Spraying a stain

Hi all,

I'm building my son a bed and I'd like to stain it but would like to use a stain that I can spray on. I've never tried to spray it on before and I'm wondering if there is a certain type of stain etc that I need to use to spray it on - if so where could I buy it from best price etc in Western Sydney please?

I'm not exactly all that experienced with staining in general so any advise is much appreciated.

Thanks
Geoff

Any paint, Stain or Varnish that can be thinned to the correct consistency will go through a spray gun.

Thanks dr4gonfly.... Do you think I should get an all in one stain and varnsish to run through the spray gun or stain and then poly through the gun to finish it off?

Cheers
Geoff

I'd always go with the stain first and make sure I had even coverage and colour before moving onto a finish, especially poly, once set you'd have problems if you did have blotches or uneven colour.

Pine is prone to being blotchy, a thin coat of shellac before you stain will help with that. When spraying stain it is a good idea to have a brush handy to brush in any runs you may get. Apply very thin coats to avoid the runs if possible. Cot looks cool.:2tsup:

Can anyone tell me if these spray guns are any good? I'm thinking of buying one to save pulling out the compressor when I want to spray.

I have a gravity feed spray gun but I'm wondering if these work better?

Thanks

hi mate
i use water based stains here in greece they dry much faster and u wont have any problems with any type of varnish. spray the the stain all over the thing that u will be painting its good if u could have it standing up and then wipe it down with a sponge. its better to give it an go on a sample before .

good luck
michael

Thanks for the reply greek. I'm not sure about the water based stains... do you get a good result?? I'd appreciate any pics of your work stained with water based stains to have a look at.

Cheers
Geoff

I'd always recommend wiping the excess of any stain regardless of spraying, brushing or wiping on. When you have to wipe the excess it makes spraying a rather wasteful and messy exercise. Keep your spray equipment for finishes that form a film on the surface. Theres no benefit for spraying a coating that penetrates timber. Best stain I've found is Feast watson proof tint.

Thanks for that Stu... do you Spray stain at all?

No. I always brush or rag on.

Why mate? Don't rate the spray on?

well i did start of with rags and brushes to apply the stains, back then it was powder that would be mixed with water 2-3 basic coulors.i do use thinner based stains(sikkens) for my windows and doors but it takesr far to long to dry and they are toxic. i spray my stains cause i always have alot of pieces to to do, a wall unit has in average has 60-70 it would take me 2 days to do by hand. mabe 1-2 pieces that you have is better by hand. follow the link below a have posted a few photos of my units&cabinets that have been done with water based stains.

michaelFlickr: michalioscreations' Photostream

Thanks heaps for that greek. Mate you have some awesome work there absolutely awesome! I love the looks of the finish especially those kitchen cupboards.
<O:p</O:p
What is your technique for applying the stain and do you finish the piece off by giving a coat of polyurethane? <O:p</O:p

Does anyone know where's the best place to buy water based stain at a good price? I'm pretty sure that Bunnings didn't have much in the way of water based stains.

Thanks
Geoff