Hi all,
I'm making some louver style exterior shutters from redwood. Will be priming/painting.
I usually use a oil base (Zinsser) primer and Ben Moore Aura acrylic topcoat.
I have 5 pairs of shutters and each shutter has about 50 louvers.
I have a Accuspray gravity HVLP with 3 stage turbine but I once sprayed latex and I had to thin it so much that IMO it compromised the integrity.
I think I have to paint the louvers (1/4" x 1&1/2") separately for 2 reasons. When installed into the frame (1" spacing) they overlap each other about 50%. Also i would think it's best to paint the entire louver in case of any shrinkage (wood is dry) and sealing the ends is probably a good idea for longevity.
I suppose it would then make sense to paint the frame before assembly also so I don't have to mask the louvers. I'm using dowels for the frame joinery since these are faux shutters.There is sufficient slop in the louver slots to accommodate louver + paint.
I'm not adverse to hand painting these (they are all second story so don't need to be perfect) but in my experience hand painting small parts is a nightmare because of drips to the underside.
So my question is, should I go ahead and purchase a airless? There are lots on Craiglist or the cheapest Graco is about $300 and I could unload it used if I don't see any future use for it (home exterior was just painted). I'm still way, way ahead of the game financially because these price out at $600 per pair!
Thanks for any tips
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