I'm not trying to be difficult, but I'm not sure I agree with that. The Magnum DX says it supports a tip size of .015, but most latex paints, such as SW A100, require a larger tip size; .017-.019. So you'd have to either turn the pressure up so much that you'll have overspray and other issues, or you're going to have to thin the paint. I'm going to agree with lotus-bud in that if you don't want to buy a professional unit, then rent one. It's easier to get good results, particularly if you're not a pro, with better equipment.

Using a sprayer isn't going the eliminate the problem of the obstacles. If anything, it makes it harder. You need to tape and dropcloth off anything you don't want overspray to cover, even with a HVLP. HVLP doesn't eliminate overspray, it just minimizes it. Using a brush or roller will let you target your need to be painted spots a lot more accurately. WHere a sprayer will work great is for large same color expanses like walls, but even there, you will still have to tape off the trim. You can use a spray shield instead of taping, but you need enough experience to be able to maneuver that with one hand and the gun with another. It's not for a novice. It takes practice to get right and starting with a hard job isn't the way to gain confidence and control. From your description of the job, I don't think that a sprayer will help you make this an easier job in any significant way. 90% of painting is always the prep, and only 10% is the actual application of paint. Speeding up that 10% by adding another hour or two to prep doesn't leave you with any gain. All it does is leave you with a less quality job (sorry) if you've got an inexperienced person operating the sprayer for a difficult job. If you think you have enough paint jobs in your future to benefit from a sprayer purchase, then purchase one and start on easier jobs first to gain experience. However, most homeowners that I know who've purchased their own sprayers use them for a single job and then never touch them again. The "hassle factor" is high with a sprayer and it's just easier to use a brush and roller, even if it's less "cool".

I have a Craftsman HLVP (model 919.155190) that I've just picked up new. Using it with a Craftsman compressor (919.167312) that puts out about 8.5 cfm at 40 psi. I found this topic thread because I was looking for advice using the spray gun with its quart reservior attachment. Earlier this spring, I bought the gun along with the Craftsamn paint tank (919.161020) to help paint my hardiplank exterior using latex. The paint guys at my local Lowes really cautioned me on using primer like the Kilz I bought in the sprayer -- they said it would be too fast drying and tough in clean up... I might ruin the gun quickly, but the actual paint would be fine if I thinned it with one of the commercial spray thinners. Bought a jug of the thinner, followed the directions, and painted the back of the house in no time. As usual, good prep took easily twice as long as the actual spraying. First, rolled on the primer with a 4" short pile roller and brush. Then sprayed. Second coat went on as easily, too. Very happy. But the learning curve remains. That was by using the spray gun feeding from the tank. So here I am with my second project -- a bunch of interior doors and shelving that I've removed to the back yard spray area for a fresh coat. The first time I used the paint tank, I poured the paint directly into the tank. Like I said, I'm a novice. The decal on tha back shows a 1 gal paint can IN THE TANK. Do'h! -- that would be so much easier. So I place my can in the tank -- and the tank lid won't seat all the way. The pickup tube hits the bottom of the paint can before it can seat and be sealed. Pressing down on it pushes the tube into the bottom of the can (a standard can -- nothing odd about a behr can)... and when everything is together, no paint out of the gun. I suspect the tube is completely choked against the botton of the can. Removed the tube from the tank lid, and it has non-standard threading, so I can't make my own feed tube from spare parts. What the hey? Tried a small paint bucket that is shorter -- same problem with the tube hitting the bottom -- there is a depression at the bottom of the tank (think pressure cylindar hemisphere) that flat-bottomed containers don't flex into -- the feed tube again closes off when pressed into a container placed in the tank. Must be doing something wrong. So I got out my spray gun's original quart reservior attachment. Filled it with the thinned paint and figured it would be a snap. No dice. No matter the adjustments I make on the gun, or even increasing the pressure a bit to 50# to compensate for pressure drop (using 1/4" hose rather than 3/8"), I can't get the gun to pick up from the reservior either. The gun is clean -- I can see into it well and pass light through it. All is clean. So I'm not certain what I'm doing wrong with the material cup. Or my expectations with a paint can within the tank. Ideas?

Congratulations Shelayne on completing such a daunting task! We too have an airless spray painter (Graco, Home Depot, hooked up to our air compressor) that my husband loves to use. We have used it outdoors, in a less than surgical environment, in Arizona where there is a lot of dust and sand, and the results were still lovely. I think my husband's technique is that he lightly sprays on a coat, not necessarily complete coverage, just a light spray, and then repeats with another 2-3 coats in the same fashion, allowing the surfaces to dry between coats. With our early spray paint projects, we did not sand between the coats, but I think with our kitchen doors, I will lightly sand between coats. I also want to offer an endorsement for Advantage Cabinet Door Co. We used Advantage Cabinet Doors a few years ago when we first started - and have yet to finish - our kitchen project. (We will be ordering more doors sometime this summer.) I believe Darryl was the gentleman I dealt with. I went with Advantage because I could choose all design aspects of the doors - outside/inside edge profiles, raised panel, etc. - to match exactly some existing doors that we had. Their prices were very competitive. Our Advantage doors are paint grade poplar, which is fine for us (myself and DH). If we had children at home, I would have asked for a recommendation for a harder paint grade material. Also, if you want your doors completed with paint/stain, Advantage offers that service using Sherwin Williams paints/stains. Also, I ordered from Advantage some MDF end panels with the raised panel feature like the doors, but with straight edges on the outside perimeter. These were also reasonably priced. What I liked especially about the MDF panels (aside from price) was that the raised panel corners were true square, right angle corners, rather than "rounded" type corners that I have seen on MDF doors from other vendors. Thanks Shelayne for sharing your experience, and good luck with the rest of your project. Rita Longtime lurker Here is a link that might be useful: Advantage Cabinet Doors