Spraying Latex Paint with HVLP Equipment

If you don’t enjoy brushing on latex paint, or if you are not able to achieve the level of quality in your painting that you’d like, then you should try spraying latex paint with HVLP equipment. Many people who are proficient at spraying clear finishes such as lacquer, poly, shellac, etc., are surprised to learn that spraying latex paint with HVLP gear is actually quite simple, and the results can be outstanding.

Before getting started, you’ll need to know how to set up a spray gun, and know which nozzle to use for the material that you are spraying. Once you have your gun set up properly and you are familiar with its controls, you’re ready for spraying latex paint with HVLP equipment.

As you plan for spraying latex paint with HVLP gear, you’ll want to plan on following George’s approach for a successful paint job:

Choose the right tip: Latex paint is pretty viscous, so it will be important to choose the right tip so your HVLP gun that can properly atomize latex paint.

Thin the paint. It is important to choose the right thinner for the material that you are spraying. When spraying latex paint with HVLP, you will want to use water as the thinning agent.

Add Floetrol to the paint. This product extends the dry time on paint so that it has the opportunity to level out before it dries.

Spray away! Setup is simple, and now you’re ready to apply your spray gun skills to lay down a nice paint job.

You’ll be amazed by how simple it is to create an outstanding surface finish, and you’ll find yourself reaching for the HVLP gun a lot more often. For more tips for using HVLP for surface finish, check out these additional WWGOA resources.