For cabinets I recommend SW Kem Aqua or Kem Aqua Plus WB lacquer. The Plus version has a better surfacer that is sandable to a powder in 20 min, and the topcoat comes closer to being ready to spray unreduced, with about 2% thinning. The Plus version seems to be retarded a bit relative to the original version, and takes longer to dry and cure. It's naughty, but I use the Plus Surfacer with the original topcoat because I like the immediate hardness of the topcoat. It compares to a precat solvent borne lacquer in hardness, abrasion resistance, block resistance, etc (my opinion). Also, WB lacquers are made for spraying and they spray a lot easier than paint. If you want to use your existing setup, which sounds like a conventional airspray cup gun, get yourself a Ford #4 cup and reduce the Kem Aqua to 45 sec with water. The ideal system is probably air assisted airless, but airless also should work very well. Use a finite finish tip like Graco RAC-X 310FF or 208FF, with less reduction. The airless is your best option for paint, since you need high pressures to atomize it without over-reducing. You can get a great finish with straight airless.

I'd also be interested in reports on the Zero VOC acrylic, and other SW industrial finishes. One that interests me is Sher-Cryl High Performance Acrylic enamel. I'm thinking about interior architectural repaints...

The SW Chemical Coatings division and its wood, product, and industrial finishing lines are totally different from the consumer lines. They have some impressive waterborne coatings in these lines.

 

You won't get the pro industrial through your gun without an airless. It's a precat epoxy coating, not a wood finish coating. You might be disappointed.

Do some research on wood coatings and order them from the companies that make them - MLC, valspar wood, mohawk, general finishes, chemcraft etc.

 

@more_prep
I'll have to check with the office girl if they have SW Kem Aqua Plus Lacquer available. I did not see that particular range when I was at their office previously.

When you say Surfacer, do you mean the Primer?

I imagine drying times will be hellish for me, seeing as to how the relative humidity levels for me are between 75%-85% daily/monthly/yearly.

I've not yet had to opportunity to come across a pre-cat solvent borne finish over here, but good hardness + abrasion resistance sounds fantastic to me!

What do you think about spraying via a 5 stage HVLP setup, and maybe thinning the primer and topcoat more? An airless setup is quite unrealistic for me at the moment due to the small volume of cabinetry I spray every month.

@Rcon
I'm not sure what a precat epoxy coating is, but I gathered from the PDS over at SW (http://www.sherwin-williams.com/document/PDS/en/035777022900/) that it is a "Single Component 100% Acrylic Coating".

I wish I had all the stated brands you mentioned for me to try, but where I'm from, just to find a WB pigmented top coat finishing (with a low/zero VOC count no less) was a treasure hunt in itself.

Much appreciated for the input more_prep and Rcon, my painting terms probably sound weird but I'm learning as I go!

 

I think there is a primer/surfacer and a sealer. I use KA+ surfacer E64W520, and KA low gloss blending white topcoat.

http://oem.sherwin-williams.com/us/eng/products/categories/wood/

It's harder to spray pigmented WB coatings than clears. They are harder to atomize. I have not used a turbine HVLP, but a compressor driven HVLP didn't work that well with a variety of tips and aircaps. When I don't use an air assisted airless, I use a Devilbiss Compact trans-tech gravity gun with 1.4mm tip. It atomizes much better than an HVLP but has HVLP transfer rates. You might be able to use a 5-stage turbine, not sure. If you reduce much more than 45 sec in a Ford #4 cup, sags and runs will become a real problem. The key is pressure at the air cap.

Dry times for these products are FAST. Sandable in 30 min, stackable overnight.

I have tried many of the other products RCON mentions, plus several others. I sprayed sample quarts of about 8 or 10 different WB lacquers before settling on Kem Aqua.

The SW website has a comparison brochure on their Pro-Industrial line.

SherCryl HPA is here:

http://protective.sherwin-williams.com/detail.jsp?A=sku-26028:product-6795

I have no connection to SW...

 

Take more_prep advice! Stop foolin around with other systems or advice. Kem-Aqua is exactly what you need period. Don't need a fancy sprayer blowin air everywhere, a simple airless sprayer is all that's needed. Get your hands on some KA and do some samples. I heat my material and use butyl cellusolve depending on weather conditions.

 

@more_prep

Thank you for the product name, I will check it out!

I understand that spraying WB Pigmented coatings is a bigger challenge that WB clear, and finding the sweet point between atomizing it just right, and not over atomizing it is key (am I right on this?).

I checked out the price of that particular sprayer (http://www.spraygunworld.com/products/DeVilbiss/Compacts/CompactCViWater.html), not cheap!

I found the dry times on the Multi-purpose primer to be extremely fast as well, an hour and it was dry to the touch (applied the primer with a brush). I waited for about 5-6 hours before I hit it with one coat of topcoat (reduced 10% water), and that one took about an hour + to dry as well. That was all done yesterday, checked it today and the topcoat finish still feels "wet". Will give it another day.

@HeadHoncho

I wish I had other systems to mess with, how else to learn but to compare yknow? Unfortunately here in Singapore I could only find SW offering legitimate paint systems. Same with sprayers, we only have Graco & Wagner here. Tons of taiwanese/china made brands, but I'm staying away from those as best as possible.

 

@more_prep

Thank you for the product name, I will check it out!

I understand that spraying WB Pigmented coatings is a bigger challenge that WB clear, and finding the sweet point between atomizing it just right, and not over atomizing it is key (am I right on this?).

I checked out the price of that particular sprayer (http://www.spraygunworld.com/products/DeVilbiss/Compacts/CompactCViWater.html), not cheap!

I found the dry times on the Multi-purpose primer to be extremely fast as well, an hour and it was dry to the touch (applied the primer with a brush). I waited for about 5-6 hours before I hit it with one coat of topcoat (reduced 10% water), and that one took about an hour + to dry as well. That was all done yesterday, checked it today and the topcoat finish still feels "wet". Will give it another day.

@HeadHoncho

I wish I had other systems to mess with, how else to learn but to compare yknow? Unfortunately here in Singapore I could only find SW offering legitimate paint systems. Same with sprayers, we only have Graco & Wagner here. Tons of taiwanese/china made brands, but I'm staying away from those as best as possible.

Honestly the $300 or $400 isn't all that expensive. Considering an actual AAA unit runs probably $2,500 or so.

 

Yes, the Devilbiss CVi trans-tech 1.4mm is the spraygun I use. Great with the deKups system, but with a plastic cup, also very convenient. Don't get an aluminum cup for waterbornes. It will corrode. Also check out CA Technologies. Also look at Finish Systems for a Ford #4 cup, spray guns, and other accessories. The key is a "trans-tech" or "compliant" aircap.

I don't think you need to worry about over-atomizing pigmented waterbornes. It just won't happen, in my experience. Under-atomizing gives you orange peel. I should say there is another school of thought on this -- with HVLP guns, many people use large fluid tips like 2.2mm to spray thicker coatings. I have never tried this, since a tip set is over $100. I have tried tips from 0.8 to 1.7 mm, and found that smaller tips put out smaller droplets, i.e., atomize better. You can't go too small without choking off the flow too much, though. Seems like around 1.4 to 1.5 mm is a good compromise with WB lacquers. Others report 2.2 mm works well.

If you can get the Kem Aqua line, it's a world of difference. Designed for spraying cabinets and furniture in factories. You can prime and paint, sand out runs, etc, paint again, and be done the same day.

Graco makes some excellent entry level airless sprayers that are inexpensive ($200 US or so). I think there are some comments about them in this forum. Depends whether you want to develop the skill to use it without getting runs...which takes practice. In fact all spraying takes practice, and there are many ways to screw up...

 

It's been 2 weeks since the cabinet doors had their final topcoat (1 primer -> let dry for about half a day -> 240 sandpaper -> 1 top coat -> let dry for half a day -> 320 sand -> 1 more top coat).

The doors still have a "sticky" feel to them when I run my hand over it. Even more apparent when I had to wrap the doors to prep for delivery to the site! Quite literally had to pry the doors apart.

What am I doing wrong?

Also regarding the Kem Aqua Plus system, I read on bloggingpainters that touch ups for the Kem Aqua Plus are via spray only? I can't imagine having 2-3 doors that might have been nicked during transport, and me having to bust out the airless again just to touch up the doors.

Really appreciate all the input so far, thanks guys.

 

What product did you use for the top coat, it almost sounds like the paint hasn't cured yet. What temp were they painted at?

 

I dont have much to add except when I transport freshly painted doors and draws I always have wax paper separating them to prevent them sticking together. Works great.

 

@97audia4

I used SW Pro Industrial "Zero VOC" Acrylic in Extra White/Semi Gloss (http://www.sherwin-williams.com/document/PDS/en/035777022900/) for the top coat, and the SW "Zero VOC" Multi Purpose Latex-Primer for the primer. I sprayed the doors at around 30°C/86°F, around 80% relative humidity.

@straight_lines

Sorry about the confusion, the "tacky" sprayed cabinet doors issue that I am having is with regards to the above mentioned paints, not the KA+ range.

Can I ask how you are spraying the KA+ primer and topcoats? Do you find yourself having to reduce with water, or just spraying it full body?

I've actually put in the order for the SHER-WOOD® Kem Aqua® Plus Surfacer, and the SHER-WOOD® Kem Aqua® Plus White. I won't be mixing the old KA range with the newer KA+ range.

A shame the KA+ topcoats do not come in a matte/satin finish.

Also, shipping costs will be the death of me...

 

bump for an answer!