This may be something most of you already know, but I thought I’d share anyway; it was an exciting journey for me.

Lately I’ve been making built-ins that are painted. I’m really not crazy about building stuff to be painted, so anything that gets me though the painting process is a bonus. Many of the built in have had raised panels and painting with a brush was torturous, not to mention brushing tended to leave brush marks, because I can’t bring myself to lay on a coat and leave it alone. So, along the way I found some products that worked and I wanted to share information about them.

To get away from brushing, I bought a DeVilbiss GFG670 gravity feed sprayer from Spraygunworld.com. It works from a regular compressor and uses little air. It sprays nicely and with very little overspray. There are multiple tips for a variety of finishes.

I prime with Sherwin Williams Prep Rite Classic Latex primer (B28W101), thinned with Wagner Paint Easy. To my delight, it doesn’t raise the grain on wood that’s been sanded. The resulting undercoat sands nicely if a super smooth topcoat is desired.

I finish up by spraying a topcoat of Sherwin Williams Pro-Classic waterborne enamel, again thinned with the Wagner Paint Easy. It levels nicely and dries quickly. Unlike regular latex, stuff that’s placed on it doesn’t stick. On shelves, I add a coat of wax for extra measure.

Lastly, since all the coatings are water based, I don’t worry about explosions (I still wear a mask and provide ventilation) When I’m done, I rinse out the gun in the sink.

In a way, I’m sad that my experimenting is over, but if this helps someone, it will be my chance to contribute here for once!