Thinning latex with windsheld washer fluid?

[Kaizen]

Anybody ever do this with success? I saw some youtube vids and the theory is it contains methanol so it will evaporate a lot faster then water. I have tried thinning with water and it never worked in a gun. plus the can says not to. in my test using 20percent it definitely thinned it great and one of the two homeowner guns I tried worked. but I've been told it has detergent but when I put it in a bowl under hot stream of water it did not suds up at all. also told it will chalk up as in never really set up right.
I really don't need an airless sprayer setup and trying to not have another tool sitting in my shed for years unused. this experiment is to save myself a few hours of painting some boxes outdoors.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I would think it will turn the paint blue...

Tommy

 

[aka Larry]

I have tried thinning with water and it never worked in a gun. plus the can says not to.

See this cabinet below? I painted the entire thing with latex and a HF gun and thinned it with water. I had to increase the pressure at the gun, but otherwise it worked like a champ.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I would think it will turn the paint blue...

Tommy

What if the paint is already blue ?



If it's yellow paint, will it turn green ? Red paint turn purple ?

 

[chrispyny]

See this cabinet below? I painted the entire thing with latex and a HF gun and thinned it with water. I had to increase the pressure at the gun, but otherwise it worked like a champ.

i have done the exact same thing with superb results .. i hate brush strokes in my paint, so anything i can paint in the garage with a $15 harbor freight spray gun, and water thinned latex paint, i do. And i love how it comes out .. clean, no brush strokes, and lookin fantastic.

Edited to add, anyone who thinks paint drying quicker with windshield washer fluid is nuts. Not only are they adding methanol, but dye, soap, etc. everything thats in the WW fluid.
If you want your paint to dry quicker, stop watching it dry. Or cut your paint with strait methanol. ( who's to say methanol doesn't effect the paint in some chemical way ) ..

Don't waste your time.

 

[captain14]

See this cabinet below? I painted the entire thing with latex and a HF gun and thinned it with water. I had to increase the pressure at the gun, but otherwise it worked like a champ.

aka Larry,

is this the kitchen pantry project you were working on over the winter?

 

[Kaizen]

I would think it will turn the paint blue...

Tommy

It didn't change the color at all.

See this cabinet below? I painted the entire thing with latex and a HF gun and thinned it with water. I had to increase the pressure at the gun, but otherwise it worked like a champ.

what gun did you use? I have the hf auto body ones in the two gun set but it got clogged up

 

[LS6 Tommy]

What if the paint is already blue ?



If it's yellow paint, will it turn green ? Red paint turn purple ?

OK, so we've established that you understand how Primary Colors work...

Tommy

 

[aka Larry]

aka Larry,
is this the kitchen pantry project you were working on over the winter?

Yes.

 

[Git]

Spraying latex can be difficult because of it's thickness. Stay away from the primer/paint in a can

Start with a good quality ACRYLIC based latex. Acrylic is the binder, cheaper paints use Vinyl. If your still having problems try using some FloeTrol as a thinner

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Flood-Floetrol-1-qt-Clear-Latex-Paint-Additive-FLD6-04/100198078

The two latex paints that are commonly sprayed are Sherwin Williams Pro Classic and Benjamin Moore Advance

 

[aka Larry]

Spraying latex can be difficult because of it's thickness. Stay away from the primer/paint in a can

Start with a good quality ACRYLIC based latex. Acrylic is the binder, cheaper paints use Vinyl. If your still having problems try using some FloeTrol as a thinner

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Flood-Floetrol-1-qt-Clear-Latex-Paint-Additive-FLD6-04/100198078

The two latex paints that are commonly sprayed are Sherwin Williams Pro Classic and Benjamin Moore Advance

I sprayed with Kilz latex primer, and out of the can it's thick as molasses. It won't spray at all in a HVLP gun at normal HVLP pressure, even when thinned with 50% water. I turned my gun pressure up to around 25PSI IIRC, and it sprayed fine, but of course with the higher pressure comes more overspray.

I used Sherwin-Williams acrylic latex for the top coat, and pretty much did the same thing, but did achieve good final results.

 

[Ainsley]

I've heard the windshield washer suggestion before too but never used it.

I just thin my water based paints (usually a 100% acrylic) with water and if I'm worried about it drying to fast and not self leveling enough I use a bit of extender, also called floetrol.
I spray with a Fuji 2 stage HVLP system.

 

[MoonRise]

RTFM.

Windshield washer fluid is NEVER mentioned in the paint directions or the paint equipment directions.

Paint directions for acrylic paint usually (again RTMF for the paint) say to thin maybe 20% with WATER for spraying. Some Floetrol can be added if you want to slow down the dry time a bit and give the paint more time to self-level and flow out.

Thick viscous acrylic paints can't be sprayed with 'little' spray guns. You need a decent sized orifice/needle to let even thinned acrylic flow,

And no, you can NOT just keep dumping in water (or other liquids) until you end up with water-thin 90% water and 10% paint and try to spray that. It might spray OK, but your dried paint film properties are going to be ****. Weak paint film, poor adhesion, poor durability, chalking, etc, etc, etc.

Short answer: RTFM.

Longer answer: RTFM again. Then call the paint manufacturer's tech/help line (Sherwin Williams, etc) and ask them what thinner/solvent to use to spray their acrylic paint (water will be the answer) and how much to thin it (usually no more than ~20% or so is usually the answer). Decent paint companies usually want you to succeed with the paint job with their product(s), and will give you answers and recommendations to help you succeed.

IMNSHO.

 

[engineer2]

I have used denatured alcohol to thin latex and it works well. Denatured alcohol works well to clean up latex splatters and runs, even if it is mostly dry.

 

[Warrenator]

I have used those buzzy electric airless sprayers... l think mine is a Wagner. Doesn't require thinning if i recall correctly. My sister in law ruined mine by not cleaning it after use, other than that issue I think they work good.

I thin Rustoleum paint with mineral spirits or acetone to spray in the HVLP type guns, works great. Haven't tried Latex based paint.

 

[bullnerd]

Water here also. I bought a cheap sears gun a long time ago, but it has stainless internals so I can clean with water also. I was spraying before the internet though ,so that made it easier, not enough info to know otherwise. But like was posted earlier, Im looking at stuff I painted 15yrs ago in my kitchen and they are holding up fine.

 

[George in Rancho Cordova]

Low altitude/ non-winter washer fluid in California does not contain methanol.

 

[Git]

I agree with Moonrise - if your thinning your product more than 20-25% your definitely going to affect the performance of the paint.

I never could spray latex with my Fuji 3 stage so I moved up to hvlp gun with a pressure pot. The pressure pot allows me to turn up the pressure just to the pot so that it will force the fluid to the tip

You can also try a larger needle/cap size or another option is an airless - like the Graco TrueCoat or use a different product like a tinted lacquer or a colored polyurethane

 

[bjcouche]

I've done this with an HVLP gun as well. I would think that being familiar with using a HVLP gun on automotive or oil paint would have helped me get it figured out quicker as I was a noob. However, I ended up thinning with water, and did NOT have to exceed 20% water. I DID have to add a lot or Floetrol though. The problem I was having was that the paint was drying TOO fast and not leveling before it dried, I was getting orange peel and I was having difficulty keeping a wet edge. I wouldn't do it again without floetrol. Floetrol does not thin the paint, it just makes it dry slower. Adding water makes the paint dry FASTER. so adding the floetrol basically just counterracts the drying affect the water has. Also, you'll need higher pressure and a slightly bigger cup, and a good gun. I cannot recommend specific ratios because I've found that each paint type / brand is different.
Another tip, don't mix too much at once, Mix just enough to fill your paint gun once. By the time you start running out of paint in the gun, the paint in the gun is already started to thicken back up to the point that it's too thick to spray.

 

[Kaizen]

RTFM.

Windshield washer fluid is NEVER mentioned in the paint directions or the paint equipment directions.

Paint directions for acrylic paint usually (again RTMF for the paint) say to thin maybe 20% with WATER for spraying. Some Floetrol can be added if you want to slow down the dry time a bit and give the paint more time to self-level and flow out.

Thick viscous acrylic paints can't be sprayed with 'little' spray guns. You need a decent sized orifice/needle to let even thinned acrylic flow,

And no, you can NOT just keep dumping in water (or other liquids) until you end up with water-thin 90% water and 10% paint and try to spray that. It might spray OK, but your dried paint film properties are going to be ****. Weak paint film, poor adhesion, poor durability, chalking, etc, etc, etc.

Short answer: RTFM.

Longer answer: RTFM again. Then call the paint manufacturer's tech/help line (Sherwin Williams, etc) and ask them what thinner/solvent to use to spray their acrylic paint (water will be the answer) and how much to thin it (usually no more than ~20% or so is usually the answer). Decent paint companies usually want you to succeed with the paint job with their product(s), and will give you answers and recommendations to help you succeed.

IMNSHO.

for the record I did read the directions. it had zero instructions to thin the primer with anything. so you're saying it shouldn't be thinned at all which seems to counter just about everyone saying they thin with water. good example of why rtfm doesn't always apply. besides where's the fun in directions

 

[BroncoSquid]

Windex, not windshield washing fluid.
All the interwebs research I did used Windex. Thin the paint to the consistancy of milk. Painted an entire room 10X12 this way through the "Cheap" HF spray gun. Worked awesome. NO color diffrence from the teenie amount of dye.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I was taught never to trust anyone that used the term "interwebs"...

Tommy

 

[NICKS]

I was going to suggest alcohol

 

[Kaizen]

I was going to suggest alcohol

as in my sipping moonshine????? no way lol

 

[Kaizen]

Windex, not windshield washing fluid.
All the interwebs research I did used Windex. Thin the paint to the consistancy of milk. Painted an entire room 10X12 this way through the "Cheap" HF spray gun. Worked awesome. NO color diffrence from the teenie amount of dye.

try google "paint latex windshield washer fluid" and you'll see all the other forums that talked about it and a few youtube videos.

 

[Pwrgeek]

I did it when I painted my fence posts the last time. Used the Behr fence and barn paint thinned about 10% by volume with the cheapest blue windshield washer fluid I could find at Wally World. Went through the $10 harbor freight hvlp gun like a dream and made me wish I had done it for my last few interior painting projects. Those posts looked great then and still do today. I'll post a picture tomorrow if it stops raining.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WVBrady]

...If you want your paint to dry quicker, stop watching it dry...

A new take on "A watched pot never boils.

 

[PoorOwner]

This is similar to watching a guy on youtube use a sledge hammer to install a wheel bearing. I just think on youtube, if it looks questionable, then it's probably wrong.

 

[rayra]

thinning paint with windshield washing fluid seems like a meth head idea.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I just think on youtube, if it looks questionable, then it's probably wrong.

That's Donohue's Law- "If it looks wrong, it probably is".

Tommy

 

[Cryptic1911]

You do realize that washer fluid is still about 70-80% distilled water, right? they are usually methanol, water, and blue dye for the -20 stuff. Anything that goes that has glycol in it

I've sprayed probably 50 gallons of the stuff through my motor with my meth injection kit

 

[wssix99]

Sounds like a Breaking Bad episode in the making...

 

[Kaizen]

Thanks for all the responses. funny how asking a question gets me branded as a meth addict. as in other places I've looked the naysayers are not speaking from any experience just that it should not be done because there are rules to this sort of thing. wonder if the poor hotrodder wanting to try nitrous from the dentists office went this way. some have done it and say its fine. anyway still up in the air as to what i'm going to do but I appreciate all of your help.

 

[PoorOwner]

Kaizen I didn't have time yesterday to give you more info

But here it is, I sprayed with Benjamin Moore advance. It is actually a water borne alkyd. It is made for spraying but water clean up but it behaves like oil paint without any clogging or skinning.

I shot it on a little air sprayer not HVLP straight from the can. A HVLP should work even better.

 

[MoonRise]

Want more tech info than what I previously posted (here in this thread and also in another recent thread, and several other times here on GJ IIRC, as well as 'other' places)?

The thinner/solvent for water-based acrylic/latex paint is water.

Flood Company's Floetrol product is a flow-control product for use with acrylic/latex water based paints. It actually slows down the drying time and gives the paint film a bit more time to try and flow out and self-level.

Although (various) 'common' alcohols (isopropyl, ethyl, methyl, etc) are (usually) liquids at room temperature, they typically have an evaporation rate higher than the water that is in the liquid acrylic/latex paint. Thus they will evaporate rather quickly when you spray that witch's brew of paint+alcohol. The alcohol also chemically 'screws up', to varying degrees, the "resin" (binder) in the acrylic paint (temporarily and/or permanently). Most acrylic paints are not alcohol resistant, alcohols will usually dissolve (to varying degrees) a dried acrylic/latex paint film.

So why in the world do you want to add a fast evaporating liquid that will interfere with the paint forming a durable dry paint film (at least temporarily, and possible permanently) to the paint?

How about this info http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/paintspraying_ver3.pdf

How about here http://www.sherwin-williams.com/hom...-and-staining-faqs/painting-application-faqs/

Look for the FAQ about thinning paint, which says:

Q: What adverse effects does thinning a paint product produce?


A: Most products are ready to go right out of the can with no reduction necessary. Some products can be reduced to some degree. The product’s data page will indicate the maximum reduction allowed if any and the correct type of reducer. Please note that reducing a paint product past the recommended levels would produce a solution that may not offer the same performance characteristics as those indicated on the product’s data page. Always use the recommended solvent and never reduce past the amounts recommended by the product’s manufacturer

Another snippet from S-W regarding alcohol and paint:

How do you know that a wall was previously painted using oil-based paint? Is there a way to tell if the paint that has been applied to a wall is oil, semi-gloss or flat? Most of them look the same after years of use.


Pour a small amount of alcohol on a rag and rub the surface. If the alcohol just cleans the surface, that indicates it could be an alkyd coating. If the alcohol gums up the surface rather quickly or removes the paint film immediately, that possibly indicates a latex coating.

Want to call Sherwin-Williams yourself?

Ask Sherwin-Williams

Give us a call and get quick answers and information.

Mon-Fri 8:30am-8pm EST
Sat & Sun 9:30am-5:30pm EST

1-800-474-3794

 

[COSMOS]

When thinning and spraying with my Graco HVLP I always spend the extra dollar and thin acrylic/latex paints with distilled water. The resulting finish is much better and as we all know you never know what's in tap water and how it may affect the paint and/or finish.....

 

[NICKS]

as in my sipping moonshine????? no way lol

Are we still talking about thinning paint or blood?
Isopropyl

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Pressure feed conventional (either HVLP or not) will help push the paint up to the fluid tip.. but it has to be fluid enough to atomize.. so LP may not work.. Old fashion normal / HP spray does work out well. Airless (as mentioned above) is good for small to factory sized projects... of course with the appropriate equipment selection.. lol

 

[like2wheel]

When thinning and spraying with my Graco HVLP I always spend the extra dollar and thin acrylic/latex paints with distilled water. The resulting finish is much better and as we all know you never know what's in tap water and how it may affect the paint and/or finish.....

I'm having a hard time imagining something in clear water that has enough substance to make paint behave differently than with distilled water.
Especially "much" different

 

[wssix99]

funny how asking a question gets me branded as a meth addict.

Not a meth addict. You would be like a chemist with novel methods utilizing blue chemicals.

... The meth addicts would be trying to huff your modified paint.