Stephen and other carpenters

I've been building cabinets for over 40 years and never painted one. My wife wants to paint everything in our bath white. Want to prime all the black ash? Can I spray Kiltz from my HVLP sprayer if I thin it? Mineral spirits?

It seems women, (at least a lot of them) don't like wood or want to paint it. They like sheetrock painted some light or washed out color.

light gray

Its been a while bit it seemed like Kilz was kind of thin any how. They do make a water based kilz now. Yes I think you could use your HVLP. Might take a few practice swipes at the shop wall, haha. gobble

Unless it is really bad wood, painting wood is equivalent to throwing a tarp over it. I contend that wood is art. If it was HDFB or OSB, by all means paint it. Primer and paint reduce the value of real wood to zero. (I teach University classes in woodworking and do not allow pigmented coverings. Choose the wood for what it will look like with a quality urethane finish. Jim

In answer to you question, I see no reason it would not work, prime and paint practice piece first.

It also kills me to paint good wood, but it happens.

Wall paper it, it will come off!! Jim

Can't save the world Jim. lol

Top feed guns can take pretty thick paint, might try some un thinned first.

Spraying cabinets creates a whole different set of problems especially with a HVLP sprayer. The HVLP sprayer is better suited for automotive finishes which are thin as water. Then you have the problem getting inside of a cabinet and spraying especially in the corners. The paint tends to get more airborne and swirl around instead of going on the cabinet. A gun which the paint is pressurized would do much better. You could use an airless but personally I think that is too much pressure or use a pressure pot sprayer. I use one you could put 2 1/2 gallons in at a time but if you are only doing a small project like a vanity a smaller one like the 64 oz sprayer Harbor Freight sells would probably be the best bet. It's the item number 93312 which they list for 45 bucks. It comes with the cup, hoses and sprayer. With the paint pressurized there isn't so much airborne overspray. It sprays more direct and you can turn the gun at any angle and get into small places you could never do with a cup gun.

You should also know ash is an open grain wood and the grain pattern of the wood will show through the paint. You could use a lot of primer sanding between the coats to fill this and make the surface smooth or you might use a paste wood grain filler prior to painting.

Different Kilz primers use a different thinner. If it's a latex primer you would thin it with water. If it's the Kilz original primer it's an oil based primer and naphtha would be a better thinner. You could use mineral spirits but naphtha is a faster drying solvent and better suited when spraying oil based finishes.

That's kind of a waste of black Ash to paint it!

True enough, just those i reach successfully. Jim

CH
I have ran a custom cabinet shop for more than 40 yrs and have always dreaded the painted jobs, However the best method I have found is colored precat Laquer get it mixed to whatever color you want spray color coat and then finish with clear coat to prevent yellowing. We just finished a job with all white cabinets and a black Island. It would not be my choice but it is what pays the bills. If you don't want the grain to show you will have to use some kind of grain filler and then sand b4 you spray color. If you are building for someone else charge at least 50 percent more than usual or you will not come out on the job. Will be glad to answer any ?s you have.

I think it's bread into them. They will take a perfectly beautiful piece of wood and "antique" it, then proceed to tell you how good it looks. BUT, if you go out and buy an antique and bring it home, they'll say "what did you buy that piece of junk for?" I give up. ;-)

First of all you guys are funny. I thinned it down by 1/3. Went on thin but fine. My wife actually liked spraying, gave her a quick lesson. My slogan was always "I build, you paint" Thanks again guys.

Thanks Stephen, Used oil and thinned with mineral spirits. Worked well I built the frames in, she's going to brush that on. In four years the "taste" is going to change and she'll be scraping the paint off.

If you think you will be stripping the paint off someday be sure to seal the wood with a de-waxed shellac such as Zinsser Sealcoat prior to priming. This will make the paint a whole lot easier to remove.