Everyone here is recommending solid advice, the basic: Clean, Sand, Clean, Prime, Paint.
I painted our cabinets 2 years ago and everyone who sees them cannot believe the finish we achieved. Here are the key points I took away from the project:
'Waterbourne Alkyd Paint' is the only paint you should use, period ! This is a more modern, expensive paint, works like latex, dries like oil. Water based clean up and outstanding leveling properties. I exclusively used Benjamin Moore Advance and it is now my go-to paint for furniture and the like. Water based clean up.
Paint Sprayer. I used a $100 Wagner HVLP from Amazon This product made painting a breeze! I was able to get outstanding coverage and much more even thin coats which is key to a flat hard finish. I could control spray and flow which made painting much easier. Also, clean up is super easy using the paints I suggested, fill with water, spray out till clear, done.
Primer. Primer selection is just as important as paint selection. If you go to a Benjamin Moore store they can rec. the best primer to use with the paint you plan to use. If I recall, I used Zinners 1-2-3, again applied via the sprayer - it's water based clean up again.
Coat and Cure. BM Advanced has a much longer open time - time till its hardened and cured. It also best applied in thinner multiple coats. I did 2-3 coats of Primer, then 3-4 for paint. I even painted the insides of the frames, shelves, and its all holding up very well. Exceeding my expectations.
HVLP sounds like what I need!
Would something like this do the job? I’m assuming it’s a pressurized cup gun since it’s on the bottom
I bought this one.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B003PGQI48/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_vvduFb690BVY7
Figure I can resell it. But I want to paint some doors that I didn't get to yet.
Gotta clean the tip as it clogs the only complaint.
I don't like being pressured with rentals since life happens.
I recently bought and used this to build some cabinets for my utility room. It worked pretty well once I figured out the settings/paint consistency.
Ultimately, you are buying a $100 paint gun, more likely than not it will not work perfectly. I will say I was pleased with my purchase though.
Firstly, best paint for this job. HANDS DOWN. I painted my cabs two years ago and they still look phenomenal. BM Advanced has incredible leveling properties. This also means it has a longer open-time till fully cured. Many thin coats will be your friend. If you've never used a water borne alykd paint, it's gonna rock your world.
When I painted mine I used a cheap Wagner HVLP sprayer. It blew away my expectations on coverage and ease of use, I high recommended this. Flow is easy to dial in, and the paint does not need to thinned. Plus, BM Advanced is water clean up. So just run water thru the gun and done. Using this I even sprayed the INSIDE of my cabs. No issues.
Filling holes isn't a bad idea, and now is the time to do them. I've since found one or two I prob should have fixed up. I would use a wood putty or filler, over fill it, sand it smooth.
Your general clean up/scuff up process looks fine. A decent coat or two of primer will really help you get an idea of where your final finish will be at. I believe I primed, then caulked, then sanded, then threw on 4-5 coats of paint. I did not sand between coats, I felt the sprayer put down a nice finish and didn't want to mess with it.
Also, I did not use matching Primer. I too used whatever the BM Sales Guy rec. It worked just fine, and also was applied via the spray gun. It should also go without saying but any type of hardware upgrades (boring hinges, drilling new handles ect.) is better done now than later. What primer did they rec. to you?
I just bought this one about a month ago: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PGQI48/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I use it for doors, cabinets, and trim and I couldn't be more pleased. It isn't super quick, but I do really like the results.
Home depot also rents sprayers but I've never tried those. They'd probably be much faster. I've just started renting tools from them, and I wish I had started doing it sooner. So many projects I did the hard way because I didn't want to spend money on the right tool.
latex paint works best with an airless sprayer, but those will run you $300+.
I picked up a wagner https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0518080-Control-Spray-Sprayer/dp/B003PGQI48/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1469559938&sr=8-3&keywords=paint+sprayer
works ok for such things. it cant quite vaporize the paint, even after thinning with some floetrol and water. But it works better than a brush.
Its certainly faster, but it does waste a fair amount of paint.
Still, I hate painting, Ive gotten my money's worth IMO. Though with the amount Ive used it, I wish i had gotten an airless sprayer.
I purchased this wagner hvlp sprayer from amazon and used 3.5 gallons of plastidip that I picked up from plastidip's site directly.
Oil will be smelly, but spraying will be no worse than painting. Are you planning on getting a compressor? If not, a self contained spray gun should work for you. Something like this:
I just recently purchased a "Wagner 0518080 Control Spray Max HVLP Sprayer" from Amazon. I found a damaged box deal for $100 with Prime. I have only used it for one project (about 4 different coats of paint).
I figured I can equate the cost of the sprayer by time saved during jobs. Each coat took about 5 minutes after I got the settings figured out (easy). Clean up took about 5 minutes after I figured out a good way to do it (you basically just run hot soapy water through it).
I know that most exterior paint is thicker, so I am not sure about doing exteriors of houses, but this sprayer had minimal overspray and did a pretty good job for cheap!
If you want to save yourself some money try this puppy out!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PGQI48/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PGQI48/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
here is my HLVP...the reviews are probably better than I can do. I like it.
whether or not its worth it???? YES.....spraying the corners and fronts was sooooo much easier than using a brush....in fact, I cant imagine using brushes for this
Zooming in the photo, it looks like MDF, so is not a priceless hierloom. You can't restain it, so your only choice is to paint it or replace it.
The challenge with painting is getting a smooth finish - its best to spray rather than using a brush. Spray cans may be the easiest approach. Use a primer, give it a very light sanding (400 grit or higher), and then a couple of light coats of color. The challenge is to not get the paint too thick that it will run. So go for more light coats than trying to cover it. If you get a run or thick spot, scrape / sand it down, and respray that area with light coats.
If you are likely to do more furniture, and things in the future, a wagner hvlp sprayer and detail kit would be a good investment, but not for just one item.
5 gal is useless for paint.
You could try something like this. I have no experience with this tool.
I personally used this one to do the wifes car and it worked mostly fine other then some user error on my part
(i got alot of texture on the roof cuz i was afraid of leaning over the car)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PGQI48
it looks like Amazon right now has a used -like new one for 71.59+tax.
Good luck in your dip job
That makes sense. I have the one in the Wiki!
https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0518080-Control-Spray-Sprayer/dp/B003PGQI48
Probably fixed link
oh lol maybe something like this http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0518080-Control-Spray-Sprayer/dp/B003PGQI48/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8 might work??
I was looking at this one. any thoughts?
YES. I know that I'm going to get downvoted to hell because everyone on here says not to do it. And I don't have any experience using a professional sprayer.
BUT, I do have this Wagner sprayer with it's own mini-compressor (not attached to the gun, this is important) and it's awesome! I've used it to paint my whole house (interior). I've had very minimal (if any) overspray. I just tape off the molding and lay some paper down where the wall meets the floor and go to town. I actually bought one of those trim tools someone else suggested and add some Floetrol or water to make it easier to spray.
For 100 bucks, it's been a worthwhile investment. Taping off takes the most time...I find that I can paint a room in about 30min. It really makes up time in the cutting in, rolling, rolling, rolling, dipping the roller back in the pan, rolling some more. You just move your arm and spray until the container is empty.
Edit: All of you guys are pussies. There are a bunch of stay at home mommy bloggers who use paint sprayers and do just fine.