I am about to do the trim work on my new home. We have decided on
Benjamin Moore Regal Latex primer and paint. I have experimented with
it on a few pieces using a brush. Works well and looks great.
However, I need to do a lot of pieces and want to use my HVLP
conversion spray gun. I have sprayed waterborne lacquer with no
problems. However, this paint is very thick. The retailer suggested
Floetrol. I tried it and the Floetrol does not change my viscosity
cup readings - even at 1 qt/gallon of paint.

Benjamin Moore says to use their "518 Extender" product. However,
their literature only mentions airless sprayers.

Has anybody out there been successful with this product (paint and
thinner) using an HVLP
gun?? Any suggestions on technique etc...

Thanks,
Len

wrote in message
...
I am about to do the trim work on my new home. We have decided on
Benjamin Moore Regal Latex primer and paint. I have experimented with
it on a few pieces using a brush. Works well and looks great.
However, I need to do a lot of pieces and want to use my HVLP
conversion spray gun. I have sprayed waterborne lacquer with no
problems. However, this paint is very thick. The retailer suggested
Floetrol. I tried it and the Floetrol does not change my viscosity
cup readings - even at 1 qt/gallon of paint.

Benjamin Moore says to use their "518 Extender" product. However,
their literature only mentions airless sprayers.

Has anybody out there been successful with this product (paint and
thinner) using an HVLP
gun?? Any suggestions on technique etc...

Thanks,
Len

May I suggest to nix the latex paint for trim. You will probably be much
much happier if you use an alkid oil based paint for the trim. It yields a
harder more scuff resistant finish. And if you put it on with a brush you
will probably only have to use one coat.

wrote in message
...
I am about to do the trim work on my new home. We have decided on
Benjamin Moore Regal Latex primer and paint. I have experimented with
it on a few pieces using a brush. Works well and looks great.
However, I need to do a lot of pieces and want to use my HVLP
conversion spray gun. I have sprayed waterborne lacquer with no
problems. However, this paint is very thick. The retailer suggested
Floetrol. I tried it and the Floetrol does not change my viscosity
cup readings - even at 1 qt/gallon of paint.

Benjamin Moore says to use their "518 Extender" product. However,
their literature only mentions airless sprayers.

Has anybody out there been successful with this product (paint and
thinner) using an HVLP
gun?? Any suggestions on technique etc...

Thanks,
Len



I painted the trim on my house using an HVLP sprayer and Lowe's Valspar
Duramax paint. Very thick paint.
I thinned it with a product from Wagner (mfg of airless sprayers) called
Paint Easy. "It thins without diluting".

Max

If you are using a CAS gun (a high pressure, air powered pneumatic gun
that reduces the pressure internally to HVLP standards) then you
should look at your equipment carefully before shooting latex.

A garden variety CAS gun will have a 1.3 - 1.4mm tip. This is too
small to easily shoot latex. You can do it with the 1.4, but not with
inexpensive equipment and not without thinning. Your best bet would
be to have a 1.7mm tip for your gun as it is the right size for thick
latex paints.

If you don't have or cannot get a 1.7mm tip, then crank up the
pressure, open up the flow valve and try shooting the latex thinned
about 10% with distilled water. Back off your pattern until you get
little bounce back, little overspray, but a good finish pattern.

You have selected a very good paint, and it will be very forgiving
with your application techniques, so don't be shy about
experimenting. Make small batches to shoot as test samples. Remember
to let them dry before making a final judgment on the appearance as
higher end paints like BM and Sherwin Williams will really tighten up
as they dry.

Put on the right amount when spraying; if BM says 3mm or so spray
thickness in application, then put that much on. Don't "mist coat"
because you are afraid of runs and sags. It will give you a lousy
final product and will affect adhesion. Put on the proper amount and
recoat as specified. In this case, you could probably call the BM
tech line and talk to one of the guys there for some guidance.

They may be able to help you set up your gun as well for initial
spraying. I would try spraying the paint first with no thinning at
all, then work my way up to as much as 20% if I needed to. You should
be aware however, that the more you thin latex, especially deep
colors, then the less likely you are to be able to touch up or repair
as it will change the color and how the paint cures.

If you can stand the fumes, like Leon said, I would go oil. It is
faster to cure out, harder when it does, has great abrasion
resistance,
is more washable, and if your gun has a 1.3-1.4mm tip you are already
set.

One more thing.

Ditch the Floetrol. The monkeys at these stores sell that to you to
make you feel good, or to make you think it will help you out. It is
a plasticizer, and absolutely nothing more. Paint store idiots that
have never sprayed a rattle can worth of paint will tell you that
Floetrol is the best thing since sliced bread. They hand it to you
like it is a secret weapon. Today's paints are plastic enough and
don't need additives. Period.

Your secret weapon is to take a couple of quarts of your paint outside
and mix up some 8oz batches and mix the paint to match the
capabilities of your equipment. Start out unthinned, then keep
careful notes of your batches and the temps. You will find the sweet
spot if you know how to set up your gun.

As long as I have been doing this professionally, I have never seen
any bit of difference when Floetrol or other plasticizers in paint.
At one time (30 years ago?) it was great stuff for oil based paints.
The old paints were not specifically formulated for spray. So you
took a long oil finish that was for hand application and sprayed it
out of a high pressure sprayer. With enough solids and resin oils in
the can to refinish asphalt with one coat, you needed all the help you
could get to blast it out of your sprayer in the microfine
particulates that came from an old high pressure gun.

Not so with today's products, oil or latex. Today's finishes are so
sophisticated and so advanced in their engineering that products like
Floetrol, Japan Drier, etc., just aren't necessary.

Honestly, outside of a DIY guy, I have rarely seen any painter or
finisher I know use Floetrol with latex paint. None of us shoot
"landlord paint", but then again, you aren't either.

It ****es me off when I am in the paint store and I see them peddling
that to someone. The only time I see Floetrol for oil based being
used is by the old timers that "learned on it" and feel it is an
essential part of a good job. As the kids say "back in the day" we
used to thin oil based paints with a mix of about 4 oz of thinner and
4 oz of Floetrol per gallon. Mix for about 5 minutes (literally) and
try a test spot. Thin further with a 1:1 mix of those two as needed.

Again, today's paints.... NOT NEEDED. Those old paints were a mix of
different oils, different kinds of old fashioned resins and solvents.
With all components mixed and created synthetically these days, the
products are mixed exactly perfect, and should be thinned only. And
then, only enough to get them out of the gun in a satisfactory way.

As far as the BM "extender" goes, toss that as well. It is their
version of Floetrol. It does the same thing as Floetrol, with the
same benefit. Nada.

It is "formulated" for airless rigs as that is the machine that sprays
99% if all latex paint. It was a safe marketing bet.

Robert

"Leon" wrote in message
...

: May I suggest to nix the latex paint for trim. You will probably be
much
: much happier if you use an alkid oil based paint for the trim. It
yields a
: harder more scuff resistant finish. And if you put it on with a brush
you
: will probably only have to use one coat.

Ditto that. In fact, Benjamin Moore Impervo should be THE alkyd
enamel of choice. That you can spray in your HVLP.

Dave in Houston