Door Refinishing

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
I need to paint some doors from the house remodel. The doors are contractor grade and a light cream color. We want white. I have a couple of Spray-it guns, suction and gravity feeds and 3 need sizes (1.3, 1.5, and 1.X (don't remember) that came with the set. What needle is best for latex? How much thinning if any should I use? This is Valspar cheap paint.
 

Phil S

Phil Soper
Staff member
Corporate Member
Probably 2.0 but cheap paint is your enemy. I am doing the same in my remodel - Using Target white water-borne lacquer
 

Rwe2156

DrBob
Senior User
You’ll have a hard time spraying latex with a gravity feed gun and those sizes of tips without a ton of thinning. That said, it can be done with the right paint ans gun set up. I’ve done it with HVLP gravity fed 1.3 but won’t try it again.

I go with the suction gun and at least a 1.8 tip. Thin to 30 seconds Ford cup.

If it were me I’d use an airless sprayer they are pretty much designed to shoot latex.
 

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
Phil, where do you buy Target coatings, please?
 

Rwe2156

DrBob
Senior User
Not to Butt in, but I use TC pigmented lacquer and love it. Buy from Target Coatings online. The shipping hurts a little but the products are excellent.

But before you go that route you might look into a suction type gun with a larger tip. I have a cheapo Harbor Freight I use to spray mostly primer.

I‘be also successfully sprayed SW ProClassic in a gravity fed, again, quite a bit of thinning, but it worked ok.

I’m not familiar with Valspar. If it’s not too thick I would thin it and see if you can spray it with your set up.
 

golfdad

Co-director of Outreach
Dirk
Corporate Member
SW Pro Classic Gene....If you go that route pm and I will give you a thinning chart. You dont need to thin it much
 

Henry W

Henry
Corporate Member
Phil, where do you buy Target coatings, please?
From the website; get on their mailing list for their discounts, there is always some discount active. I'd send you the latest active ones, but I delete the email if I have no plan to buy. I have used a bunch of their products, and have in general been very pleased with their products (another discussion for reviewing specifics)
Home - Target Coatings
I just received 5 gallons of the product Phil mentioned - the white water born lacquer. I have not used it yet, so can't speak to results (prepare for a flurry of 'finishing related' posts from me).
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
I am curious, how quickly do you have to use the Target / Emtec product?
If I purchase a gallon, and only use half of it, how long will it last in the can?
 

Gofor

Mark
Corporate Member
Latex on a door will result in stains and wear marks around the knobs, as well along the latch edge where people tend to grab it. Latex does not stand up well to wear, and will most likely stain from the oils and dirt on the hands of those opening/closing it. Also very difficult to spray smoothly with most normal spray equipment (hard to atomize for an even and smooth spray pattern due to the size of the paint molecules.) If you are set on latex, you might find the old brush and smooth napped roller will do a better job with less hassle.

The lacquer will be much easier to spray, as well as will hold up better against the wear and staining. It is probably what was originally on the doors. Before spraying, make sure you do a good wipe down of all worn or stained areas to get any oils removed. (Also around hinges if oil was used to lubricate them). Best method is to wipe on DNA with one rag and pick it up with another clean rag. Change out the second rag as needed not to recontaminate the surface.

Edit: Just saw the references to water-borne lacquer. Have never used it, but due to the large size of water molecules, cannot say how well it will spray with traditional equipment. It is an acrylic coating, not a traditional lacquer.
 
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Henry W

Henry
Corporate Member
I am curious, how quickly do you have to use the Target / Emtec product?
If I purchase a gallon, and only use half of it, how long will it last in the can?
I believe Target Coatings suggests a 1 year shelf life for the products, but check their website.
I have successfully used products older than that without issue ( can't recall specifics, but several years?!).
 
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Henry W

Henry
Corporate Member
Latex on a door will result in stains and wear marks around the knobs, as well along the latch edge where people tend to grab it. Latex does not stand up well to wear, and will most likely stain from the oils and dirt on the hands of those opening/closing it. Also very difficult to spray smoothly with most normal spray equipment (hard to atomize for an even and smooth spray pattern due to the size of the paint molecules.) If you are set on latex, you might find the old brush and smooth napped roller will do a better job with less hassle.

Enamel latexes are recommended for trim and doors (compared to 'wall paint' latexes)- with better performance. SW ProClassic is an example.
There are other options too,such as the newer urethane paints; I believe SW brands theirs as Emerald. I have not sprayed these, but liked it brushing - I can't review performance as it has not been long enough (and by the time it is I will have forgotten which product I used..

The lacquer will be much easier to spray, as well as will hold up better against the wear and staining. It is probably what was originally on the doors. Before spraying, make sure you do a good wipe down of all worn or stained areas to get any oils removed. (Also around hinges if oil was used to lubricate them). Best method is to wipe on DNA with one rag and pick it up with another clean rag. Change out the second rag as needed not to recontaminate the surface.

Edit: Just saw the references to water-borne lacquer. Have never used it, but due to the large size of water molecules, cannot say how well it will spray with traditional equipment. It is an acrylic coating, not a traditional lacquer.

Yes Target's 'lacquer' is an acrylic - (mis?)-named as a 'lacquer' because it has 100% burn-in with previous layers. The non-tinted 'lacquer' sprays well, so I went on to try the tinted version.

"large size of water molecules'????
I presume you meant large size of LACQUER or ACRYLIC molecules.
Sure water is large - compared to atoms and sub-atomic particles, but it's a pretty small molecule compared to any polymers.
 

Dee2

Board of Directors, Vice President
Gene
Staff member
Corporate Member
Probably 2.0 but cheap paint is your enemy. I am doing the same in my remodel - Using Target white water-borne lacquer
Confirmed, yes, I have a 2.0 tip.
Which tip do you use for the TC?
Looks like, without my SW discount, the price for the TC is only about $5 more.
 

Phil S

Phil Soper
Staff member
Corporate Member
Confirmed, yes, I have a 2.0 tip.
Which tip do you use for the TC?
Looks like, without my SW discount, the price for the TC is only about $5 more.
I use a 1.5 or 1.7, either will work fine
 

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