# Paint for Sauna room???



## Ryn0nTX (Jun 27, 2012)

Hey guys! I have a client that wants one of my benches that I sell online. She wants is in a gloss white and it will live in the same room that is a sauna/bathroom. I am worried that my normal water-based latex will not do so well. What would you recommend? I can spray (preferably) or brush on. 

Thanks in advance!:boat:


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## WillemJM (Aug 18, 2011)

Ryn0nTX said:


> Hey guys! I have a client that wants one of my benches that I sell online. She wants is in a gloss white and it will live in the same room that is a sauna/bathroom. I am worried that my normal water-based latex will not do so well. What would you recommend? I can spray (preferably) or brush on.
> 
> Thanks in advance!:boat:


I built a great Sauna while living overseas. No finish, just bare wood. 212F for about 20 minutes, then dive into ice cold water. You don't want anything that could gas-off in there.

Does she have any finishes in there at the moment?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Just being in the same room as the sauna I would just paint it with an oil based enamel such as All Surface Enamel that Sherwin Williams sells. You can either spray it or brush it. It might be a good idea to be extra picky in filling every little crack or crevace.


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## Longknife (Oct 25, 2010)

Steve Neul said:


> Just being in the same room as the sauna I would just paint it with an oil based enamel such as All Surface Enamel that Sherwin Williams sells. You can either spray it or brush it. It might be a good idea to be extra picky in filling every little crack or crevace.


+ 1, given it's not used in the sauna itself. Inside a sauna all wooden items should be unfinished.


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## HowardAcheson (Nov 25, 2011)

Is the bench going to be in the sauna? In other words, is it going to be subject to the high heat of the sauna? Does it use any glue in its construction? If so, it may not hold up. Many adhesives fail at higher temperatures. I would suggest you contact the technical department of the adhesive manufacturer. 

Same thing with paint. It too, has upper temperature problems.


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## Ryn0nTX (Jun 27, 2012)

Steve Neul said:


> Just being in the same room as the sauna I would just paint it with an oil based enamel such as All Surface Enamel that Sherwin Williams sells. You can either spray it or brush it. It might be a good idea to be extra picky in filling every little crack or crevace.



Thanks for the replies.... The sauna is actually concealed inside of the shower cavity (walk through shower door, then go in to the sauna door). So it is not a HUGE deal, but it is a new client and I am hoping to give her a great result that will not fall apart in a year. 

I plan on making the bench, step stool, floating shelf and towel rack from poplar....good choice? I picked it because it has less knots than pine and I have experience in working with it.

I went to SW today and spent a fortune on the All Surface Enamel.....acrylic latex enamel and primer. I know, you guys said oil based, but this is what they pushed on me. Should I have stood my ground? The rep kept on about how it cures just as hard as an oil based. This true? 

Also, this stuff is THICK!!! I have 1.8, 1.4 and 1.0 tips and I can't see spraying this stuff. Any advice?:huh:

Edit: I wanted to add.... I also bought some of the Pro Classic interior latex for another client while I was there and it was just as thick. I had my 1.4mm tip (HVLP) on and did not try to spray it straight just because it looked impossible, so I thinned it a hair with water (bad choice?) and it changed the color completely. I have only sprayed hobby acrylics (thinned), lacquers, poly and stain. So this is all new.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

In my opinion water goes right through latex paint. I would have stood my ground and got the oil based enamel. The reason I think this is I've given up trying to paint steel with latex paint. No matter how many coats you put on it, rust keeps bleeding through the paint. Then spraying latex you really need a pressurized sprayer. By the time you thin latex down enough for it to spray it sprays like whitewash instead of paint and I use water to thin it. With latex finishes I normally use a airless sprayer or a conventional sprayer with a 2 1/2 gallon pressure pot. With this equipment you don't have to thin it very much.


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## Ryn0nTX (Jun 27, 2012)

Thanks Steve....Yeah, since I made my last post a few hours ago, I have been searching and reading, and searching some more and I can not find a magic formula. I have a run of the mill...okay...cheap gravity feed hvlp that shoots my lacquers and stains very well....even some watered down cheap Valspar latex work 'okay' if I keep the fan tight.

I have a 120psi 10gal. compressor and never spray for more than 10 seconds at a time. Doesn't seem to be working to hard and never dips below my regulated pressure level. With that said...I have noticed that unless I put about 70psi to the gun (drops to 50 when spraying) then it spits and splatters. Is everything here relative and do I need to return the paint? I am pretty sure I am stuck with the pigmented paint ($19) but that isn't a big deal, it is for a bench for a customer and I can brush it. But the primer and other can are white (nothing added), so they should take it back?

Thanks again!


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Ryn0nTX said:


> Thanks Steve....Yeah, since I made my last post a few hours ago, I have been searching and reading, and searching some more and I can not find a magic formula. I have a run of the mill...okay...cheap gravity feed hvlp that shoots my lacquers and stains very well....even some watered down cheap Valspar latex work 'okay' if I keep the fan tight.
> 
> I have a 120psi 10gal. compressor and never spray for more than 10 seconds at a time. Doesn't seem to be working to hard and never dips below my regulated pressure level. With that said...I have noticed that unless I put about 70psi to the gun (drops to 50 when spraying) then it spits and splatters. Is everything here relative and do I need to return the paint? I am pretty sure I am stuck with the pigmented paint ($19) but that isn't a big deal, it is for a bench for a customer and I can brush it. But the primer and other can are white (nothing added), so they should take it back?
> 
> Thanks again!


 Your compressor isn't the problem. I have a 5hp 80 gallon compressor that will keep up with continious sand blasting and I have the same problem spraying latex paint with a cup gun. If you like latex and want to use it I would recommend purchasing a pressure pot. You could get a small one that is 2 quarts from Harbor Freight #93305 for 55 bucks. It's a HVLP sprayer and I haven't used one but another member got one and said it worked alright. I use a bigger tank with a siphon sprayer on it with 25' of hoses between the pot and sprayer. I've sprayed cabinets before with one inside and out and it sprays latex well. 

I don't know of any paint store that will take back mixed paint unless they used the wrong product you asked for. Most any place will take back unopened stock paint. If you decide to brush the paint, put each coat on with a as soft of a brush you can find. Brush it on as thin as you can with as little strokes as possible. The more you brush it, the more it makes brush marks.


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