Tinted water based lacquer

[Mike Wilkins]

Just got an HVLP sprayer and will be painting some doors and maybe a cabinet project soon. I know latex can be thinned enough to spray this way, but are there water based lacquers that can be tinted white to get a painted surface. Thanks for the replies.

[Jim Becker]

You can buy the stuff already white. Target Coatings EM6500, for example. It can also be tinted to pretty much any BM or SW color you want right from the manufacturer when you order. I've had them tint for me and the results were excellent.

[Prashun Patel]

It's been hard for me to thin latex enough to spray it with my 2 stage HVLP. I have heard that more powerful units can do it.

However, I have had good luck spraying Enduro Clear Poly, which you can purchase in white. I have tried tinting clear water-based poly with a universal acrylic colorant. It requires a lot - at least with the colorant I was using. I wasn't able to get it completely opaque; I ended up with a good white wash, but not a solid, painted white.

If I have to do this again, I will purchase the sprayable top coat pre-tinted.

I know Zinsser Bin primer is shellac-based. I wonder if anyone has sprayed that.

[Justin Ludwig]

BIN primer sprays really well, but you have to mix it thoroughly and clean your equipment quick. I've had the shellac make the needle stick and not close properly in 2 different guns - it's just the nature of the material because it's over 50% solids.

I prime all MDF with BIN before I use a latex or alkyd top coat. It sands really nice, just like a sanding sealer.

[John TenEyck]

As Justin said, BIN white shellac based primer sprays very easily and works great with a gravity or pressure feed HVLP rig. You can topcoat it with nearly any clear finish to have a durable white finish. If you would rather use a white topcoat, Target Coatings makes one, as Jim said. Also GF makes Enduro White Poly, MJ Campbell has white Aqualente, and SW's handles a white Sayerlack WB product. There are plenty of solvent based options, too. The Enduro White Poly has a viscosity of nearly 100 sec. #4 Ford cup, so it's not a good choice unless your gun has a pressurized feed.

John

[Tom M King]

I keep a cheap, single stage HVLP just for spraying that BIN primer. I have to thin it way down, but don't measure it. It does sand nicely, and the extra thinning doesn't seem to bother anything about it. I do spray it outside, since it's going to be sanded anyway.