Spraying Colored Waterbase

[Frank Drackman]

One of the members outlined the products and techniques that he used to spray colored water base paints but after trying multiple times using the search function I have been unable to find the thread.

Many years ago I sprayed lacquer in an auto body shop. I few years ago I purchased an HVLP system and started spraying again. I spray a lot of clear waterbase and shellac. I have sprayed thinned latex with decent results but I find that I have to keep the piece in a corner for a few months for the latex to totally cure before putting it in daily use.

I’m looking for recommendations for non-latex water based products that can be ordered in different colors that are suitable for spraying along with any recommendations you have for use.

Thanks - Frank

[Hoang N Nguyen]

I use mainly SW Kem Aqua plus white now. It's super thin and sprays beautifully with an HVLP. I spray with a Fuji Q5 but I believe it will still spray well with a unit with less turbines.

SW Kem Aqua can be tinted to many different colors, just keep in mind the darker the color, the thicker it will get. I also recommend their Kem Aqua surfacer, it's just as thin as the paint and sands to a powder within half an hour. The paint can also be recoated in half an hour without sanding in between coats. I can do 2 coats of primer and top coat within half a day.

If you search in the members project thread, you can find my most recent project where I sprayed my built-ins in a white and gray using this product.

[Prashun Patel]

Hoang-
Glad to finally find a user of Kem Aqua Plus! A pro contractor did my neighbor's bathroom vanity with this product and I was impressed with the look.

Have you used any of the General Finishes products (Clear Poly or Endurovar)? If yes, how do you find Kem Aqua to compare?

Also, would you mind relaying the exact sku you're using for the SW product? I am having a devil of a time getting my local store to order this for me in gallon sizes...

[Frank Drackman]

I'm not sure that my local SW store carries it. I went there to ask the same question that I asked above and they told me that Latex was the only option. It might be that they don't have a lot of product knowledge. I will go back later this week.

[Hoang N Nguyen]

Not all SW stores are created equally. I've had stores give me the blank stare when asking about Kem Aqua. I was able to find 4 stores within a 20 mile radius of me that carries their top coat (paint) but only 1 store had the surfacer. I buy the surfacer in the 5 gallon bucket because I know I'll use it on every project and the top coat I get in gallon size. I was lucky enough that all the stores around me who carries Kem Aqua offers them in gallon size.

Don't let them try to sell you their wall and wood primer. Although it is compatible with the Kem Aqua top coat, it's also much thicker and harder to spray. It's basically as thick is regular latex.

Prashun, the only General Finishes product that I've sprayed have been their Exterior 450 and their High Performance top coat. The Kem Aqua surfacer and paint in a white color is nearly as thin as the General Finishes products I've sprayed. That's the thinnest non clear I've ever used and I love it! Add a dash of extender in the mix and it flows out to a glass finish in about 15 minutes. Recoat in 30 minutes without sanding (topcoat only), surfacer needs sanding in between coats but sands to a powder in half hour.

The gray I used on my barn doors were also Kem Aqua and it's slightly thicker. I believe this has to do with the larger amount of coloring they had to do to get the gray color. Even so, it's no where near as thick as latex and it flowed out nice and even with no orange peel.

I used the Kem Aqua on my built-ins and they've had a good month to cure now. I banged it with a ladder over the weekend while doing some work around the house and noticed no damage to the finish.

I will get you the sku# tonight when I get home.

I'll have to bust out my old el cheapo home depot sprayer and try to shoot this stuff to see how far I can push it and if I can get good results with that. It's kind of hard for people to judge how thin this stuff is since I'm shooting it with a Fuji Q5. If I can shoot it with good results on a lower end sprayer, that will open a lot of doors for people.