Paint spray gun suggestions?

[MrsSmith]

I want to paint a few (5 to 10, maybe) pieces of furniture and get a smooth finish, but I don't want to spend a ton of money on a spray gun that I'll use less than a dozen times. Any suggestions? Is there anything else I'll need to go with it?

The staff of my local hardware store isn't brimming with knowledge. When I stopped to talk to them, the guy suggested just buying spray paint. If this is the best option, then I'm going to have to rethink everything.

[grampster]

Find a good talented man.      Ducks and bobs and weaves while running in terror.

[AJ Dual]

Oil based enamels like spraypaint will generally wear much better than latex. Although the if the coverage area is large, spray cans are a rip-off.  The primer is where it's really at for a good result.


I'd just keep a sharp eye out for a Wagner, and look for sales or coupons so you can get it for under $99. It worked well enough for me.

[Tallpine]

the guy suggested just buying spray paint

Oh, goddess - No 

I used to work in a spray booth in a woodworking shop (one of my many careers).  We mostly did doors/jams and all the trim, stair rails, etc for an entire (new) house.  Did a load (1 house) per shift, 15-25 doors plus the other stuff.  These were high scale homes.

Spray cans are worthless for anything but graffiti, or maybe some small metal parts, or other various quick and dirty touchups.

Airless (essentially a hydraulic pump feeding a hose/nozzle) is really the only way to go for quality work.

I do have a little mini-compressor and cup sprayer that I bought used somewhere along the way.  I've used it a few times, but after working airless I can't hardly tolerate it.  For one thing, you have to hold it so that you're spraying horizontally or else you lose your flow from the cup.  With wood it's really helpful to sometimes spray down to a horizontal surface.

You want a nozzle with a flat spray pattern, not a random mist (spray can).  Shoot in rows up and down (or back and forth, if work is flat) and overlap 1/2 row each pass.  Angle nozzle to cover the corners at the edges.

We sanded, stained, sealed, sanded again, and applied two coats of hot laquer.

[Cliffh]

Airless sprayers are better, especially for non-vertical surfaces.

I've got an HVLP (High Volume, Low Pressure) sprayer from Harbor Freight that does a pretty good job. The spray tip has an adjustable spray pattern (fan shaped & infinite settings through 180*) and I've used it to spray ceilings.  IIRC, it holds up to a quart.  Came with it's own compressor, pretty much just a small vacuum cleaner with the hose on the exhaust side, and an assortment of tip sizes.  Cleans up pretty easily too.  The low air pressure helps keep the over-spray to a minimum.

Since it's a Harbor Freight item, it's not the highest quality.  But the price is good and the finish has been acceptable.

ETA:  While it will shoot on horizontal surfaces, it'd probably be best to tilt the piece at a low angle.  It's best to apply the finish at as close to a 90* angle as possible.  I've never tried shooting straight down with it.

[never_retreat]

I have a finex top feed hvlp gun that has worked for me. Not to expensive if i remember.

[brimic]

I'd just keep a sharp eye out for a Wagner, and look for sales or coupons so you can get it for under $99. It worked well enough for me.

Nooo!!!! Wagner power painters are a product of Satan.

I actually owned one once. It lasted about 1 hr before it got punted across my basement.

I had to clean the spray nozzle out every 5 minutes to keep it from spattering snotballs of paint everywhere.
I read all of the directions back and forth at least 5x and followed them carefully.

[Boomhauer]

Wagner power painters are a product of Satan.

This.

For a small scale job like this, I'd suggest sourcing from Harbor Freight if at all possible. Their stuff is generally good enough for something like this without breaking the bank. They've got HVLP guns. Do you have an air compressor?

[zxcvbob]

Do you have an air compressor?

Ditto.

[MrsSmith]

No, but from what Cliffh says, the harbor freight gun comes with it's own mini-compressor.

[AJ Dual]

Nooo!!!! Wagner power painters are a product of Satan.

I actually owned one once. It lasted about 1 hr before it got punted across my basement.

I had to clean the spray nozzle out every 5 minutes to keep it from spattering snotballs of paint everywhere.
I read all of the directions back and forth at least 5x and followed them carefully.

The one I used, at my father's house now... was just from 1.5 years ago. It seemed to work okay for me, and was certainly 1000% better than any rattlecan. Maybe they've updated the design? 

[bedlamite]

I've used a Wagner on a number of occasions. Good paint and Floetrol helps, but there are a couple different tips, and if you don't have the right one, it'll never work.

[Cliffh]

http://www.harborfreight.com/high-volume-low-pressure-spray-gun-kit-44677.html

I'm sure the price listed is more than I paid a few years back.  Maybe it was on sale??  Harbor Freight has sales running 365 days a year, items are added to and dropped from the sales list every month.  They also offer xx% off coupons weekly.

[MrsSmith]

Thanks Cliff. It's a little more than I wanted to spend, but I'll keep an eye out for sales/coupons and such. Plus, the point here is that I'm redoing used furniture that I will then not have to buy new, so it's still a savings in the big picture.

[Cliffh]

Maybe you could find something on Craigslist?

[Boomhauer]

Thanks Cliff. It's a little more than I wanted to spend, but I'll keep an eye out for sales/coupons and such. Plus, the point here is that I'm redoing used furniture that I will then not have to buy new, so it's still a savings in the big picture.

Wait for one of the coupons for a percentage off comes along. I seem to recall stuff like 20% off and such coupons fairly recently...

[dogmush]

A quality airless makes a huge difference in getting a good finish. Have you looked at renting a pro grade airless?

http://homedepotrents.com/diyTools/paint_sprayer.asp?cm_sp=tool_rental-_-left_nav-_-airless_paint_sprayer

[Tallpine]

If you're going to spray, it works best to get a whole bunch of work ready to shoot and then do it all at once.

You probably want to set up an area to do it in a garage or someplace.  A fan blowing away from your work area will help, and don't forget respiratory protection (with fresh filters!).

You may want to figure out a way to move your wet work to a drying area so you can move something else in and shoot it.  We used to move wet doors by the hinge mortise and knob hole, for instance.

[MrsSmith]

A quality airless makes a huge difference in getting a good finish. Have you looked at renting a pro grade airless?

http://homedepotrents.com/diyTools/paint_sprayer.asp?cm_sp=tool_rental-_-left_nav-_-airless_paint_sprayer

Does the rental include someone to show you how to use it? 

And thanks Tallpine. I know who to email now if I have painting questions. :)

[dogmush]

Does the rental include someone to show you how to use it? 

Sure they'll walk you through the controls. It'll be at least as helpful as the engrish directions in any unit you buy. I've sprayed a couple houses, a boat, several cars, a 1911, and countless engine pieces that I fabbed/fixed. My best advice would be to start on the pieces you care less about. It's not hard, just learn how much paint it'll take before a run, and use less.

The prep is the hard part, and that's just because it's labor intensive.

[Tallpine]

Does the rental include someone to show you how to use it? 

And thanks Tallpine. I know who to email now if I have painting questions. :)

My pro experience is pretty much limited to clear coats: sealer, laquer, poly.

We did all the staining with rags or sponges.

Yeah, I could show you a lot if you weren't 2000 miles away  

[MrsSmith]

Sure they'll walk you through the controls. It'll be at least as helpful as the engrish directions in any unit you buy. I've sprayed a couple houses, a boat, several cars, a 1911, and countless engine pieces that I fabbed/fixed. My best advice would be to start on the pieces you care less about. It's not hard, just learn how much paint it'll take before a run, and use less.

The prep is the hard part, and that's just because it's labor intensive.

I guess maybe starting on the bottoms/backs of some of the pieces would be best.

TP - we're both good with words, we'll manage with email.