system for spraying lacquer?

[Stephen Sebed]

I have a large project coming up and I would like to get a spray system set up for it. I need advice for what type of system would be best for my needs. I plan to spray mostly lacquer on various wood projects, but the ability to spray poly or latex paint would be nice if possible. Cost is a consideration, I'll only use this once or twice a year. I'm leaning towards a hvlp turbine setup. I don't have a large enough compressor to run a spray gun and I'd rather not have a large compressor sitting around just for spraying. so the turbine setup is appealing. I've heard airless sprayers aren't the best for lacquers. What would you suggest?

If hvlp turbine setups would work well; which one would you recommend?

[Scott Holmes]

... I plan to spray mostly lacquer on various wood projects, but the ability to spray poly or latex paint would be nice if possible.

Spraying once or twice a year does not sound like a good use of limited funds. Lacquer what type the "new" water-borne which is really just an acrylic. Or regular nitrocellulose lacquer?

Spraying poly or any varnish for that matter is a challenge to contain and limit the overspray. It gets on everything within 5' to 10' of the spraying and makes a sticky mess.

Latex is not a problem to spray but is not a good choice for furniture; HVLP systems are slow when paining walls or houses.

Spraying makes your finishing faster on large projects slower on small projects it you count setup and clean-up time.

Remember you must protect your lungs, eyes and surrounding areas to spray large amounts of finish. Spraying does not make you a better finisher, just faster on large projects. You should not be able to tell how the finish was applied when the project is complete.

[John TenEyck]

I have no experience with turbine setups, sorry, but I fully endorse spraying even if only for a couple of large projects a year. I learned to spray a couple of years ago, and only wish I had made the move earlier. The quality on large panels, especially painted ones, just can't be duplicated with a brush, at least not by me. Besides some shellac toners, I spray only waterbased products including polyurethane and paint. I use a set of low cost, gravity feed, HVLP guns with a compressor. Total out of pocket cost was < $500, including the compressor. I chose that route because of the versatility of running other air tools and, since the compressor sits in my garage, noise is not a problem. I use a temporary spray booth in my basement shop, plastic stapled to the floor joists, old sheets on the floor, and a squirrel cage fan exhausting out a window. Takes about 20 minutes to set up or take down and it works great. No problems with overspray or dust. Just to be clear, I only spray waterbased products with this setup. It didn't take me long to learn how to spray finishes that look as good as anything I see commercially. So however you go about setting up for spraying, it's well worth while.

[John Gregory]

I have the Earlex 5000 (http://www.earlex.com/hv5000.php) and I love it! You can spend less and you can spend more, I think the Earlex 5000 is a good bang for the buck. With any sprayed finish, you need some kind of a "booth" to capture the over spray. Scott is very knowledgeable about finishing and gives good advice.

[Mike Monroe]

Once or twice a year? Buy a few cans of Deft Clear Wood Finish and spray your projects outside or in a garage with a simple plastic spray booth. Easy-peasy.

[Stephen Sebed]

Okay, I guess I should have mentioned that I am not new to spraying. I was very proficient with a standard siphon fed gun, but that was a few years ago. I'm sure I can handle the spraying part, but I'm not so sure about choosing the system or setting up the gun? So, If I only shoot lacquer is there any system that's really better than the rest?