# What to spray primer with?



## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

I am looking for the set-up to spray mill work with primer. Trim, built-ins and what not. I am small time, but it would be nice to spray out the stuff I build. I would use it only 4 or 5 times a year. Looking to spray things like Kilz, CoverStain, Bullseye, etc etc.

Looking to be pointed in the general direction of a few choices.


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## Aaron Berk (Jul 10, 2010)

I just sprayed about 40' of 4 sided hanger rack supports and outriggers with 1-2-3 Bullseye 

Basically 8' long 2x4s trimmed down dressed up, and drilled with holes, and the the wooden outriggers that mount them to a wall.

I used my new Graco HVLP 4900 that I got today, worked like a champ:clap:

Edit, I did have to thin the primer though... once I get some real hrs with it I might be able to skip the thinning process...... but I'm not overly confident in that.


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## Aaron Berk (Jul 10, 2010)

Here this is what I painted.
Tomorrow I'll be spraying some polar bear white on them and doing the install. I'm pretty pumped about my new sprayer....:jester:

So are you looking more toward airless? I hear those cordless and corded Graco TrueCoat guns are pretty quick and efficient for medium to small amounts of work.


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## Anderson (Sep 7, 2009)

Last year I got the Graco sure shot I think its called. Its real nice to use and clean up is a breeze we ran some primer through it as well as impervo. I didnt get the battery one as it is heavy enough to be swinging around but the finish was nice. A little orange peel thats all


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## Spaint90 (Dec 26, 2011)

I would think ahead to expansion..go with an AAA setup. Cant beat it for millwork/builtins. You can also upgrade the finish to lacquers/varnishes for higher end stuff.

Kemlin and CA Technologies are top of the line..but also pricey @ 1500-3k for setup.

Graco makes one, 395 that is a bit cheaper.

I wouldnt look at airless or HVLP. Just my .02 though. I used to finish customer millwork/cabinetry all day long with a CA Tech pump.


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## duburban (Apr 10, 2008)

Spaint90 said:


> I would think ahead to expansion..go with an AAA setup. Cant beat it for millwork/builtins. You can also upgrade the finish to lacquers/varnishes for higher end stuff.
> 
> Kemlin and CA Technologies are top of the line..but also pricey @ 1500-3k for setup.
> 
> ...



i don't own any of these but have been following the technology for years knowing that i'll be buying something. 

an hvlp setup good enough to spray latex all day is the same price range as the AAA's. 

down sides are having to prime a whole rig and line. 

i've seen the fuji mm4 spray latex nice and its just a 4 stage turbine hvlp. that would be your cheapest bare minimum setup. next would be graco 5 stage then the apollo 6 stage.


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## Spaint90 (Dec 26, 2011)

duburban said:


> i don't own any of these but have been following the technology for years knowing that i'll be buying something.
> 
> an hvlp setup good enough to spray latex all day is the same price range as the AAA's.
> 
> ...


AAA is better than HVLP for high end finishing. Cabinet shops, Custom Millwork shops, Strictly finishing shops..Its almost all AAA now. HVLP is outdated IMO.

Course for custom millwork, built ins i wasnt spraying latex. Nor would i.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

There's nothing wrong with the HVLP's I have seen some unreal quality work from the $300 earlex model let alone the other higher end models. I have the apollo 1035 and I'm well impressed by it. It's only a 4 stage but it has the same psi as most other brands 5 stage models. I wouldn't think twice about using it. Now if I was a cabinet shop spraying 10hrs a day every day then a AAA would def a choice.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

Some of you guys have seen some of my work over in the carpentry picture thread. I am just looking for a simple set-up to spray primer on the stuff I build in the shop. I am not spraying finishes 10 hours a day every day. It about a total of 2 hours a month.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

TBFGhost said:


> Some of you guys have seen some of my work over in the carpentry picture thread. I am just looking for a simple set-up to spray primer on the stuff I build in the shop. I am not spraying finishes 10 hours a day every day. It about a total of 2 hours a month.


You need it about as much as I do then. I wanted something small but that would last me a long time. What's nice is it takes about 2 mins to completely clean the gun out and no big compressor needed either. You have the little turbine box and that's it.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

BCConstruction said:


> You need it about as much as I do then. I wanted something small but that would last me a long time. What's nice is it takes about 2 mins to completely clean the gun out and no big compressor needed either. You have the little turbine box and that's it.


What types of primers are you running through it?


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

So far only the BIN primer and it worked a treat with that. I didn't use some kilz2 primer on some baseboards and I think that went down better than the BIN.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

TBFGhost said:


> Some of you guys have seen some of my work over in the carpentry picture thread. I am just looking for a simple set-up to spray primer on the stuff I build in the shop. I am not spraying finishes 10 hours a day every day. It about a total of 2 hours a month.


Here ya go. This is the gun I've used for shooting primer and latex for a long time. Even now I use it to shoot latex while I have a AAA pump. This is the way to go. You still want to thin out your primer/paint even though you really don't have to. It will just flow out better.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...alogId=10053&R=100668724&catEntryId=100668724

You can push out a lot of paint with the pressure cup activated. This is the only mode I use the gun in. If you fine tune the gun and limit the needle so it only comes out about 1/3rd the way you get a real nice atomization and good coverage without pouring on the paint.


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## We Fix Houses (Aug 15, 2007)

Leo - what kind of compressor - air req ?


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Probably about 7CFM. I have a 10CFM compressor that I use for everything. 

I had fun reading the reviews. Either they loved it or hated it, nothing really in between. It is a good gun if you know how to adjust it. If you don't it can really screw up your project fast.


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## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

I've sprayed hundreds of gallons of latex & primer using guns similar to what leo posted the link to. pressure to the cup guns were all we used. 

We used to make a lot of home decor using antique tin ceilings & everything was primed with kilz primer. Granted, it wasn't high end woodwork, but for what we done, the cheapo campbell hausfield guns done a good job. I've still got a couple laying around the shop for when I need to prime store bought millwork.


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## duburban (Apr 10, 2008)

I have the same gun that leo posted. Its the only one i could get to spray latex properly. Since most job site compressors are in the 4-5 cfm range i started looking for a turbine unit. If you have the air get your feet wet with this gun! 

i should go dust mine off...


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## iDAHOchris (Feb 11, 2012)

I got a Wagner dual piston ( 350 bucks) and so far am impressed. Easy ,lightweight,simple to use and professional results


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## hdrider_chgo (Feb 23, 2009)

I'm not a painter, but find myself doing a fair bit of painting these days, as a relatively small part of the overall jobs. Here's some things to consider:

If you don't need a lot of precision, the Graco handheld airless is not a bad choice. I've been using one for two years now, on a weekly basis:

http://www.amazon.com/TrueCoat-Plus...&sr=8-4&keywords=graco+handheld+paint+sprayer

Since all the work is done in the shop, I use the corded model to avoid the additional cost and hassle of batteries.

This model will not work well for cabinets, because you can't tilt it much, or it loses prime. It works well for work flat on the bench.

It has no adjustment for controlling the volume of output, so you've got to move fast and be careful, it really blasts out the paint, but it can do a good job.

They also make a "Fine Finish" version of this gun that does have an output control. I think it's going to suffer from the same limitation of limited ability to tilt the gun.

I also have a Fuji HVLP turbine and gun that I use for finer work. I can spray latex with it, but you need to use the largest tip and thin the paint a little. It has a small cup, so you need to refill often. It has a pressurized cup so you can spray from any angle. Mine is similar to this:

http://www.amazon.com/Fuji-2894-G-X...&qid=1339943030&sr=8-2&keywords=fuji+hvlp+gun

This gun can of course also do furniture-grade finishes.

The guys that spray large volumes are going to recommend something with a hose going into a large container of paint. This avoids the need to stop and refill often, which really cuts into productivity. But it also means cleaning the paint out of a hose at the end of the job. That's something I don't want on smaller jobs. Fast cleanup, limited waste water, and fast changeover is more important to me.


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## We Fix Houses (Aug 15, 2007)

Leo G said:


> Probably about 7CFM. I have a 10CFM compressor that I use for everything.
> 
> I had fun reading the reviews. Either they loved it or hated it, nothing really in between. It is a good gun if you know how to adjust it. If you don't it can really screw up your project fast.


I too have to do something in this area. I have an airless but its not what we're talking about.

The air question....I have 2 PC pancake comp. Anyone have exp hooking them both up to supply a can set up as Leo described ?


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

There happens to be a HF next to one of the Millwork shops my company uses....I was picking up a finished desk top and needed two moving blankets to wrap it in. I Shopped at HF to get two blankets and saw this gun on sale for 16.99. I don't know why, but I bought it....says it can spray latex. Has a 2.0mm tip and a pressurized cup. Its also supposed to be Low Volume, Low Pressure so it can work off small compressors. I took it up and tried it. 

This is unthinned year old ceiling paint being shot onto some Luan that was sitting outside.



This is it thinned a bit with water....


I connected it to my 4 gallon, 3.7 CFM at 90 compressor to see if it really can run off a small compressor...and it does. Never ran out of air, and I sprayed a few cups full of water from start to finish to try and run the air out. You can air the compressor running in the back ground. I am running about 30 psi at the gun. It also clogged up on me at the end but I was not using strainers...just dumping it right in. The first paint I tried was some Kilz2 that froze a few times....it had clumps of cottage cheese type stuff in it....I think some was still in the gun.











I guess it works OKAY....I will prob mess with it more when I get a chance...the airless works WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY better tho.


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## world llc (Dec 9, 2008)

big boy:clap:


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

That is the same style gun I have mentioned quiet a few times. Mine was a Husky from HD. I call it my mud gun because it will spray just about anything.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

Leo G said:


> That is the same style gun I have mentioned quiet a few times. Mine was a Husky from HD. I call it my mud gun because it will spray just about anything.


That is one of the reasons I decided to try it...:thumbsup:

For anything sizable, the airless is the way to go, but for small items or a cabinet or two, the HF gun might work. I still need to play with it. I think a Graco 390 or something will be the next purchase for the shop.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

BCC....

I made some skins today out of Masonite...primed them with the Graco TrueCoat....they came out smooth and silk-like to the touch after 2 coats.




















In case your wondering what they are for...
We are retrofitting these bookcases and I had a mill shop make up all new 1/2" skins with the holes pre-drilled...the guy working with me made a mistake on two of them and didn't notice untill the next day...when the glue was dry. No way where they coming out.










So I made skins.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

It looks like it works pretty well. I should have tried that instead of a $1300 hvlp lol


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

It Sprays Bullseye Waterbase no problems...still need to work on the gun settings...


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

I sprayed this birch board with un-thinned Bullseye, two coats. let it dry for about 30 min in the sun and buffed it with my sander and 220 grit. It was very smooth and flat. I am good with it for primer no doubt.

I had some BM Regal Semi-Gloss laying around...I added a touch of Flotrol and some water to thin it down....I guess it works ok for spraying this.....I don't have much experience in what a sprayed latex finish should look like.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

I am thinking it has way too much orange peel....


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## world llc (Dec 9, 2008)

use your corded graco for the top coat, too much splatter on that board...


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

On mine you can do a max of 50 PSI and that's where I use it. I close the needle down so it is open about 15-20%. It lets out a lot less material but it atomizes it great. You can fine tune it from there. Usually I use it with close to a max fan pattern unless I am doing smaller stuff, then I might tune it down smaller. With the needle opened up all the way it puts out so much material there is no chance it will atomize nicely.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

Thanks for the advice guys.


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