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Ole Anderson
08-23-2005, 1:02 PM
I am refinishing cabinets for my daughter-in-law. She wants them a solid color with a satin finish like the commercial cabinets. Existing cabinets are maple stained then varnished badly by the previous homeowner. I have the in-place cabinets sanded ready for priming and paint. Cabinet interiors will be left as-is, only the face frames will be refinished. I made new raised panel doors and drawer fronts with soft maple frames and MDF panels and primed them with oil base Zinnzar? and have them sanded ready for final paint. I sprayed the door primer with my old Sears pressure gun. In place cabs will need to be brushed. Sherwin Williams retail outlet recommended their high end trim and cabinet enamel as it is self levelling and will minimize brush marks and is sprayable for the doors. Am I ok so far?

I realy need to retire my old Sears gun. I see the most recommendations are for the Wagner HVLP conversion gun. The Wagner conversion gun looks like a siphon feed. Can it be converted to a pressure feed? Those 2 quart pressure pots with 4 feet of hose look interesting, anyone use one? I presume the paint will be a bit thick for a siphon feed.

As a cheap alternate, anyone have any experience with the HF HVLP pressure pot combo? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=7902

Jim Becker
08-23-2005, 5:21 PM
The Wagner HVLP conversion gun is pressure feed. I have both the 1qt "standard" gun and the 2qt remote...I haven't used the 2qt unit yet--'just received it earlier in the summer and haven't been in the shop, but am looking forward to it when working in tight quarters.

Your best bet for your paint is a high-quality oil based for both durablity and good brushing for the in-place cabinets. It's also easier to spray than "something latex" would be for your doors and drawer fronts.

Ole Anderson
08-24-2005, 8:10 AM
I will probably use their Pro Classic alkyd enamel in a satin finish. Thanks for the reply. Glad to hear the Wagner gun is a pressure feed.

Phil Phelps
08-25-2005, 8:30 PM
If you use a spray gun other than an airless, the sheen will vary. Sometimes, greatly. You must reduce your alkyd product about fifty percent to flow through the gun. If you start with satin, you'll end up with low luster. It will take days to fall to that sheen, but it will. If you brush your face frame, you'll get a the actual finish. I have done this for years. Old pros recommend that you atomize your paint in a bucket and use that to brush your face frame. I just finished my kitchen. However, I used an airless. My doors look like baked on enamel. It's that good. Nothing I have ever done has compared to the airless with a fine finish tip. It's fantastic. I sprayed enough paint into a bucket to hand paint the face frame. It's really close. I also have a method to clean an airless in about fifteen minutes. What I fought all those years with a siphon gun was thinned, runny, paint that was difficult to produce an exceptional finish. I'll never use anything but an airless for alkyd material.

Todd Burch
08-25-2005, 10:40 PM
OK Phil - 'fess up. What's your 15 minute clean up tip? That would be worth a big barbeque dinner and a few cold ones to me!!!

Todd

Phil Phelps
08-26-2005, 7:45 AM
OK Phil - 'fess up. What's your 15 minute clean up tip? That would be worth a big barbeque dinner and a few cold ones to me!!!

Todd
BWT, how 'ya been? I'm already locked in for the golf tournament this year on Oct. 22. Let's hope we don't have any interferance.

When finished spraying, turn OFF the machine, bleed the line and remove the tip assembly. Take the gun from the hose and remove the filter. Reattach the gun to the hose. Take the filter out of the head, mounted on the block. Sometimes it is very tight, you may need channel lock pliers. Use a rag to cushion the pressure of the pliers. Remove the siphon tube and take the screen from the tube. Soak the head filter and spring, screen, tip and assembly, and gun filter in paint thinner. Put the siphon tube back on and, using clean paint thinner, prime the head. Because there is no spray tip, the paint thinner will burst out with high pressure when you depress the gun handle. So depress very slowly and gradually. You are now pushing the remaining paint into a bucket. When the paint thinner starts to come through the line, stop and change containers. You can reuse the paint. Then you may depress the trigger gradually untill you have opened the gun nozzle fully. You can run a gallon of paint thinner through the gun very quickly. Add more paint thinner, if needed, until the thinner runs clean. If you have rented the sprayer, replace the filters after you have turned OFF the machine and bled out the line. If it is your rig, you can keep the clean parts in a place to be used next time. The secret is to remove the filters and tip before cleaning. It sure makes life easier. Remember to turn OFF the machine before removing filters and bleeding the line. I hope this is comprehensive.

Todd Burch
08-26-2005, 8:12 AM
I've been OK! Working for a living - writing software. T'ain't as fun as woodworking.

OK, so the key is to remove the block filter, the gun filter, the siphon tube screen and the tip. Makes sense, as those are the parts that both restrict flow and would tend to hold material.

I already do the "reclaim paint still in the hose" thing. That's usually quite a bit of paint.

I've achieved very good results with a 309 tip.

Thanks for taking the time to reply Phil. Hope your golf goes good.

Todd

Ole Anderson
08-29-2005, 12:52 PM
Phil, if I use a pressure gun like the Wagner HVLP conversion gun, I presume I won't need to thin nearly as much as with a siphon gun? If I rented an airless, what size tip and would I need to thin at all?

Phil Phelps
08-30-2005, 1:19 PM
Whatever siphon gun I use, I have to thin alkyd products about fifty percent. On an airless, I thin about 5%. I had a hard time finding the right marrage for the airless I use. You'll want a # 310 fine finish tip. That's what it is called. I think mine is a Grayco. This is why I deal with a professional paint store. They have the answers. I certainly don't want to complicate your project, and I am known for being picky, anal, hard to please, meticulous, well, you get the idea. But, here is how I finished my old cabinets. I rebuilt the the lowers using a white laminate for the shelves. They'll never need painting and clean so easily. I washed down the insided of the uppers and used a deglosser for paint prep. I used an enamel roller cover and china bristle brush to paint two coats of low luster white alkyd enamel. I used Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo. I think it is a superior paint than what is on the market today. Hands down superior than the home centers. I used white for the effect. It screams clean. I don't paint the inside the same color as the cabinets for that reason. The underbody primer from Benjaman Moore is a great product. You can run it through the HVLP at 50 reduction and it drys quickly. Here in the summer heat, I applied two coats in three hours. Use a fan to hasten drying time. Always strain your paint before spraying. If you rent an airless, ask for instructions, don't be shy. Clean the rig as I explained in Todds request. Any questions, just give a shout. Hope this helps.

Ole Anderson
05-14-2010, 11:35 AM
Wow it has been almost 5 years since this thread started. Long story short, they still hadn't moved into the newer house and I still have the primed cabinet doors in my shop. Took a (soon to be) divorce to finally get my son into the house, she could never decide on a color for the cabinets and they never moved out of the old house. Took him 10 minutes to pick a color.

I am going with the Sherwin Williams Pro Line acrylic enamel. They say it is self leveling and with an airless gun doesn't need any Flotrol. SW rep said to use a 312 or similar tip, the paint can says to go with a .017-.021 tip which is too big.

I will let you know how it works. Never usd an airless before, used an HVLP on the jeep last fall though, turned out good.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/my-paint-job-893564/

Joe Chritz
05-14-2010, 3:08 PM
I will probably use their Pro Classic alkyd enamel in a satin finish. Thanks for the reply. Glad to hear the Wagner gun is a pressure feed.


This!

I have done a couple paint projects with this paint and the stuff is truly fantastic. Thinned 25% it sprays great out of my DeVillbiss gravity gun.

Joe