I don't think there really is a 'best' way. Either will work. With the airless there will be a lot more overspray which may mean more wasted paint but the HVLP is very slow. Perhaps for someone that doesn't have a lot of sprayng experience you will get into a lot less trouble with the HVLP. As for covering the detail work, there was probably some other factor like perhaps the wrong angle was used. You really have to focus on shooting the paint towards the detail work you want covered. I usually use a fogging method of spraying at various angles to accomplish complete coverage. This works better than one or two heavy passes.

Thanks for the feedback paintguy. Can you elaborate on the "fogging method"? Shooting from further away, moving quickly back and forth, on and off on the trigger???

I don't really know that you need to stand further away. That just means more overspray. But, I do move faster with the gun. The main thing is I am not trying to just do one pass. I may do 10 light passes instead and slowly build the depth of the paint film up to where it needs to be.

With a 313 tip, you are likely to have trouble covering any details while controlling maximum buildup. If the doors are a plain style with no moulding/routing, then 313 should be do-able.

I just bought a 408 Spraytech fine finish tip from gleempaint. I have so far sprayed water-based primer and acrylic enamel on casing and and highlights with great success. Compared to 415 or even 314, the 408 feels like using an airbush! After some using, I look forward to doing the cabinets, which was impossible with the 314 tip. (I tried, too many details, too much volume)

Hi everyone

I am
looking for a best airless paint sprayer for my home and basic outdoor jobs. My
budget is no more than 500$, Can anyone help me suggesting best recommend for
me?

Thanks,
best regards

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For those choosing between an airless, HVLP, or LVLP spray gun, I recommend this article. https://indoor2outdoor.com/best-paint-sprayers-for-cabinets/ It helped me make a choice when the question of painting the cabinets also arose.

I'm in the same boat, and my research seems to lean toward an Airless. I looked at HVLP but did not want to spend the money on a 4 or 5 stage. I did not get a good feeling from others about a two stage or three stage. This is going to be a onetime deal, so I'm going with a Graco, which will run up to 3K PSI, I'm going to use a FFLP Tip 308 or 310 with the RAC X. Looking at laying down some Milesi, Renner or General White Poly.

I build a cabinet here and there, and have been using a Graco Airless sprayer for painting unthinned Latex paint. Although I have tried various tips, I used a 213 on my last project. The first number simply determines the width of the spray pattern. A 2 means 4” width, a 3 means 6”, and a 4 means an 8” spray pattern. Run the Airless at the lowest pressure setting that sprays the paint without weird perimeter lines. Overspray was minimal, and no puddles or runs occured. I spray the doors and shelves flat to achieve a nice coating. The biggest disadvantage for the Airless is that the machine and lines hold a lot of paint, so it is best to start with a full gallon of paint, strained, with the suction tube in a small diameter mixing pail inside a 5 gallon bucket. Clean up of the machine and hoses is critical and takes more time than conventional spray guns.

I really like my cheapo harbor freight HVLP . ive had great luck with it. did my kitchen cabinets w kelley moore gloss epic, sprayed my aggregate pool decking w wet look high gloss laquer , and have also sprayed various odd cabinets and fueniture pieces using it. i cant say that ive had ANY issues. i figure if it dies now, all the important projects are out of the way, and i more than got my 70.00 (!) dollars worth out of it. yes, the hose is a bit cumbersome and annoying, but the gun itself, is easy to clean, and has brass parts, so its solvent resistant, the unit is small enough and easy enough to move where you need it .

i would use it to paint exterior doors, trim, fences, gates etc, but for the house body Id use an airless, for sure. hvlp is for fine finish. airless is for volume, generally speaking. But

a professional can make ANYTHING work., for sure.