Finishing a white entertainment center + wainscoting/trim

[James Brantly]

I'm currently building an entertainment center (and also installing wainscoting/trim) that is mostly white and I'm trying to plan for the finish. After research on these forums I've decided on either General Finishes Milk Paint or on SW ProClassic, but I'm not 100% sure on process yet.

My goal is a nice, modern white finish with no brush strokes. I'm not looking for an antique, distressed look or anything like that. I've got a cheap HVLP gun from Harbor Freight and a compressor, so spraying is an option, but I'm not sure if that's the best choice. I have various pieces of trim that have to be installed after the entertainment center is installed. As I see it I can:



Spray as much as I can in the garage including trim. Install everything, making holes with finish nails, etc. Then I can fill holes/touch up with a brush. Then apply a GF poly on top (spray/brush?)
or I install everything first and then

Cover the room in plastic and spray
Just brush the whole thing



One complication is that the counter part of the entertainment center is going to be stained wood so I will need to be careful to not paint that.

My questions are:



Which method is best, keeping in mind I will also need to paint trim (wainscoting and crown molding)?
Can I get a non-brushed look with brushing with either paint, or do I really need to spray for that?
Is there some advantage to spraying the whole thing after it's installed vs piece-by-piece?
Since I don't want a distressed look is the GF milk paint still a good choice?
Which is the best paint for the method chosen? I'm guessing GF is better for spraying but SW is better for brushing


Thanks in advance!

[Justin Jump]

Ill chime in here, though there are many on here with much more experience painting, but I got most of my info from here, so I do not mind sharing.

Also – take into account another paint called Insl-x Cabinet Coat, I used this for my entire kitchen. It’s similar to SW Pro Classic, but dries, cures harder and faster in my opinion.

Also – you will never get this type of paint, ProClassic, Cabinet Coat, etc through a Harbor Freight gun. At a tip size of 1.4mm, which most of them are, you would have to thin the paint substantially to get it through. Using this gun for a primer like BIN White Shellac is what I did, but be careful there it’s alcohol based so you will need to take precautions.

I used the HF gun to spray my primer, and I used a Devilbiss Finishline with a 2.2mm tip for my paint, thinned with water and Floetrol per Jeff Jewitts book.

I think you can get a good finish with the ProClassic or Cabinet Coat by brushing, but you have to be good at it. Get it on quick and cover, and let it go, move on to the next section keeping a wet edge.

If it were me, I would spray as much as I could prior to assembly, and touch up as needed. Stain the bench prior, and mask off with craft paper and painters tape.

Like I said, I recently completed my kitchen in my garage this summer and fall, and though I haven’t posted any final pictures yet, here a few snap shots…..

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