If XSleeper or Marq1 see this I am asking about painting that I got into with them on a thread about painting doors. I broke my question out to a new thread about baseboard in case the discussion helps anyone searching for questions on painting baseboard.

The issue is painting tall baseboard without leaving bubbles caused by trapped air or brush marks. The board's profile is similar to this stuff, but it is finger joint pine not from big box store. I may switch to MDF if I have trouble with chipping or tearouts on cutting, but if I do that will be for another thread. [Pine was selected because for the first couple of boards because they are going into a bathroom and I definitely don't want MDF baseboards in a wet area.]

The issue is what is the best way to paint these boards. I have done the first few boards that are going in a half bath with a high density mini foam roller and that worked pretty well with the exception of some brush marks in the "S" part at the bottom of the OG. I cut in their with a brush before doing the flat with that foam roller. I made all my brush and roller strokes length wise, The flat is fine and the brush marks aren't too bad but I would like to do better.

I am using satin gloss Benjamin Moor Aurora, which is it hardest water borne acrylic. The boards come with primer but I touch it up very lightly with water and #300 paper before painting.

Thanks.

 

I normally paint base with a brush although I will use a roller or spray if coating the base before it's installed. Using a quality brush/cover along with the right technique should minimize maybe eliminate any brush/roller marks. You should always sand lightly between coats of paint. That further reduces any brush marks. 120 or 150 grit is usually sufficient when sanding painted trim.

 

Ive never used a roller on any type of trim work!

Two things make the job, good paint and good tools.

I cant speak to the paint have never used BM but at least you did right by not buying the krap they sell at big box stores!

Brushes, Purdy!

Great quality, decent price, keep them clean and they will last a lifetime!

Combine the two and no bubbles or brush strokes!

Note, the higher the gloss level the more it will show imperfections, hard to say what level of gloss this is compared to other brands but that may be causing some brush strokes to be seen!

 

Already talked about the advantage of a mohair roller over a foam one in the other thread. (Foam rollers can create air bubbles).

 

I tried a mohair roller and it was better than the foam. I didn't even sand the factory applied primer just to see how it would look. Now I will sand the 1st coat of latex and see how it the final looks. If acceptable I can get the half bath back together, but am planning on buying a sprayer.

I can hear the boos in advance, as I am probably getting a Wagner flexio for the HVLP technology. Were I to just buy a HVLP gun I would have to get a larger compressor and deal with flushing out the paint hose. I will use the small cup for base board and the large for painting doors - ALL OUTSIDE if not in a carefully prepared paint room. (Think of a Dexter kill room.

Satin gloss is a step down from semi-gloss.

AS for brushes, mine are all Purdy. A new guy at the big box store just tried to tell me I needed Wooster when I have several Purdy brushes. I clean them and they last quite a while.
I don't go to Sherwin Williams because when I have the local guy acts like he doesn't want to waste his time with you if you aren't a contractor. When I hired a contractor to paint my house I specified and checked that he was using Sherwin Williams or BM.

Maybe there is a reason that Dunn Edwards has a huge store a mile from that SW store.

Actually just came back from that store and had to put up with the typical line about investing in professional equipment (Graco) and how Wagners are plastic. The guy did say that the problem with plastic parts is that professionals tend to use different chemicals that may interact. That means a possibly low flash point or some other means of damaging plastic. I will use this carefully for 6 months and then its garage sale.

 

Besides generally working better, the better airless units have more availability of repair parts. As a pro painter I need an airless that will both pump the quantity needed along with being able to be repaired occasionally. I know very little about the Wagner line or any of the lower end units.

Probably the 2 biggest mistakes diyers make with spray equipment is failing to clean them up well and underestimating where the overspray will go.

 

I acatually bought a Wagner Flexio but am taking it back for two reasons. The entire unit is handheld (that means the nozzle, paint cup, and the turbo fan and motor). That weighs 7 pounds without any paint in the cup. Because of old man arms and hands my wife talked me into returning it for a floor unit (one in which the motor and air trubine sit on the floor and air is delivered to the hand until by a hose. The hand unit only weighs 1 pound. Unlike a traditional HVLP system, you don't use an air compressor but the turbofan.

Still, I just don't trust the quality of what I have gotten with a Wagner, much of which likely is not the equipment but my lack of skill. That was with a Wagner airless system and it is possible that the new hvlp turbo systems are better.

Anyway, after doing some digging I am inclined to going with a little Graco. It should do a beautiful job even if the manufacturer says it only supports a .015 tip. I am not sure what they mean by that, but I believe it takes a larger tip, but the problem is that the gun doesn't pump enough paint at pressure to function as designed. That or the tips wear out more quickly if they are too thick for the tip. I will never put enough paint through it to wear out the tip.

I may look into getting a Fine Finish Low Pressure tip for doing a bathroom vanity and linen pantry.

I already know about the perils of overspray in a house and am setting up a larger empty room to use as a paint room. When done with the doors and base, then I will do its walls and ceiling. Probably with the new Graco but I will backroll the spray.

I am only talking about the little Graco Magnum 5 and possibly the Magnum 7. I don't need a long hose,

 

I bought a Graco Magnum X7 airless sprayer, which may be overkill for my purposes. I may decide to take it back unopen in the a.m. as it is a little over my budget, though it is cheap compared to a really nice system.

 

Actually that is the traditional HVLP, the ones that use an air compressor are HVLP conversion systems.


A .015 tip is the largest I'd consider using for doors. I normally use either a .015 or .013 when spraying enamel on doors. I typically use the 4" width [4/.015] You can use a smaller tip but if you try to use a tip larger than the pump is spec'd for it won't spray correctly. Graco is one of the better brands of airless units although I'm not familiar with their smaller units.

 

So I played with the sprayer a little and damn if it doesn't do a nice job. I only used an old can of Behr Swiss Colony semi gloss that was in incredible condition. Clean up was a pita as I was so careful to follow the instructions, but after doing it once it should be a piece of cake. I did it outside away from the house and I see the problem with overspray inside an occupied home. I think I will live this little gadget.

 

Thinking I may pick up a FFLP [Fine Finish Low Pressure] spray tip. In theory, what I will save on overspray will pay for it and a RACX guard as well as deliver a better finish for the baseboard. The base is 6 inch. I am thinking a 210 or 310 FFLP tip. The 210 may take more passes than a pro would want to make, but for me I am thinking it will give me more control.

 

I don't have any experience with the fine finish tips. I've only sprayed solvent based coatings with a 0.010 tip. Not sure how well they would spray latex paint. A 2" fan is good for spraying trim but IMO it's way to small for doors.

 

Did you mean a 2" fan or a 210 which would have a 4" fan. All the BB I am doing is 6" and I would think that a 2" fan would be too small but if you say a 2" fan I will get one. Looking above I see that you refer to tip with a 4" fan as a 415. I probably don't understand what fan means to a pro. I am guessing you mean the spread to either side from the aiming point.

For the faux grain masonite doors I was just going to use the 510 tip that came with the sprayer. I am just getting educated on how tip selection is so important, perhaps more than sprayer selection so long as the sprayer supports the chosen tip.

Because the sprayer I bought supports a .017 tip I am thinking it should have no trouble with pushing this latex interior.

Thanks for the benefit of your knowledge. I am off to a real paint store to look at tips.

 

The first number designates the fan width but you have to double the number to get the spray with. The second number is the size of the orifice and determines how much paint will come thru. I usually use a 4/15 on doors which is actually an 8" spray pattern. A 5/17 is good for walls, I'll use a 5/19 on ceilings or if I have commercial walls with few openings. I use a 4/13 with varnish. Those are my go to tip sizes. Larger tips require a stouter pump than I have and smaller tips are too slow for me although I may use a smaller one for specialty jobs.I think the smallest tip I own is a 3/11.

But all my spraying is done as a pro painter with pro equipment. I'd assume a novice with diy type spray equipment would need to tone it down a notch [smaller tip size] You'll know a lot more what works well for you once you get started. Some of the smaller pumps require the paint to be thinned slightly to spray properly.

 

I picked up a FFLP412 yesterday and will play with it today. I also met the manager of the local SW store. In the past they acted there like they didn't have time for a homeowner. The guy was friendly and helpful, even though I already was set for now. I figured out how to pull up the info online providing recommended tips for paints and the .012 is supported for both the BM I have and the what the SW recommended for trim and doors - Pro Classic Waterborne Acrylic. (I almost bought a FFLP208 but thought it would be crazy trying to push latex through it without a lot of thinning. Perhaps not but based on results with the regular 515 I should be able to do nicely with the this.

I will probably switch to SW for paints since it seems there is more info to be gathered on the internet from experienced painters re SW than BM.

 

There are a lot of pro painters that use BM, the main reason I used SWP was store location/hours. There are only 2 BM stores in the region where I live and they open later and close earlier than the 5 SWP stores.

Most brands of paint have a cheap, decent and great line of paint. You can never go wrong with their best coatings although often mid line is adequate.

 

I am about done with painting the 6" base for the first (and most difficult) room using the FFLP412 tip. It is working beautifully though I have yet to set up a spray booth as there is so much clutter in my garage. I probably could have gone with a FFLP310, but I was concerned that it would require thinning and lazy guy that I be, I am pumping it straight from the can.

 

Paint is formulated to be applied straight out of the can ..... and should be whenever possible although sometimes some substrates in some conditions benefit from thinning the paint so it will flow better.

 

I tried to apply a thin first coat and have let it dry for 2 hours. BM says it dries in an hour and a second coat can be applied. I am wondering if that is such a good idea if I want to lightly sand the first coat? Is the manufacturer saying shoot it after an hour if you are not sanding?

 

It depends on how thin the coat is and the drying conditions whether or not it will be sandable after one hour.

 

After asking I thought it was one of those it depends on many factors questions. The coat was thin and decided to sand it, but lightly with some wet 220. Encountered no problems and now for the second coat. Drying conditions are dry and hot in Southern California.

 

I finished the first room and am happy with the product, even though I made some mistakes that I should be able to avoid in the rest of the house. Thank you all for the help.

My neighbor stopped by to help me reinstall a sink and he was impressed with the base board. He had his done "professionally" in mdf, but the contractor wanted to do it in a hardwood. I am happy with my paint grade finger joint pine.

 

Any tip on a better way to paint my base? I lay 3 or 4 of the 16 foot 6" boards on a couple of saw horses, turn my tip guard to spray side to side, hold the gun above the nearest edge of the nearest board and make a pass down it. Then I do the same thing above the center of the board, followed by a pass over the far side of that board. The fan of that pass covers the nearest edge of the next nearest board and so I make a pass over the middle of board 2. That is followed by a pass over 2's far edge and that gets the nearest edge of board 3. Continued until all 3 or 4 boards are painted. I walk as quick as I can using a 312 Low Pressure Fine Finish Tip with a 6" fan.

Even then, I think I am putting on too much paint since I can only walk so fast.

My plan is to let it dry 24 hours and then, after a light sanding, do a second coat.

 

Have you tried turning the pump down some? ideally you'd learn to move faster

 

I'd be putting them on top of a 2x4 so they don't dangle. And yes, just move faster.

Hope your not painting the neighbors car or windows with your over spray drift.

 

As for moving faster, I will try stepping up. That 2X4 idea I can do. As for spray drift there are no problems. Even though I watch for wind, the yard is completely enclosed and I tape up plastic all around before I shoot. Today I sanded any orange peel out with some 320 and will be doing the second coat in the morning. In addition to moving too slow and possibly having the pump up to high, I think the heat contributed to too much orange peel. I thought about buying some Benjamin Moore extender, which is supposed to help with spraying in the heat. That introduces one more variable for me to get wrong. I think the best thing is to have the spraying done before 9 A.M. Thanks again.

Looking at that pic I posted and thinking about the drooping boards, I just realized that the distance from the spray tip to the boards nearly doubles due to drooping. I will definitely set a 2x or another saw horse up to level the boards.

 

I rarely add any Floetrol or Xtends to paint I intend to spray. Thinning the paint slightly should help with the orange peel. Your orange peel is more of an application issue than a paint consistency or heat issue. It's a lot easier to spray wood that is flat versus drooping or flopping around.

 

I added a third sawhorse to permit better support, turned my pressure down slightly, and moved as quick as my legs would let me. There is very little orange peel. It may also have helped that I had all the spraying done before 8 a.m.. Now I am ready to cut and hang baseboard.