# Can an electric spray-painter apply oil-based stains and polyurethanes?



## chirpfarm (Jan 30, 2012)

So, my question is in the long title. I don't have an air compressor, or even room for one really. I've seen those electric spray-painters in stores and at various garge sales, but didn't know if they'd work for oil-based applications.


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## CenCal_Sawyer (May 5, 2012)

Yeah you can use them for some finishes, wouldn't say with great results. They send out a spray of large droplets so they work great for latex or deck and fence sealers. However finishes that require a fine atomization (small droplets) suffer, runs and coats that are too thick to cure properly (they stay gummy for weeks). So if you're painting no prob if you plan on polys or varnish you may want to look into turbine sprayers.


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

chirpfarm said:


> So, my question is in the long title. I don't have an air compressor, or even room for one really. I've seen those electric spray-painters in stores and at various garge sales, but didn't know if they'd work for oil-based applications.


There are electric paint sprayers and there are electric finish sprayers. The typical ones you see at garage sales are the "airless" power painter variety, not necessarily a good choice for fine finishes. There are some relatively cheap HVLP sprayers on the market though. One is the Wagner fine finish sprayer, runs about $70 last I saw at Home Depot. It's a relatively small unit and there is likely a learning curve associated with it but might be worth a shot. I use airless sprayers for painting the house and garage with but I picked up an Earlex 3500 turbine driven HVLP for finer work. None of these require an air compressor. There are some guns advertised as HVLP that do require compressors, those I generally refer to as conversion guns. :smile:


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## Backyardhack (Dec 4, 2011)

If you want a great airless paint sprayer, go with Graco as this is what the pros use. You can buy a refurbished one from CJ sprayers and save some money. I did and have only used it for stain so far, but bought it specifically for latex. The nice thing about these sprayers is that Lowes carries the tips for them. 

http://www.cjspray.com/refurbished-factory-returns.html

Bill


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

Backyardhack said:


> If you want a great airless paint sprayer, go with Graco as this is what the pros use. You can buy a refurbished one from CJ sprayers and save some money. I did and have only used it for stain so far, but bought it specifically for latex. The nice thing about these sprayers is that Lowes carries the tips for them.
> 
> http://www.cjspray.com/refurbished-factory-returns.html
> 
> Bill


Yikes, the cheapest sprayer I found on that site is $250, for an airless.

For light duty oil based stains and finishes, one of these should work just fine:
http://www.gleempaint.com/enhvsy.html
:yes:


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## Backyardhack (Dec 4, 2011)

They are expensive as they are professional grade products. I bought a Graco Magnum X5 (262800) Airless Paint Sprayer refurbished for $175 and it retails for $299. It doesn't look like they have anymore in stock and the new model XR5 appears to be out of stock for refurbished products too. If you are not in a hurry I would wait and see if they get some refurb products in during the next few months. 

By the way I used this little machine to stain 500' of fencing with two coats and was done in a day. I would stay away from the low end sprayers unless you have a lot of time and patience on your hands. I have never had good luck with them.

Bill


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## chirpfarm (Jan 30, 2012)

Thanks guys. My budget is calling for more along the lines of $70, and I don't think that a professional painter is going to cover up my unpressional woodworking mistakes  Thanks for the advice everyone. I've got a couple projects coming up, and I really hate brushing on stain. How much overspray do these "fine" sprayers create? Can they be used to paint interior rooms, or would I be asking for all my furniture to get misted?


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## jessy224 (Sep 21, 2012)

Why don't you use manual sprayers if you are short of money. Power sprayers are also not that costly. I bought a 600W electic paint sprayer,230V/120V rated voltage with capacity of 800 ml. I used to paint it entire fence of 12 feet.


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## cburdick1 (Jan 22, 2010)

I've been using the Wagner HVLP sprayer for the past few years to spray polyurethane on furniture that I have built for myself and friends. I've got the older version of this:

Wagner 518080 Control Spray Max HVLP Sprayer - Amazon.com

It works well enough for spraying poly, but doesn't have enough oomph for much in terms of paint. There's a lot of trial and error associated with it. I would recommend practicing a bunch before spraying anything important. Every material requires a different technique and preparation. For instance, I tried shooting latex with it and it came out all sorts of clumpy. After thinning the paint way down, I was able to get a nice finish. 

You might consider the Rockler system:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10469&Max=999

It comes down to this: if you want to spray finish a few times a year, the Wagner will work well enough. But if you are going to use it regularly, I'd step up to a higher quality system.

I'm planning on upgrading to a higher end HVLP system, so if you are interested in a used Wagner HVLP, I'll offer a pretty good deal on mine. Send me a message if you are interested.


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