Kitchen cabinet paint from a spray can???

I am building maple kitchen cabinets that will be painted semi-gloss white. After reading much debate about Latex versus Oil base, I decided to go with an acrylic paint. I tried brushing Sherwin Williams Waterborne with marginal results. Then I tried spraying it with an HVLP gun. The results were better, but the sheen was not uniform. I then switched to Behr acrylic latex with slightly better results. Both times I sprayed, I thinned with the maximum amount of water allowed (1/2 pint per gallon). I just purchased some Flotrol (sp?) but I have not had a chance to use it.

When I started the project, I built a prototype cabinet and sprayed it with Rustoleum Painters Touch primer, followed by white in a spray can. It came out looking great. It was not unit I looked closer at the can that I realized that their spray (acrylic vinyl) is a different product from their quart can (acrylic latex) for brushing. This was despite both products having matching labels .

Now that I have had so much trouble using the other products, I’m wondering why I switched away from the spray cans. I was wondering if I might be better off to either paint it completely with the spray cans; spray a light coat over the white acrylic latex to even out the sheen; or just spray a semi-gloss clear coat over the white to even out the sheen. Can anyone tell me why any of these ideas are good or bad? With the time and money I have already invested, I am not concerned about any difference in cost. I just want a finish that I can trust for years to come?

Thanks,
Steve

 

Welcome to the forums Steve!

Why would you want to paint maple? Painted cabinets are usually an indicator that they were built with an inferior wood.

The paint in spray cans is drastically reduced to enable it to come out the small tip. The result is - it's hard to get enough coating on the substrate to get a good looking, long wearing paint job.

I've sprayed a lot of proclassic waterborne with an airless and always got good results. The uneven sheen is probably a result of not applying a fluid wet coat of paint. I'd recomend 1 coat of oil base enamel undercoater and 2 coats of waterborne enamel. The waterborne takes a little getting used to and can not be over brushed. Adding a small amount of water to the waterborne will help it brush a little easier.

 

There is no way an aerosol can will do a good job on kitchen cabinets. The low output of the aerosol almost guarantees dry spray and uneven sheen when spraying a large surface.

Uneven sheen is caused by not putting on a full wet coat. If you "dust" the surface with the paint -it will be dull and flat.

Over spray from spraying one panel can cause dry spray on an adjacent panel too.

There is a little bit of a learning curve to spraying a fine finish.

Oil is actually easier to spray than waterbornes, because the paint stays open longer and will absorb over spray better. The down side with oil is that it will yellow over time.

It is easier to spray the waterbornes with an airless than HVLP also. You don't have to thin them with the airless either. You can get a bigger fan with the airless too, and it will force you to work quickly.

Try rolling the waterborne enamel with the dense foam type of roller covers. You will eliminate your dry spray problems and the "texture" left by the foam roller looks similar to airless spray.

 

Thanks for the input. I'll keep plugging away at it. First I'll give the roller a try and then maybe move to an airless sprayer (if the roller is not sufficient). I was really curious about the longevity of acrylic vinyl, over acylic latex. The quality of the sheen was suprisingly good.

Some quick background. I am painting these because my wife said she wanted white Shaker. I'm avoiding oil-base, because I have previously had problems with yellowing. Finally, I am using maple, because I want them to be built with a good quality hard wood, even if I'm the only one who knows


Regards,
Steve

 

Could someone define the minimum qualifications for an airless sprayer in order to paint cabinets with Waterborne? They range from $60 at Home Depot all the way up into the thousands. Most of them seem to be geared toward painting interior walls or house exteriors. I'm just wondering what I would be looking toward investing.

Thanks,
Steve

 

It might be better to rent an airless. I don't know much about the diy type airless units. You definetly want one with a piston pump [it will last longer] It would also be nice to have repair parts available. The smallest "commercial" airless I've ever used is the titan 440. It sprays well but you are limitted on the volume it will pump. I think they run around $800

Airless spraying is regulated in 2 different ways. The pump can be adjusted for higher/lower pressure and the tip regulates your spray pattern and the amount of material it let's thru. I use a 4/15 tip when spraying doors but with your cabinets you might be better off with a smaller 3/11 tip.

 

The airless is kind of an overkill for the cabinets, but the airless will spray the waterborne enamel easier than HVLP.

If you are renting an airless, you won't get the safety information and brochures that would come with a new airless purchase.

It is very important to educate yourself on the safe operation of an airless sprayer before using one. They are a little different than an air gun or HVLP in terms of safety. You can get seriously injured if you accidentally inject yourself with the airless sprayer.