Painting MDF

[myxpykalix]

I'm starting to paint the mdf wainscoting and i went and bought one of those $59.00 wagner power painter and it just spits the primer out all blotchy and looks more like i'm shooting spackle than paint. I've tried all different settings, it doesn't change. What recommendations could you make as to a good sprayer to paint mdf?

[scottcox]

Jack,

I have one of the Wagner guns and the paint needs to be thinned down considerably. Check your viscosity first.

[patricktoomey]

I tried several different Wagner guns and never got good results, plus the cleanup was terrible. I finally got a Graco DX from home Depot for $299. It is a light duty version of the professional Graco spray systems and it does an amazing job. Cleanup is just a few minutes and the pattern of the spray with unthinned primers and latex or oil paints is incredible. Perfectly atomized and on MDF it leaves a glass-smooth finish. For carved Trupan and MDF we hit it with one or two coats of tinted shellac primer, sand off the fur and then hit it with two coats of paint.

[harryball]

I've tried wagner as well, won't use one again. I have a Graco DX5, going to sell it. Consumes too much paint to start up, tried shorter hoses. Clean up is a pain, I don't know how it becomes a breeze but spraying out all the left over paint and flushing with water then pump armor gets old for 30 minutes of painting. The only time I've ever enjoyed that gun is when I had 5 gallons or more to run through it. The real killer is overspray, it goes everywhere, not for painting indoors.

I now use this sprayer, http://www.earlex.com/html/caddy_html/is2000.php?id=5&from=sub&pid=7&cid=

It does a good job, just finished painting mdf doors and it leaves a good finish. We primarily use it to paint bat houses. It has virtually no overspray. It comes with a 2mm needle and I also ordered the 2.5mm needle. It will spray latex paint... in fact it is not designed to spray thin finishes, a complete opposite of my other HVLP guns.

Robert

[jhicks]

Harbor freight sells a (Central Pneumatic) gun which we use for spray booth prime and paint finishes. Several different guns go on sale for $19.00 to $39.00
www.harborfreight.com (http://www.harborfreight.com)
I know it sounds too cheap but the same gun is used in the custom cabinet we share space in for high end finishing every day. I'm told its like a BINKS knock off which is far more expensive. We now just buy several and use one for primer, one for acrylic latex, one for stain etc. They are so cheap and effective its hard to consider buying a $200.00+ gun when you can have 10 of these for the same $

[dray]

I just bought all the harbor freight JUNK, used it and gave it away. Then called my painters in.
I bought the Harbor freight HVLP, I spent 6+ hours trying to prime a desk then I tried the binks gun its all junk in my opinion. Only thing I will ever buy from HF again is cords, hoses that kind of stuff, never ever any type of machinery etc

[mthomas]

a few things to offer:

i also have tried some HF sprayers - the HVLP ones are good values for laying down primers or color coats but i had a difficult time getting really good finishes with clearcoats

i finally bought a high end accuspray gun just for clearcoats - absolutely amazing

i was suprised what a difference a good paint made. after trying paints from the big-box stores i went to Sherwin Williams and told them what i wanted to shoot and layed down the money for single gallon of the best latex they had. wet out was great and it really leveled well.

bottom line: before i spent $300+ on a great HVLP gun + another $200 on filters and line dessicants I'd try a $40 HF gun and top of the line SW or Pittsburgh Paint formula. with the exception of the clearcoats (which the HF guns were never great at) we lay our colors down with HF guns or other ebay knockoffs which are usually the same guns but even cheaper.

oh yeah - one more thing - to get the best results out of the HF guns you'll want to do a LOT of experimentation with your setups - psi, gun adjustments, checking viscosity, etc. - once you get it dialed in WRITE IT ALL DOWN cause you'll screw it up again when you clean!

hope it helps!

[myxpykalix]

Well, i don't have that much to paint, the first wagner gun, spit and sput it out like spackle, I thinned it down, it would spray for about 10 seconds then clog up or just hum and nothing come out. I took it back got a more expensive one. I'll try it, if it does the same thing it goes back. Lowes only carries Wagner so i'll try sears next. I don't want to buy something like that online due to the return factor. If i can't get it done right maybe i'll resort to spraycans...NOT!

[bcammack]

Best finish I've ever gotten with water-based acrylic enamel was with a simple tankless compressor and a traditional spray gun. You just have to thin the paint enough and do a couple coats.

I've used a "power painter" before and it is a frustrating tool. My brother has one of the $100 HVLP systems that Harbor Freight sells. He loves it for small stuff, but he bought a semi-pro pressure painter for fences and houses.

[john_l]

Count me in for the HF guns. Actually, the only products standing out that I absolutely WON'T buy from HF are the cords and hoses because they are too stiff.

I second the importance of good paint. Most good quality paints will have labeled directions regarding thinning for spraying.

[ed_lang]

Those who have good results from the HF guns, would you post the model/part numbers of them?

[gene]

I too have had good results with thw H F paint guns . I caught them on sale for 9.99 and purchased a few ,i also have a porter cable spray gun and every part will interchange .
i have tryed the wagner and hated then ,too frustrating , sometimes i think it may be the indian NOT the arrow. Most of painting is the prep work, not only the piece to be painted but the paint as well , you do need to get the viscosity correct in order for the equipment to work correct, it will most of the time take several coats to get a good finish and if you get a so so quality paint you get a so so finish.

[joewino]

We use a HVLP gun to spray our dimensional signs. Make sure that you get one with a stainless steel needle and the largest orfice possible. Ours was bought on line for about $40 or so. It is not a gun that would be used for high end furniture work, but works great for our application.

The paint that we have found is the best for our use is Porter 100% acrylic. It is thinned with water and a small amount of Flotrol is added to help it smooth out and not dry as quickly.

Be sure to strain before using. We spray at about 60 psi. You'll have to experiment with the settings before you can find just the right spot.

I used a Wagner once on an outdoor project but could not get it to work the next time. It paid for itself in that one job, but just wasn't what we were looking for.

[tomasz]

Save some money and take your pick...http://www.spraygunworld.com

[myxpykalix]

I took the second wagner gun back, they are all JUNK!!! I bought a black & Decker airless sprayer from sears and its junk but it will get me thru this job. The mdf is like a sponge just sucking up the primer.

[jhicks]

Interesting experiences here. Its clear that there is more to the process and techniques than meet the eye. As usual, its more than one variable that comes into play and if the compressor, paint, gun, or techniques are not dialed in, the results are not effective at any price.
I seem to learn every day and recognize that these tools require some experience and testing to deliver the desired results. So the "JUNK" comments must be valid perspectives but should be tempered with the realization that many people use them effectively so maybe more testing and research is whats missing. Any tool can deliver poor quality and usually does when improperly used. Folks are still cutting their fingers off on very good table saws. Of course spending more may compensate for inherent weaknesses.depending on the operators experience and skill level in their use.

[myxpykalix]

My experience in painting with anything other than a brush is nil. My comments about the wagners was based on their performance, not my results. For example the first panel i primed and painted turned out ok but it took 2 wagners that just kept shutting down and humming but not shooting any paint out and 3 trips to lowes to get done. I returned them and went to sears and bought a black and decker. It seems to work ok however i can see that i thinned down the mix too much because the primer runs and isn't covering as well. I added some more primer and its doing better. I also notice that the parts of the mdf that have been cut into where the paper top layer is gone just sucks the primer up where the other parts with the paper top layer don't seem to absorb the paint as good. I have a spraygun and compressor but the compressor i have is a monster and i don't want to try to move it just to paint. Plus getting the right air/paint mix is a hassle and i'd waste a quart doing that. Using the arless sprayer for me was the easiest alternative. My comments are based on my experience with the performance of the units and not my results. As you can see from above the black and decker works good but the results weren't that good initially due to my inexperience using the tool. So Jerry is right, and to paraphrase him " the right tool in the wrong hands" still can deliver bad results. So don't let any of my comments sway you one way or the other.

[joewino]

You may want to try some sanding sealer first if the material is soaking up that much primer.

Some folks have had good luck with shellac as a sealer, but I haven't tried it.

My experience is with wood and HDU so what works there may not be correct for MDF.

You've given the rest of us some good advice based upon trial and error. Expensive for you but good for us.

[richards]

Several thin coats of shellac have worked pretty good for me. I buy the 3-lb cut in gallon cans from Home Depot and then thin it to a 1-lb cut. It drys quickly and doesn't stink up the place nearly as badly as some of the other sealers.

I have tried sanding sealer (like Raymond suggested) and I have also tried using watered-down glue. Both work quite well, maybe even better than the shellac; but, because I also use the shellac as a top coat on various projects, I almost always have some on hand ready to use.

[fleinbach]

I really like using MDF for it's great workability but sealing it has always been a problem. At first sander sealer seemed to work best but requires at least 3 to 4 coats before it would stop soaking in. The next best thing I found was something called Folk art sealer in spray cans from Joann Fabrics. This worked in usually 2 coats but it sometimes was a problem to top coat. At times the paint would leach away in maybe just one spot. We tried watered down glue but had problems with it also. The best solution we use at this time is to thin out Ready Patch from Home Depot. It seals in one application but it requires time to thin, apply and sand.

[tomasz]

Vinyl Sealer beats sanding sealer in solids, twice the thickness. Save yourself some work, after that an Acid sealer is thicker and then Polyester type coating. These are all oil based products compatible with quick drying lacquers pre-catalysed and post-catalysed. Sanding MDF lightly before the first sealer or primer coat helps it's adhesion.

[jay_p]

Tomasz,

I don't recognize the primers by their description (such as acid sealer). Are there brand names that you could recommend, or could you explain these product further?

Jay

[tomasz]

Jay,
All of these selers can be bought from your cabinet supply place where they sell lacquer for cabinets and furniture finishing. They are MLCampbell (my favorite), Sherwinn-Williams etc. Those are the sealers, they also have primers that dry quickly and can be all finished in a single day.

http://www.mlcampbell.com/pages/family2.asp

[stockbub]

I am a homebuilder in Texas and we paint all sorts of MFD. Trim to boards to all sort of things. Best thing that alwasy works Sherwin WIlliams lacquer undercoat sprayed with an airless sprayer. Sand smooth and it will fill in any pours in the MDF. THen paint in layers with the same airless sprayer. Since MDF is so smooth that it tends to want to run. HVLP guns are great for finishing cabinets, but sometimes the base coat cannot be obtained with single coat HVLP or most laquer undercoats have to bee too thinned down. An approach might be to apply undercoat with an airless and then regular coat with HVLP. THe HVLP guns that hook up to compressors are not very good since they are more likely to get water in the paint job causing more problems.