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Spraying latex with CAT pump

4/25/20       
mastercabman

I have a CAT pump 14:1 with the cougar gun
I don't spray full time,I'm more of a cabinet installer and build/finish cabinets on small scale and sometimes refinish kitchens and baths
I haven't been spraying lately, trying to stay busy with whatever I can get
Lately I've been getting jobs like small built-in,trim, closets and odds and ends
So my friend who keeps me busy keeps asking me if I want to paint those projects
But he just wants to use the paint that the homeowner picks and it's mostly latex paint
So since I have a pump,I'm wondering if I can put it to work and spray latex out of it
I believe currently I have a 411 tip/nozzle
And been using my pump with solvent base finish
Is it foolish to try to use it for that purpose and then go back to solvent when needed?
Or am I better off to get a dedicated pump?
Can I spray latex with my pump?

4/25/20       #2: Spraying latex with CAT pump ...
MarkB

Why not just tell him you'd be glad to spray the work but he just has to give you the color/formula from the job and have your preferred finish mix pigmented to match? You'd have to have a touch of lead time to wait on the material and of course have to bring in likely a gallon for every job but you'd be spraying a much more dependable product that may well be a one coat and done or two and you'd be left with a finish that will blow everything else in the job out of the water?

That may be why he wants you to spray home center/consumer paint because your worst day will ship a finish that will make the rest of the work in the job look like hell.

If he is insisting you spray consumer latex of a quality level you have no control over I wouldnt even bother shooting it through anything other than a cheap gravity gun or even PPS with a large cup and large head. You can at least swap out the heads for $4-5 bucks when the pattern degrades.

We just shipped a job that the architect and interior designer spec'd to be finished on-site by the painters with SW consumer paint (would likely have been promar 200) but they last minute asked us to finish in-house. We had the color matches on 8 colors in 3 days and the job went out looking like the hood of a corvette. Would have never been possible with consumer latex without a ton of work.

Just my 0.02 but I would just tell him you'd be happy to finish his work but he need not tell you what material your going to use. If your price is acceptable you get to the end how YOU choose, not how he tells you.

4/25/20       #3: Spraying latex with CAT pump ...
mastercabman

@MarkB

Thanks for your reply
Of course I can have my paint tech to match the color in a solvent based.product
That's what I usually do,but in those cases that I mentioned in my OP my friend is trying to help me by giving me more work
He usually buys everything he needs for the job and he usually paint himself or he uses a painter so I don't think he wants to spend more money on different paint if he's already have enough in the latex form

4/25/20       #4: Spraying latex with CAT pump ...
rich c.

In my opinion, latex paint in the kitchen will give you a definite call back. Not great around the stove, dishwasher, and sink. Sprayed too heavily on book cases and you will have issues with anything heavy put on it will leave an imprint or could even ruin an antique book. Extra work is one thing, redoing work for free won't help, and paying for damage to other items will hurt. Sorry I can't help you with that specific pump and gun.

4/26/20       #5: Spraying latex with CAT pump ...
MarkB

I wasnt really referring to a solvent pigment match. If he is running any name brand paint you could likely have it matched from SW industrial in KemAqua water and you'd still be spraying a product far more suitable to your shop and equipment and the price per gallon (unless he is really spraying builder grade) will not be much more.

I understand going after the work offered for sure. My point is just that the material cost on finish is usually never a make or break on the job. The money is in the handling, sanding, prep, scuff, blah blah. If you could run Kem Aqua at 50-60 a gallon and shoot it like wild fire with zero issues through the gun, zero fighting, a product you will be familiar with in no time, and one you can reasonably stand behind,... the cost per gallon will be pretty much nothing.

Just my $0.02. Im always kinda cautious when I get in a situation where Im wanting to chase some work and find the customer telling me what Im going to use,.. that usually gets my spidey senses tingling.

I'd personally say to him "lets try it my way one job and see what you think". I will guarantee you (coming from 35 years as a ground up GC) there is no way he will be able to deliver the level and quality of finish you will be able to in the shop for the cost you should be able to provide it for.

He may wind up with a finish 3 miles ahead of what he has been delivering for the same or a tiny bit less/more money.

4/26/20       #6: Spraying latex with CAT pump ...
MarkB

Not to mention a product like KemAqua (or any other pigmented water you have access to) will usually be dry to scuff in 20 minutes if you have any heat/air flow, and the same for stacking/packaging time. The savings in dry time and pack time and no parts gluing themselves together alone would count for a lot of dallaz...

4/27/20       #7: Spraying latex with CAT pump ...
Bill  Member

Website: canadianacabinets.com

I have had experience with latex sprayed with a pump AAA unit. It was not good. Air bubbles where created that stayed imbedded in the finish. Previously I had used a standard cup gun or pressure pot with good success.
Stay safe.

4/27/20       #8: Spraying latex with CAT pump ...
Pat

Yes, you can get latex to spray through your CAT pump (I have the same one), but you'll need a bigger tip (at least a 13) and you'll still have to thin it quite a bit. I hate spraying latex for so many reasons: recoat time, sanding ability, doesn't lay out well, final appearance and coating performance, to name a few.

There are some alternatives like Insl-x CabinetCoat that are waterbased and spray much better. Still not my favorite, but they carry it at my local paint store and color match it to Ben Moore (BM bought the Insl-x brand a few years back.

4/27/20       #9: Spraying latex with CAT pump ...
mastercabman

Thanks everyone for your input
I think I will not use my pump for latex

Just to be clear
I'm not trying to spray cabinets with latex
I will Never to that!

My friend is just trying to keep me busy by giving me work
The paint was bought when he started the projects
I don't have control on that
He or someone else was going to paint those jobs
Most of it are trim, crown molding, shelving material for closets,etc...
I was just wondering if I could put my pump to work for that purpose
I've had my share in trying to spray latex thru a turbine or spray gun and I learned that it is a waste of time!!!

4/27/20       #10: Spraying latex with CAT pump ...
MarkB

Even in that situation you would still likely be more competitive if he were to just set the material purchased aside and you spray the work with a pigmented waterborne color match. Even setting aside several gallons of material I'd bet you'd still save him money.

The rack/dry time alone above and beyond the finish quality would be night and day.

May be a good chance to sell him all around on you doing the finishing though if things get busy building cabs it may be something you regret.

I never assumed you were spraying cabs. Pre-fin trim and molding, interior doors and jambs, base, etc.. Still might be lucrative if you can run a WB pigmented that dries super fast and hard.

Ive done the latex thing a few times and drying racks stacked full that seem barely dry after an overnight with good air movement. Then you bundle and shrink wrap and they are stuck together, the finish is so soft corners marr adjacent parts, bleh.

50-60 a gallon WV pigmented never does that.

Good luck... I say sell him on better than site finished consumer if he will take it

4/28/20       #11: Spraying latex with CAT pump ...
Kevin Member

I bought an upgraded graco gun with their small fine finish tips and it changed my opinion of airless spraying. I have a cheap(ish) airless rig just for latex and it really lays out well. The small tips give much more control, almost as much as AAA. Still not a fan of latex, but sometimes the job calls for it.

6/21/20       #12: Spraying latex with CAT pump ...
Quicktrim

I have tried the Insl-x cabinet coat and it was a complete disaster for me. The stuff took forever to dry and stuck together after 24 hr dry time. Was so thick it never payed out well even after cutting it. Get a Piston pump and some ff tips to spray latex and also with small tips 310 or 210 will spray waterborne well also and keep the CAT for solvents.


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