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Thread: GF milk paint w/ endovar or pigmented lacquer?

  1. #1

    GF milk paint w/ endovar or pigmented lacquer?

    been trying to get an idea what the pros and cons are for painting a surface with milk paint and a top coat or using pigmented lacquer and a top coat.
    Project coming up is prepping a small bedroom as a nursery. There is a built in 6’ high bookshelf/cubbyhole that needs to be repainted, along with (new) jamb extensions, casing and baseboard plus existing folding closet doors.
    Aim is to paint the mentioned items in white and the walls a light grayish color. Should be a nice contrast. I’ve seen both the milk paint and EM-6500 in a base white, so at least the job of narrowing down a color selection is fairly taken care of.

    Ive seen a few posts here and there of people loving both milk paint projects and pigmented lacquer projects to achieve the color and look they want. But what I haven’t been able to find is if there are certain applications where one is more suited than the other.

    Is it really apples vs oranges in terms of the process but a fairly similar end result?

    Any pointers would be much appreciated.

    I would be using an earlex 5500 unit if that factors into the picture.

    Thank you

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    My understanding is that the GF "milk paint" isn't actually "milk paint"; rather, it's an acrylic product with low sheen that mimics the look of traditional milk paint. (I have a container of black to try out, but haven't used it yet--I typically use TC products) I believe you can top coat with any of the GF waterborne clears.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #3
    Given the TC products you usually work with, what is your route to achieve a painted product using their products vs GF?

  4. #4
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    Faced with painting jamb extensions, casing, and baseboard molding, I would use paint, but not something like milk paint with a clearcoat over it. That system looks great but repairs are a lot more difficult than just touching up paint. I just did some casing and baseboard molding with SW's ProClassic. Sprays great if you have the right equipment, but I put it on with a brush and it flows out great. I pre painted the molding, put it up, filled the nail holes, and then just touched it up with a brush. You can't see the nail holes or where I touched up the paint.

    For your cabinet, I would spray it with ProClassic if I wanted the same color and look. It's plenty hard enough.

    John

  5. #5
    You mention having the right equipment, would the earlex 5500 be capable of this? I have the 1, 1.5, and 2 tips for it. Additives possibly needed for this sprayer to handle it?
    There is a SW store just down the road from me, so picking up the ProClassic should be an easy stop.

    For doing just the white, I'm guessing I'd just leave it at the base extra white?
    You also mention it's plenty hard. By that are you indicating that a few coats of this would be sufficient as final and a top coat is not needed?
    Lastly, since all components will be pine, what is your preferred pre-treatment so the ProClassic applies as it should?

    Thanks

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeremy Patrick View Post
    Given the TC products you usually work with, what is your route to achieve a painted product using their products vs GF?
    I use normally EM6500 tinted to the SW or BM shade that's desired. If I want to top-coat, I'll use EM6000 or EM8000cv, depending on the application.

    That said, I'm generally a fan of SW ProClassic enamel and now that I have a gun that's capable of shooting it, it will likely play a role for white or, perhaps, other lighter colors as I can get it locally. I do not top-coat ProClassic. I also like that it also hand applies really well and just used it for my TwinXL over Queen bunk bed commission since that project was simply too large to spray, even knocked down, in my available shop space.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #7
    Was doing a bit more research and I came across a few other postings about how thick the ProClassic is. Not that the Earlex unit isn't good, but the info I read seemed to indicate for more powerful setups than this were what people used to achieve a decent spray.
    Saw some people mention Kem Aqua also, but not sure on the thickness of that.

    If it's trial and error on my part then the GF line seems far easier to get ahold of since I can run down to the Woodcraft store and pick up a small container.
    Have had really good results with the projects I've sprayed with my current hvlp setup. My ability to finish a piece via brushing always seems to leave a room for improvement, so if I can continue with the more successful route of spraying then great.

    Just hard to see which route/product is more preferred based on what has been mentioned and/or I've read about in other posts. Seems the people who have used GF or SW or a few other products all have good things or success to comment on. I know each person has their preferred flavor of approach, but if suggestion 1 doesn't quite feel right then I'll simply continue on to option 2 until I find my comfy spot I like.

  8. #8
    hmm, I guess the euphoria of spraying does have its moments of pause.....
    When you hand applied the PC, does it come out as smooth as you would expect as if you sprayed an equivalent project with the TC regimen?

  9. #9
    also should have asked, what is the gun you have that is able to shoot the SW PC? Not that I'm going to go all out with a different gun setup for this one project, but I'm curious.

  10. #10
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    Kem Aqua+ is much lower viscosity than PoClassie and would spray a lot easier with your gun. You may need to add GF Extender to it however to get it to flow out well. It'S a spray only product so you would have to spray the trim too. Jim and I both have a Qualspray AM-6008 HVLP Smart Pack gun. It's a pressure assisted gun that can spray water to ProClassic. You might be able to spray ProClassic with your Earlex with a little thinning and Extender. I sprayed it once with a gravity feed HVLP gun, but it was slow going and needed more thinning than I would recommend. Try it and see.

    FWIW, no brushed job will ever look like it was sprayed.

    John

  11. #11
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    I use a lot of Pro Classic, but only ever use airless for it. I have all sorts of other spray equipment, but don't know why I would use anything but airless for something that thick. It handles so nicely out of the can, but I don't think I would want to have to thin it. For a turbine, I would look for something thinner that most people use with a turbine system.

  12. #12
    My further searches brought me to quite a few postings of people trying to spray this and their comments about needing to bring in additives. I’m guessing they didn’t have the air power of the setup you folks have though.
    The overall consensus was the needed additions dulled it enough for a noticeable difference of what you started with vs what it ended with. Many commented that they started with semi gloss or gloss and ended up with a fairly flat end result.
    Seems to defeat the purpose off spraying if what you have to add changes the outcome that much.

    For the Kemp’s Aqua+, what are the major differences from proclassic?

  13. #13
    On a side question about the gun you mentioned: it does seem that gun can handle just about anything you put in it. So for the low price of ~$400 for this gun, what do you gain for something like a high end unit such as a Fuji Q5? I have an old Campbell Hausfeld compressor I need to get 220 to, but as long as the specs line up it may run the hvlp version of that gun just fine.
    Maybe im missing something but an $800-1000+ difference of a multi stage unit compared to this gun seems like too great of a scenario.

  14. #14
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    The more stages in the turbine, the thicker the coating it can atomize, but there is still a limit without thinning. Each stage builds on the previous one.

    The better the atomization, the thinner the coat you can apply at any one time, which allows a higher percentage overlap with each pass, and the smoother the result of each coat. This is also the reason pros use the high end guns. The better the gun, the better the atomization, and consistency of that atomization, both across the fan, and with every trigger pull, but the higher requirement for quality of air that a high end gun needs to perform at its best. For instance, I wouldn't think about running air through my good "conversion" guns, without a refrigerated dryer for the air.

    Any gun is limited by the air that is pushed through it. There is no one, magic setup that is good at everything.

  15. #15
    I think I’m following. So even though this one Qualspray gun can do a wide variety, to really put it on level with higher end setups the extra components needed to ensure air quality could in theory equal the gap I mentioned?

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