on the Avalair is getting close to paint and I don't want to rent an airless just to spray a few quarts on the interior walls. We are in the process of D/A ing all the old paint off and I would like the next coat to be smooth. I have an old HVLP I use for heavy flake that has a 2.0 tip. Just wondering if this would work for spraying latex?
I hope with 14K posts you will be able to save me if I should get a spanking for repling to such a OT thread! LOL I think you will find that you will get a better finishing if you brushout your latex ... expecially if it is going over bare wood. A good latex brush is a must. But spraying with a HVLP will work ... its done all the time house. Just gotta thin your product. Thats a nice looking trailer by the way!
I think you're good. I'll take the heat for it...... The inner walls are aluminum and I am taking it back down to the original substrate. I may have to just try it and see if it will spray. They say they make a thinning agent, but I have never used it.
Check with the folks at the paint store, they should be able to tell you the proper thinning agent. Be aware that latex paint has silica in it sometimes as a filling agent and may be ruinous to the needle an tip on your gun! A foam roller and light pressure might be more advantagious for a good finish.
I have my doubts about getting latex through an automotive gun, even with a 2.0 tip, and even thinned out. (should thin with water) Latex is a "stringy" paint, meaning it is made up of strings of latex suspended in liquid, the strings link up as the paint dries. I think the strings will plug up the tip. Just a side note, don't shake latex with an automotive style shaker I have herd tell that this will break all the strings and ruin the paint, in this case it is "stirred not shaken" is best.
Root,you shouldn't have a problem using that gun,,Flood makes a product called Floetrol that is a additive for waterbase and acrylic house paints,both interior and exterior. HRP
Your probably thinking of a pigmented shellac... latex in a hvlp is used in the construction industy daily ... just did it last week.
Having spent 45 years in the retail and wholesale paint industry,there ain't 10 cents worth of difference in paint shakers!
I do it all the time at work. Yes it has to be cut down a bit but it sprays fine. I would use a gun dedicated to primer instead of a gun you use for clear
I spent 34 years in R&D for a major chemical company. The first 25 years were in "water-soluble polymers", which included latex paints. We sprayed our test panels with DeVilbiss and Binks siphon-fed paint guns exactly like those used in body shops at the time. Our thinning agent was distilled water (beware that a very small amount would make a dramatic reduction in viscosity). I transferred into another area of R&D before the introduction of HVLP paint guns, so I can't verify how they might work. Good luck with your project! Jim
well after witnessing what an airless does(sprays 5 gallons faster than i could open the cans and pour them in) i dont think you would need to thin it very much. good luck,curious to see how it works. Frank
Just a lurker here but I spray it all the time in my shop with a gravity gun. Thinned but it sprays fine. A pressure pot is even better you can set the can inside the pot. Cleaning out airless lines sucks. FWIW I use a fondue pot to warm the paint it sprays even better.
My buddy does it all the time, and since it is latex, he just thins it with water. Not saying I agree with his method, but I have seen him do it, and it does work.
floetrol is a reducing agent used to help the paint flow out to hide brush strokes/roller marks, in a spray application its not really necessary but it couldnt hurt. btw i always use the hf guns for latex, the 1.4 tip works fine.
The Floetrol HRP's talking about does just that, makes latex flow better. It's typically added in hot weather when the paint tends to drag while being brushed etc. It's better for that use than water as it doesn't thin the paint alot, rather slows the drying of it while maintaining the same original properties of the paint. Water will thin it down, but go cautiously as it also rapidly increases the tendency for runs etc. Kind of like using mineral spirits VS a hot solvent for an oil based product. The water both thins and slows the evaporation rate. You didn't really mention what the product is? Latex is a broad term. More details, on bare aluminum? Entire interior?
I just painted a new closet addition under the stairs that had a metric shit ton of built in shelves that would have taken days (by hand) with a HF gravity feed primer gun. I shot a custom mix color Baer paint thinned with a bit of distilled water....layed down great too! you cant even tell a hack like me did it. Sprayed fine....was fast too! got the whole closet painted in 2 hours.... Now when I sprayed the Kilz primer....that sprayed OK but seemed to take alot more work than the Baer.....dunno why (4 hours)
I am sanding the multiple layers of paint down in the trailer until smooth. I rarely hit the bare aluminum. Just basically "slick". I haven't decided on a paint brand etc. yet. It's nothing special, just a cream white. I want to spray it, mainly due to the amount of work it is taking to remove the old paint and I want it to lay down smooth. I am painting everything at once, since the ceiling etc are basically all one piece. You can kind of get an idea on my blog. The link is on my signature line.
Last time I had to spray latex I used one of those electric housepaint guns - an old one I got at an auction for less than $10. It did the job, messy though. Might be another option to just grab one of those cheap someplace.
I hate commenting on any threads anymore giving opinions, but here I go. Just a few things I've learned working with paints. Flotrol is more of a vehicle for water soluble paints. A vehicle in the art or paint world is a type of product or a term used for keeping paint from drying while you work with it. Flotrol doesn't thin the paint, it helps keeps it open, or from drying a little longer while your working with it. Aqua thins latex paint. Example: Pure Linseed oil is a good vehicle for oil paint when working with art work,it does the same thing, helps keep the oil from drying too fast and allows you to move it around or smooth it out. At a school I went to, we would use the pure linseed oil to hold the oil open while we moved it around and buff it out to make it look airbrushed. We used a badger bristle brush to buff the oil. Some guns are so cheap, I'd personally use a dedicated gun for different products if you can. Just safer. Good luck!
OK, if you haven't decided on a paint yet, hit up your local paint store. Tell them precisely what you want to do, and they'll have some options for you. It would be better than taking all the varied advise you'll get on a forum. Plus you can look them in the eye if something go's wrong An acrylic urethane will probly be your best bet. They stick very well, usually self priming and tend to tack up quickly when sprayed. Insl-x cabinet coat is a great product that looks like oil or rubbed lacquer when dry. Like I said, hit up a good local paint store, not a hardware store, but a paint store that has paint reps that can help you choose a product. Don't hesitate to pm me if you want I could ramble on for hours.
See if there is an Iowa Brand paint dealer in your area. They have a cream white called Navajo White that I used a LOT that is a warm rich cream color. That is all I used remodeling houses, high quality stuff. We also used Floetrol when we sprayed.
I have been shooting latex paint with a hvlp for years. The wife sells lots of refurbished furniture and I spray those items all the time. No problems untill she catches you cleaning the gun in the kitchen sink. I do thin with water to get it to spray better. The paint does seem to come out more of a flat tone than with a brush or roller.
I'm a painting contractor, since 1983. You shouldnt have any issues spraying your latex. If the surface is not real smooth, I would recommend a lower sheen than Gloss or even Semi Gloss. The lower the sheen equals less flaws showing. Go for an Eggshell or Satin finish.
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