Vol. XXVI · No. 04 • Workshop Almanac
— The Everyday Handyman —
Est. MMXIX
Vol. XXVI · No. 04 • Workshop Almanac
Est. MMXIX
HVLP, LVLP, or airless? The right spray gun depends on your coating and the finish you want. This guide covers gun types, nozzle and needle sizes, and feed styles. We cover air needs too. A good spray gun lays paint down like glass. Coat cabinets, doors, furniture, fences, or a whole room. Get an even finish with little overspray. Pick the gun that fits your work, not the flashiest box.
§ II — Reader’s Manual
A spray gun is the line between glass and orange peel. The right one depends on your coating and compressor. Your patience for cleanup matters too. Do you want a smooth coat or a fuzzy mess? The gun decides. Do not grab the first one on the shelf. Here are the six things we weigh.
HVLP guns give fine control and low overspray. They shine on cabinets, furniture, and trim. LVLP guns sip even less air for small compressors. Airless sprayers push thick paint fast for walls and fences. Handheld cordless guns trade finish for quick convenience. Pick the type your projects call for.
Fluid tip size follows how thick the coating is. Figure 1.2 to 1.4 mm for thin lacquers and stains. Go 1.5 to 1.8 mm for latex and primer. Heavy paint needs a larger tip. Too small clogs and spatters. Too large floods the surface. Match the setup to what you spray most.
Gravity-feed guns mount the cup on top. They use paint well and atomize fine. Siphon-feed guns hang the cup below for big volume. Pressure-feed suits thick coatings and long runs. For most cabinet and furniture work, gravity-feed HVLP is the sweet spot. Feed style shapes the finish.
An HVLP gun is only as good as its compressor. Check the gun’s CFM at working PSI. Make sure your tank keeps up without sputtering. Undersized air means a starved gun and blotchy paint. Some turbine HVLP systems skip the compressor entirely. Feed the gun the air it needs.
Adjustable fan, fluid, and air controls tune the gun to the job. A wide fan covers panels. A tight fan handles edges. HVLP’s high transfer efficiency puts more paint on the piece. That saves material and cleanup. Control beats raw speed for a fine finish. Slow and steady wins here.
A spray gun lives or dies by cleanup. Solvent coatings demand a full teardown after every use. Stainless passages resist waterborne paint corrosion. Good seals stop the drips. Buy a gun with easy rebuild kits. Common needles and nozzles keep it alive for years.
Read the guide. Then close the tab and walk away. Come back tomorrow with fresh eyes. The pick that still feels right after a good sleep is usually the one to buy. Sleep on it. Your wallet will thank you.
§ II — Specimen Pages
§ II — Specimen Pages
Every good pick also means guns we left off. Below are the ones we stopped recommending. It is not about one brand. These let you down at the finish. A bad gun shows in every orange-peel panel. Why ruin good paint with a poor tool? Skip these and spray clean.
Old high-pressure guns blast half the paint into the air. That overspray coats your walls, not the wood. For cabinets and furniture, use an HVLP gun. More paint lands on the piece.
A single fixed nozzle cannot spray thin lacquer and thick latex. One clogs, the other floods. Choose a gun with swappable fluid tips and needles. Size them to your coatings. One tip cannot do it all.
A big airless rig flies through walls and fences. But it wastes paint and fights you on small jobs. Cleanup is a chore for one door. Match the sprayer to the scale of the work.
A cheap gun with no spare needle or seals is disposable. One clogged cleanup and it is done. Buy a gun with real rebuild kits. Keep it spraying for years, not weeks.
A gun that wants more CFM than you have will sputter. The finish comes out blotchy. Confirm the air need before you buy. Or choose a turbine HVLP system. Feed the gun or fight it.
Disposable handheld sprayers suit fences and primer. They cannot lay a furniture-grade topcoat. Do not expect a mirror finish from a gadget. Match the tool to the finish you want.
§ IV — Directory
One email, every Sunday. New tool reviews, the best tip of the week, and a single recommendation from the editors. No clutter.
