Anyone have experience spraying Kilz 2?

Perhaps a little OT, but not too far ...

So, I have a small, old shed behind one of my barns that is used for miscellaneous equipment storage. It's typical of old sheds built 100+ years ago with mortise & tenon joint framing and raw, unfinished, vertical board siding. Decided that it needs some maintenance TLC and, to include with that, paint on the old board siding (no comments please on saving old barn siding ... been there, tried that).

Bought a small Wagner hand-held sprayer thinking that would be the best way to get multiple coats of primer and top coat on the rough siding. I like the Kilz 2 product as a primer, but it is THICK paint out of the can, so tried to thin it somewhat before spraying. What a PITA .... sprayer just would not do a decent job ... erratic, pulsed, just stopped spraying for periods .... disassembled and cleaned it multiple times, still no improvement .... tried thinning the Kilz numerous more times, but still no success .... what an awful experience and mess.

The Wagner sprayer sprays water just fine and, for the short periods of time that it did work, I can see it will do the job OK if I can get it to work reliably, but there is no viscosity info provided in the instructions nor any decent troubleshooting info.

Anyone have experience spraying the Kilz 2 product? Any ideas on how to make a Wagner sprayer perform worth a sh_t? Any suggestions of a primer that will work OK in a Wagner sprayer?

can you change the the tip size? We have 3/4hp pump type and use the standard, also you need to spray a top coat in a few days, we did not and the top coat peeled.

I've had luck spraying killz (waterbased) through a HVLP gun thinned with denatured alcohol and water. I tried just the denatured alcohol, but it would dry too quick and not flatten out leaving a spray texture. As I wanted a smoother finish I decided to add a little water to retard the drying effect of the alcohol...presto! Worked like a charm. I've also sprayed it thinned with just water and it worked well, but my last project I was priming bare wood and didn't want to raise the grain so the denatured alcohol came to mind. When I've sprayed killz, I thin it until it looks and acts like water running off your stir stick. Sure it probably effects the performance of the primer, but I've yet to run into an issue on my projects.

Of course if your using oil based killz just use acetone (faster drying) or mineral spirits (slower drying) to thin it to a watery state.

Keep in mind I'm not a professional painter though I do paint in my profession. The times I've used killz have only been for personal projects ( house, garage, shed) and through a HVLP gun with a 1.7 mm nozzle. I've never used a Wagner so I can only offer these tips on thinning the paint. Thin it more than you think you should and give another shot. Worst case, you have to do multiple coats.

http://www.kilz.com/primer/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ef4c693378683210VgnVCM1000006b0910acRCRD

from their site;

Application

*Eye protection is recommended.

*A small amount of water may be added for spray applications, but do not thin for stainblocking applications.

*Stir thoroughly before and occasionally during use.

*Apply using a brush, roller or sprayer.

*Only apply if surface, air and product temperatures are between 50°-90°F.

*Prime the entire surface to ensure a uniform appearance of the topcoat.

*After priming, test for stain bleed-through by applying the topcoat to a small section. If the stain bleeds through the topcoat, apply a second coat of primer and test again before topcoating the entire area. If bleeding continues, a longer dry time is needed before topcoating.

*Tinting is not recommended for stainblocking applications. KILZ 2 may be tinted with up to 2 ounces of universal colorant per gallon for non-stainblocking projects. Tinting to a lighter shade than the topcoat is recommended.

*Coverage is up to 300 square feet per gallon on porous surfaces; up to 400 square feet per gallon on smooth, nonporous surfaces.


Not sure if it helps but I know the oil based is thick and I wouldn't eve try to spray that stuff.

Prep is everything-

1. pressure wash the building & let it dry 1-2 days

2. use a real airless- not a hand held buzz bomb- put on a good coat & have someone follow you with a roller & roll it in for best adhesion.

3. for the top coat (color) repeat step 2 - put on a good heavy coat. reason for a good heavy coat is latex is like a rubber sheet- a thick one will strech farther than a thin one (building expanding & contracting due to climate)

4. use a high quality latex paint with titanium dioxide & vinyl acrylic in it.

you'll get out of it what you put into it- a quick cut corner job won't last

Those Wagner sprayers are junk, they don't spray they sling. Buy or rent a small airless sprayer and spray it right out of the can...no thinning.

70redbee said:

Those Wagner sprayers are junk, they don't spray they sling. Buy or rent a small airless sprayer and spray it right out of the can...no thinning.

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An update on my experience spraying Kilz with the cheap Wagner buzz-type sprayer ... total disaster!!

I tried thinning the Kilz down until it was nearly the same viscosity as water and the Wagner still wouldn't spray it. Total mess!

70redbee has it right!! Without question, the Wagner sprayer is a POS! The Wagner sprayer cost me $85 and I ended up throwing it in the trash ... one week after purchase.

Don't waste your money on this Wagner junk.

And don't waste your money on Kilz products. My local independent paint dealer that caters to contractors won't stock any of it. The manager told me he's tired of the complaints. I quit using Kilz 20 years ago when it failed on me and cost me a ton.

Zinnser is OK, Glidden Gripper is better. Haven't used others like SW for a long time, so don't know. I'm a union trained painter who went into general contracting. Retired after 42 years.

And before you even think about it, never bother with a Wagner power roller, either. Way faster (in prep, use, and cleanup) to just use a normal roller pan.

Zeke said:

....Retired after 42 years.

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QUITTER! I didnt realize you were retired Milt - Congratulations!
I figure I've got 5 years to go but I'm a public employee whose organization hasn't given raises in over 4 years (though I'm happy to have stayed employed)and all that could change, who knows.

A couple years ago I bought a Graco airless from Home Cheapo. I notice the approximate same unit I bought has come down in price from the low $300's to the high $200's. So far, it has worked quite well but I'd not recommend it for small jobs, too big a PITA to clean up for those.

It's approximately this model:
http://www.homedepot.com/Paint-Pain...splay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051