Begging, pleading, bribing....trim paint woes....

[Itsjustdirt]

You know the saying, "practice makes perfect"? Well, I don't have enough money or time to practice anymore...I failed. I failed miserably.

I like perfectly sprayed door casings/trim. I have been using Sherwin Williams ProClassic Alkyd Enamel for the past 3 years and I am absolutely sick of it. I have LITERALLY sprayed 12-15 GALLONS of it and I still have a 50% success rate. The other 50% of the time I have to block sand the runs or block sand the spotty light areas and re-shoot. I find the line between too thick and too thin is razor thin.

I coughed up roughly $700 for a Graco cordless trim gun and purchsed almost every spray tip made for them from 310 all the way up to 515. I have thinned with water, thinned with FLoetrol, I've shot full thickness, I've pre-heated the room (southern california so not really needed), I've pre-heated the trim before spraying, I've even warmed the paint to multiple different temperatures.

I ****. I quit. After spending almost a grand on a gun setup and spraying roughly $600 of paint through it, I still cant get consistent results.

I do LOVE the way the proclassic gloss looks when it comes out correctly. Super smooth. Tough once fully dried.

Does anyone have another suggestion on what I can spray door and window trim with from now on? Maybe something that will even look similar to the proclassic?
I have been able to spray regular ole latex paint without any issues, I've sprayed enamels, two part farm and tractor paint, basically any paint other than pro-classic without issue. I've painted cars, models, houses, etc. before so its not like its my first time holding a spray gun...super frustrating


Here's the gun I bought and have literally shot 12-15 GALLONS of proclassic through, with no improvement in results between the 2nd and 15th gallon. So frustrating.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071CW2SV2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[strutaeng]

Man, this is a question for a sales rep at your local SW...plain an simple.

Just a few questions though. What exactly is the problem? If your problems are runs and dry spray, that's a technique issue. Are you using the oil Alkyd?

Why are thinning with water or Floetrol? Or are you using the hybrid waterborne? I would assume so since you mention CA.

Direct competitor products for SW Proclassic WB are BM Advance and PPG Breakthrough. I'm sure there are others. Both are good products, although very different from one to the other.

 

[sms1974]

hire a painter it'll be much cheaper in the long run and the frustration isn't worth the savings..

 

[karoc]

I use their oil base love it,but never tried their water base. Search https://www.contractortalk.com/forums/painting-finish-work.8/ but they don't care for us homeowners so just read and search. What has help me is Youtubes,do a search there such as How Spray Water Base Paint,lots of Youtubes to watch and learn.
Oh by way,I feel your pain

 

[yeldogt]

Are you a pro -- or your own house?

Is this to be paid?

I'm not a spray trim guy as I don't like the plastic look .... my go to trim is BM Advanced with the proper primer.

 

[Itsjustdirt]

Man, this is a question for a sales rep at your local SW...plain an simple.

Just a few questions though. What exactly is the problem? If your problems are runs and dry spray, that's a technique issue. Are you using the oil Alkyd?

Why are thinning with water or Floetrol? Or are you using the hybrid waterborne? I would assume so since you mention CA.

Direct competitor products for SW Proclassic WB are BM Advance and PPG Breakthrough. I'm sure there are others. Both are good products, although very different from one to the other.

I agree but my local SW reps are less helpful and less knowledgeable than your average Lowes/HD worker. Their advice often directly contradicts what the labels say. They basically sound like used car salesmen and know more about colors than chemicals.

Yes, because California, it is the waterborne hybrid. Unfortunately, we cannot get the oil base versions here.

THanks for suggestions on BM Advane and PPG Breakthrough. I'll do some research on this stuff.

 

[My Old Tools]

Maybe use a brush. The pros sprayed our cabinets but the trim was all brushed. You can't tell the difference by looking.

 

[Dustball]

I don't know if professional painters do this but maybe ask if you can hire a painter to stop by and consult for an hour or two.

 

[nadogail]

What we learned about painting in our youth has all been rendered obsolete by the well intentioned bureaucrats in our capitals.

 

[Killer95Stang]

My semi retired painter who also has been a family friend for 35 years charges me $150 per day plus paint. He makes short work of it and it saves years off my life. Also, I can pick up an overtime shift where I work doing something I'm good at, and not have to deal with painting, which I'm not good at.

 

[glentre]

I used Sherwin Williams Emerald water based urethane with a cheap hvlp sprayer on my kitchen cabinet doors and they look like they just came from the factory. The cabinet ends and dividers (frameless cabinets) were rolled on and look almost as good. Emerald is expensive but worth it. Reviews from those who brushed it on are also very favorable.

Glen

 

[jhelrey]

Pay a pro... Some jobs I won't do and painting is one of them...

Of course, if it's just one bedroom I will but my whole house. Here is the $$$.

 

[ScottsGT]

Here’s an old trick we had to use spraying cars with the old enamels back in the ‘80’s you might have luck trying. Make your first coat very thin. Just fog it on very lightly. Let it sit until it’s good a sticky, almost dry. But not dry. This provides a bond for the second coat. Apply second coat, just a little heavier, but do not try to make it look like you want it. Slow build up of paint. By the 3rd or maybe 4th coat you should be good.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

For trim, dump the PITA spendy sprayers. I'm not even that good and I can cut in trim a LOT faster than a pro spray guy can come in and prep, mask, spray, unmask, touch up...

Tommy

 

[ZRX61]

Knew a guy who was a professional house painter, he said 95% of the problems that homeowners have is simply not stirring/mixing the paint enough. If you think you're ready with 5 minutes going at it with a 1/2in drill & a mud mixer, you're actually only half way there.

 

[never enuf time]

If in California, I guess oil is out. Have you tried general finishes pigmented poly ? It's very thin, will take several coats, but gets excellent results.

Wood repair products out of California is were I get mine. They can match any s-w or bm color.

Good luck

 

[JRC3]

My semi retired painter who also has been a family friend for 35 years charges me $150 per day plus paint. He makes short work of it and it saves years off my life. Also, I can pick up an overtime shift where I work doing something I'm good at, and not have to deal with painting, which I'm not good at.

Who knows your location, but $150 is low, way low...That's 18.75/Hr. He surely charges more than that to make a living with regular customers. Typically a $150/day painter gets pretty poor results.

 

[dnschmidt]

PPG Breakthrough is the nuts if waterborne is what you need. I typically only spray automotive 2K urethane. All of the furniture in my house, and I built 95% of it, is basecoat/clearcoat exactly like a car and fully color sanded and buffed to a mirror shine but the one time I used Breakthrough on some wood it was very good.

 

[Donzi camino]

you should have bought an airless sprayer an not a cordless trim gun

 

[imjustdave]

Turn down the gun pressure.
I suspect the trim is so small and your system is designed to cover 6-10 inches easily at a time it's just overwhelming the trim.

Is the trim primed? wonder if it's causing your issues. as in some oil residue, shinny slippery finish.

I assume your trim isn't on the wall and your trying to pre paint it.

 

[Killer95Stang]

Who knows your location, but $150 is low, way low...That's 18.75/Hr. He surely charges more than that to make a living with regular customers. Typically a $150/day painter gets pretty poor results.

That's why I'm saying he's semi retired. Only continues to paint in order to keep himself busy. Who knows, he would probably pay me to get out of the house and not listen to the wife..

 

[strutaeng]

Yeah, Breakthough is really nice. I bought a gallon to try and it flows out amazingly well. I used a brush. Look up Idaho Painter and he sprays doors with it. It's an amazing product. Dries to recoat in 15 minutes. The viscosity is very low, so I think spraying would be really easy, with an airless or pressure setup.

I have successfully sprayed BM Advance with HVLP, but I'm not using it anymore because it takes too long to dry. The TDS says something like 16 hours, although I've recoated in about 4-6 hrs in the middle of the summer. My kitchen cabinets were finished with this. Also yellows because of the akyd, but it is a very nice product, especially if you have to brush it. Flows out almost like an oil. It does like to run, so watch out for that.

Before I went to the BM Advanced, I bought a quart of SW Proclassic WB, and was not impressed because the can had a lot of clumps on the bottom...certainly something you shouldn't get with a "premium" paint. Never tried it after that.

OP, I hope this helps. I can only advise you to filter the product and check your sprayer with another product. Maybe you "are" getting inconsistent products from the manufacturer.

I was the one bashing DIY big box stores and singing to the "I only use SW" years ago, but no longer do that. I don't think they are what they used to be, but don't paint daily to know this for sure.