Airless sprayers are a great way to paint your exterior walls, but you need to make sure the paint is thin enough for them. Here’s why.
Paint needs to be thinned for spraying because it drips as it comes out of the spray gun and starts to dry as soon as it leaves the nozzle. If your paint is too thick, it doesn’t lay down smoothly and you end up with a bumpy mess. You can purchase sprayable paints if necessary, but they’re more expensive and don’t always produce the same results as a regular paint thinner for spraying.
If you want to use your own paint, you’ll need to know how much thinner to add. Generally, you’ll need to thin your paint by the same percentage as the thickness of your spray material. For example, a 2-inch nozzle requires a 50 percent thinner reduction and a 3-inch nozzle requires a 33 percent thinner reduction. Of course, you’ll need to experiment with each grade of paint to discover exactly how much thinner it needs.
If your paint is too thick, you can add up to 10 percent water to thin it. However, some paints may not accept the extra water and could end up with a streaked or mottled appearance and loss of color uniformity. You’ll need to experiment on test boards for each grade of paint before spraying the entire job.
As with any painting material, make sure you shake your paint can for five minutes before using it. When mixing the paint and thinner together, always pour the thinner into the paint can first. Otherwise, if there is a drop of unmixed paint at the bottom of the can, the thinned mixture could separate out over time.
Do airless sprayers actually “spray” the paint on, such as is done with a traditional brush?
Not really. Instead, they propel the paint onto the wall in a stream that is about ¼ inch wide and 3-5 inches long. This means you need to overlap each pass of your airless sprayer by 50 per cent of the width of the tip to avoid noticeable lines on your walls.
Also, since you’re spraying along vertical surfaces with an airless sprayer, you need to overlap the horizontal runs by at least 50 percent of the fan width of your nozzle or there will be visible banding.
How Does One Correctly Use An Airless Sprayer?
The general rule of thumb when using an airless sprayer is to keep the nozzle about six inches from the work surface at all times and move it in a pattern that covers the width of your stroke every 2-3 seconds. This will allow enough time for the paint to leave the stream and dry before you start on another pass.
When spraying, always keep the spray tip pressed against your work surface. Otherwise, you’ll end up over-spraying, and make sure you don’t hit the trigger until you’re ready to begin spraying. If you want to stop in mid-stroke or change direction, simply release the trigger rather than pull it back under any circumstances.
For exterior jobs, you should always wear a face mask and safety goggles. Afterward, just clean out the gun thoroughly to ensure that it doesn’t clog up when you start on your next project.
Why Use An Airless Sprayer?
An airless sprayer, or paint sprayer as it is also called, helps you to apply paint quickly and efficiently for a professional finish. There are many different types of sprayers on the market, but an airless one provides a powerful and fast-flowing burst of paint that will save you time and effort.
What Is An Airless Sprayer?
An airless paint sprayer is a spraying machine that uses compressed air or hydraulic power to atomize paint and push it through the attached spray gun. It functions similarly to any other type of paint sprayer, but mainly produces more powerful pressure for faster application.
Is Thinning Paint Necessary For An Airless Sprayer?
Some airless sprayers require that paint be thinned before it is used, and some do not. It is best to check the manual for your specific machine before you begin painting so as not to cause damage or poor results.
Do I need to thin paint for an airless sprayer?
Not all machines require thinning of paint, but some do. If you are not sure of the paint sprayer’s specific requirements, then check the manual that came with the machine.
How To Thin Paints For Spraying?
Many people ask themselves this? The answer is yes, you do need to thin paint for airless sprayers. Here are some reasons why:
When you use an airless sprayer, paint is forced out of the nozzle under high pressure. This makes it easier to cover a surface with fewer coats than if painted by hand.
The interior components of an airless sprayer are extremely sensitive and even slight deviations from the manufacturer’s recommendations may cause damage resulting in poor spraying results or even expensive repairs.
You cannot simply begin spraying paint after stirring it with a stir stick. The viscosity of all paints is correlated to temperature and humidity.
For example, suppose that the viscosity index of the paint is 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) at 75% relative humidity. This is considered standard for most interior paint jobs.
On a hot day (30 degrees Celsius or 86 Fahrenheit), the viscosity can rise to 20-25 degrees Celsius (68-77 Fahrenheit).
With airless sprayers, all of these formulas need to be taken into account in order to avoid damage.
However, if you do not properly thin the paint, it will be 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) when you start spraying it. This is too viscous and can cause damage to your airless sprayer.
How do thin different types of paint?
The answer to this question varies with different types of paint. For latex paint, it is very important that you thin the paint before injecting it into an airless sprayer. This helps you in achieving a perfect finish and also speeds up the process.
How much do I need to thin paints?
Thin coats of paint will also help you in achieving optimal coverage. However, thinning of paint is necessary for achieving a smooth finished look after spraying with an airless sprayer. This means that how much you thin the paint depends on the kind of result you are looking forward to getting after spraying on your home’s walls.
Will thinning make my paint less durable?
Thinning is not going to make your paint any less durable or effective. On the contrary, it will help you in getting the best results. So when you are thinning paints for spraying with an airless sprayer, go ahead and do it the way you like instead of worrying about its effectiveness.
What are the different ways to thin paints?
There are many different ways you can go about thinning your paint. The most common way would be using water, but it is also possible to use acetone or alcohol of various degrees according to the type of paint that you have. You may need a drop or two of a single thinner if the paint is already too thin. However, adding too much thinner will have adverse effects on the paint.
So the conclusion would be that depending on your need you can go ahead and add any solvent according to your needs in order to get good results after painting with an airless sprayer.
Is it possible to Thin Latex Paint with Mineral Spirits?
Whether you are airless spraying or rolling latex paint on your walls, it is recommended to thin the paint with mineral spirits. However, people often wonder if they can cut down or eliminate this step. To understand this better, we have compiled a list of common questions and answers to help you out:
Q: Can I use a paint thinner other than mineral spirits?
A: In a word, no. Mineral spirits are the only paint thinner safe for latex paints.
Q: Can I mix water with the paint thinner to thin down the paint?
A: No, this will cause streaking and prolong drying times. Do not add anything to your latex paint besides mineral spirits. Adding anything else will compromise the quality of your paint job.
Q: Can I thin latex paint with water?
A: No. Latex paint should never be thinned with water, especially not for airless spray applications. Water causes the latex molecules to separate and does not provide a smooth surface for application.
Q: How much paint thinner do I need to use?
A: You will not need very much at all. Start with only a quarter cup and add more as needed until you’ve achieved the desired consistency. Initially, you may want to start with less, to begin with, and work your way up.
Q: Why can’t I get my paint to flow?
A: Paint which is too thick will not be able to properly atomize. Thinning your paint with mineral spirits will help the particles of latex paintwork together more efficiently, form a ball or fling rather than simply gliding across the surface, and consequently lead to a more effective paint job.
HVLP Spray Gun and Latex Paint, are they Compatible?
New HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) sprayers are getting more popular in the market. They’re very useful for applying latex paints. However, many users have asked if they can use their normal airless sprayer to apply latex paint.
There’s also a concern about using thinning agents with an airless sprayer. The answer is yes, you can apply latex paint with an airless sprayer without thinning it. However, there are other considerations to think about when using your airless sprayer for latex paints.
The key point here is that latex paint has a gravity of around 1, while oil-based paints have a gravity of around 0.8. This means that latex has more coating strength, so it’s harder to atomize and spray well for an airless gun.
On the other hand, thinning latex paint is not recommended because it will affect your finished look. However, this does not mean you cannot make the paint thinned with water to make it easier to spray.
If you want to use an airless sprayer for latex, here are some considerations:
- Your pump should have enough flow rate so an atomized stream is created.
- A compressor or pressure pot may be needed depending on your setup. You need to ensure there’s enough airflow in the paint gun because, unlike oil-based paint, latex doesn’t atomize well without proper airflow.
- You need to understand the misting rate of your gun before sending it out for spray painting because not all guns are created equal. The higher the tip number, the finer misting will be. Low-pressure units may use 1 tip or 2 tips while high-pressure units can go up to 6 tips or more.
- You need to set your pressure lower than usual, at least 10% lower than you’re used to when spraying oil-based paint. The thinning agent in an airless sprayer can cause damage to the gun’s internal parts if it’s operated at too high pressure. That means that operating any paint sprayer at a pressure above 20 PSI means you must use a thinning agent.
- You need to identify the proper paint flow rate so your concentrated spray color doesn’t clog in the gun. It’s usually 0.5 – 1% of paint viscosity for latex paint, or about 10% thinner than oil-based paint.
- Finally, you need to remember that the ideal gun for latex paint is an airless sprayer. You may get away with using a standard HVLP or air gun, but it’s not good practice because of the risk of clogging.
If you’re considering buying an HVLP sprayer for latex paint, these are some tips to keep in mind:
- You need to be aware that not all HVLP sprayers are suitable for latex. Some of them use an oil-based atomizing fluid or have a problem with clogging due to the low gravity of the paint.
- Your preference should always be a siphon feeder because it allows you to spray at lower pressure which is the best way to prevent gun clogging.
- Change your paint filter often. If it’s a disposable type, change it every 1 – 2 hours of continuous spraying. If it’s a reusable filter, clean or sterilizes it after use and store it in a plastic bag if you’re not using it for the next application.
- Don’t allow any paint to dry in your gun. Depending on the gravity or viscosity of your paint, if you see that it’s clogging you need to give it 5 – 10 minutes to dry before using your airless sprayer.
Remember, latex paint is hard to atomize even for HVLP sprayers, so you may need to use a pressure pot. Also, keep in mind that some low-cost HVLP guns are not powerful enough to atomize latex paint, so your best choice is still an airless sprayer. Nevertheless, if you have no choice but to use an HVLP gun for latex paint, there are some things you need to keep in mind:
You should operate your gun at low pressure, about 15 – 20 PSI. The worst thing you can do for latex is to spray it at high pressure, which will cause a lot of oversprays and take forever to dry.
Use the right spray tip. Using too small a tip will clog your gun. Using too large a tip will apply too much material, causing lots of overspray and drips.
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