Butch 194 #1 Posted January 3, 2016 I'm doing an indoor project and being able to spray latex through a HVLP gun would help me greatly. Can it be done? Thanks! PS. I've never used my guns before! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedRanger 1,469 #2 Posted January 3, 2016 (edited) Don't know for sure, but I don't see why not. As long as you can thin it enough. HVLP is just liquid and air. You can also get an airless Wagner sprayer for under $100. I've used mine multiple times for applying latex paint. Edited January 3, 2016 by RedRanger 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tractorhogg 612 #3 Posted January 3, 2016 The problem with that is that thinning latex paint completely destroys it, by the time you got it thin enough, it would be worthless, More than that, some latex paints are more dangerous to spray than epoxy's, as they can coat the lungs and it will not break down. You can use an airless sprayer, but you need a good one with the right tip orifice for the product. What ever you do wear more than a particle mask, at least a charcoal filter mask if its a semigloss or gloss latex 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Magne 53 #4 Posted January 3, 2016 Tractorhogg is right. Listen to himmelen. Use a air less gun Listen to him he he 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 15,927 #5 Posted January 3, 2016 I have sprayed latex through an HVLP sprayer with much success. You need the right tip, usually around 1.8 to 2.0, and thin the paint no more than 1/8 cup of water per quart. Thinning semi-gloss or gloss tends to reduce the shine factor. Check the instructions on the paint can as each manufacturer is different. I had three custom-made, intricate wooden screen doors that I needed to paint, so I fired up my HVLP system and sprayed away. Five years later the doors still look great and the paint is holding up well. Being a contractor, I have many times used airless sprayers for big jobs like walls and ceilings. No thinning is required. As with any indoor spray painting, be sure to have plenty of fresh air ventilation, and use a mask designed to filter vapors, not just odors. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tractorhogg 612 #6 Posted January 3, 2016 I don't think the biggest issue is whether you can or can't spray latex through a HVLP, but rather what type of HVLP gun you have, what type of air compressor you have, how familiar you are with the settings, and what type of paint it is. The learning curve on painting is just as steep as it is on carpentry or machine work, so being able to have a good amount of practice on scrap items would be a huge help. Most people are not going to spray paint like it was a plug and play device. This is what happened to the skilled workers in America, no one appreciated that anything was a skill and figured if some guy without a college education could do it, knowing an excel program would qualify me to build a house or garden tractor. much like a relationship, it takes the right equipment, the right product, and lots of practice. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DennisThornton 4,771 #7 Posted January 3, 2016 I think you'll find that by the time you thin the latex enough to get it to spray you won't like how it covers, except for all the runs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tractorhogg 612 #8 Posted January 3, 2016 It is important to know what paint is. It is a film supported by a vehicle (fluid), as that vehicle evaporates it allows the film to bond. The molecules that bond interlock like little stop signs. The difference in the vehicle, water, alkyd, or lacquer makes a huge difference in that each solid has different properties that are more or less effected by the liquid. While lacquers, and some oils can and should be thinned generously in comparison to water based paints, they also can retain the strength in the dried film where the latex cannot. If you want to try and spray ANY water based material through a convention sprayer or HVLP and need to thin, try a product called Floetrol to thin rather than water, it may help with quality retention, but it like water, runs will be a problem without setting the gun to low material and high air. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Butch 194 #9 Posted January 3, 2016 I guess I'll use a brush. Thanks guys! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DennisThornton 4,771 #10 Posted January 3, 2016 Yeah, you'll be happier. Maybe happier still with a roller. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tractorhogg 612 #11 Posted January 3, 2016 (edited) 1 hour ago, Butch said: I guess I'll use a brush. Thanks guys! Okay Butch, I'm going to read between the lines of your post and deduce that you have a good amount of interior painting, maybe trim, to paint. In this pondering this endeavor you do what all men do and attempt to accomplish the task in the shortest amount of time with the best results (results can even be fudged a little to save more time), and in this thought process you came up with the possible use of the HVLP, good call really, but without info on amount of prep needed to protect unpainted areas or what is to be painted, all of us are calling to the wind. All that behind us, we have moved back to the brush, that said, if you haven't done so, invest in a good brush and not too small. I'm going on the assumption that you already have had previous experience in brushing and have the technique fairly well within your repertoire, with all this in mid, still give the Floetrol a try, because it will help reduce brush marks for the average painter than hasn't mastered the experts use of brush and painting techniques, i.e. putting it on. laying it off, and going fast enough to reduce brush marks caused by slow painting. Good Luck Edited January 3, 2016 by tractorhogg Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,146 #12 Posted January 3, 2016 I find, using one of these... will typically spray some paint pretty good. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedRanger 1,469 #13 Posted January 3, 2016 5 hours ago, AMC RULES said: I find, using one of these... will typically spray some paint pretty good. Especially when doing the ceiling! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tractorhogg 612 #14 Posted January 4, 2016 6 hours ago, AMC RULES said: I find, using one of these... will typically spray some paint pretty good. Not if you use one made from lambs wool, they hardly spray anything at all and are super easy to clean up 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SylvanLakeWH 27,572 #15 Posted January 4, 2016 8 hours ago, AMC RULES said: I find, using one of these... will typically spray some paint pretty good. I note the color appears to be an approved WH red! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,146 #16 Posted January 4, 2016 Sure... kill two birds with one stone. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 42,572 #17 Posted January 4, 2016 16 hours ago, AMC RULES said: I find, using one of these... will typically spray some paint pretty good. So that's how Skonk got painted! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red-Bovine 334 #18 Posted January 4, 2016 I really liked using the Wagner Power Roller. Very fast and neat!! Red Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
