# Painting new furniture: rent HVLP or roll



## ink (Feb 3, 2011)

Hi, guys.

I've finished constructing some storage benches, and they've been primed and sanded 3 times, now. Im ready for paint. I don't have an HVLP sprayer. I've been thinking about buying a 3-stage turbine one, but it's a fair amount of money. I've never used an HVLP before, so I'm trying to decide if I should rent one from a big-box store and give it a whirl on these benches to determine if it's worth the cost. Do the big roller-units they typically rent out seem like a good fit for this project?

The alternative is to roll it. I'm thinking a foam roller would offer the smoothest look... any thoughts on that? 

I'm leaning towards using an acryllic latex paint, although I could be convinced otherwise.

Thanks as always,
inK


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Any roller you use, especially with latex paints is going to leave some texture in the finish. If you want to speed up application, apply paint with roller but flow it out with a brush. I also wouldn't use latex paint on them, unless the primer you used already was latex.


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## ink (Feb 3, 2011)

I used the classic killz.


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## ~WoodChuck~ (Jan 17, 2009)

The micro fiber rollers are gonna give you a very smooth finish. Paint goes on very light and you may need several coats.

I wouldnt rent a hvlp sprayer. You can buy one for the same price. You can get them under $50.


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## kingcotrader (Apr 30, 2009)

ink said:


> Hi, guys.
> 
> I've finished constructing some storage benches, and they've been primed and sanded 3 times, now. Im ready for paint. I don't have an HVLP sprayer. I've been thinking about buying a 3-stage turbine one, but it's a fair amount of money. I've never used an HVLP before, so I'm trying to decide if I should rent one from a big-box store and give it a whirl on these benches to determine if it's worth the cost. Do the big roller-units they typically rent out seem like a good fit for this project?
> 
> ...


 

I worked for a designer for years, so my advice comes from that arena.. First, i have to disagree on the comment about oil over oil. I have always, (and everyone i know), has always used a decent sandable solvent primer such as kilz original or BIN and then it doesnt matter whether you use oil or latex over the top. 

In terms of spraying or rolling.. Spraying cant be beat in terms of finish - I have a 5 stage turbine and airless equipment.. You may consider the learning curve if this is your first time as the first few times around you may end up with runs or sags. Oh, also, regarding the comment on buying a HVLP gun (compressor), you need to make sure you have a large enough compressor with enough cfm to run it. Another idea if you are hell bent on spraying, is using or renting an airless, and putting a Fine Finish tip on the gun. This is a double orifice tip that can really yield some fantastic results if dialed in right. I have done doors and trim with this set up an had it come out like glass. 

In terms of rolling, the results will be largely dependant on the product used and your skill level. If it is large flat surfaces and you use a foam roller and move quickly you can get great results. If you intend to do this I would recommend a few things.
- buy the best paint you can afford. BM impervo is a great product (oil or acrylic)
- consider using a flow additive in the paint (XIM for water base, ort penetrol in oil)
- dont overwork the paint, and dont paint in extreme temps
When I have used this technique in the past I have used a larger brush to put paint on the surafce quickly, and then rolled it out with a foam roller (these rollers hold very little paint)
Best case scenario in this method is little to no stipple in the finish. If you have lots of nooks crannys, just spray and save yourself the headache. 

Whew, sorry about the long reply,  but I feel compelled to share to save you from leanring the hard way! 


Cheers, 
Sean


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## kingcotrader (Apr 30, 2009)

Forgot to mention a few things...

If you plan on using a hvlp setup, plan on having to thin the paint (oil or latex). I have a big 5 stage turbine, and i still have to thin. In terms of "latex" paints, high quality acrylics will handle thinning better. 
One upside to using an airless with a ff tip is that the material does not have to be thinnned, so less coats, better coverage, quicker build. The major drawback is that airless sprayers can make an unholy mess, and you will lose a lot of material charging and then cleaning the system.

hope all this helps. 

sean


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## ChiknNutz (Apr 22, 2011)

Hope to not hijack this thread, but I have a question about the airless. I bought a decent airless last year to paint a large fence and it worked out VERY well. But, as you say, it's makes a heckuva mess and you lose a lot to charging/cleaning (and IMO really intended for large jobs). My question though, is there a way to minimize some of this so that it can be used on smaller jobs? I'd like to use it more as it is a great system, but hate to drag it out on anything but a big task. I guess one thing I could do is look at getting a shorter hose to minimize how much you need just to get the system up and running. I'm not opposed to getting the right tool, just hoping to maximize what I already have. TIA.


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## kingcotrader (Apr 30, 2009)

You are on the right track.. The only way I am aware of cutting down on material loss is using a shorter hose. One of the big reasons I started using hvlp- easy cleanup and almost no material loss.


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## different strokes (May 1, 2011)

ChicknNutz, go buy a "Graco Proshot" you will love it. 

KingcoTrader is giving good advice for the painting. 

You can use latex or alkyd topcoats over those primers. The primer can says it right on it I believe.

I've use the XIM extender and actually prefer "Floetrol" (for latex) that does the same thing, only better IMO. The idea is that the paint will dry slower with the additive, allowing a longer "open time" for the paint to lay down nicely.

Forget the foam roller pads, they are almost useless.


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