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

Bunnings used to have water based stains but haven't checked them out lately Maybe Masters might be worth a look Although I found Masters not to be cheap with their paints and stains along with a lot of other stuff the sell.

hi geoff thanks for your compliment on my work well i srpay my stain and then apply 2 coats of undercoat then i sand it down with fine grain sandpaper and to finish 1 coat of mat varnish all my stains-varnishes are waterbased. bye mate michael

Zweihorn | Clear varnishes

Quote:

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Originally Posted by munruben

Bunnings used to have water based stains but haven't checked them out lately Maybe Masters might be worth a look Although I found Masters not to be cheap with their paints and stains along with a lot of other stuff the sell.

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Thanks Munruben, I dropped into Bunnings last night and they don't have a great deal of water based stains at all really...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by greek carpenter

hi geoff thanks for your compliment on my work well i srpay my stain and then apply 2 coats of undercoat then i sand it down with fine grain sandpaper and to finish 1 coat of mat varnish all my stains-varnishes are waterbased. bye mate michael.

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You're welcome for the compliments Greek as your work is truly beautiful. I appreciate you sharing your work with me and for your comments on this thread. Thanks mate.

2 last things... I bought a tin of Cabots water based stain from Bunnings and it says nothing about spraying.... can I spray it?

And the best way to clean my gun after I've spray my water based stain through it?

Thanks
Geoff

dont worry spray it my stains say nothing about spraying too. clean your gun with lots off water.:cool::cool::cool:

Hi Greek, I rang cabots yesterdday and asked if I could spray it and they said no... SPEWING!! I got started yesterday on applying it with a brush and then rubbing it of - man that job sucks eggs!!

I didn't take munruben's advice and apply a shelac before adding the finish and I must admit it does look blotchy in parts.... I really wanted to spray the finish but because I had it tinted I couldn't take it back for a refund and the wife likes the colour.

All about learning as you go too I guess :C wish I used the sanding sealer before I applied the stain now.

I'm hoping it looks good after I give it another coat and a coat of clears tofinish it off.

post a photo lets see what it looks like :2tsup::2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

Hi Greek.. you got it mate.

I have bought a small tin of sanding sealer to try out on some picture frames I'm going to make for the wife, so it will be interesting to see how that looks and works out.

I'm such a novice at this finishing business.... I'd love to get your results greek.

looks great mate, i like how the grain stands out well done.

michael:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

Thanks Michael...... I'm not ecstatic with the finish but it's done so it will have to do.

I'm gonna put 2 coats of clears over the top.

I brought a tin of the water based cabathane clear and when I spray it I feel as though I'm getting a good coverage but look abduction it appears as though I have dry parts on the piece... its as though I have some wet parts and parts that look like someone has put a blow dryer over certain parts and dried them... what am I doing wrong please?

Thanks
Geoff

did u spray alot of clear at once? how long after the stain did u spray? are u spraying in a dry closed area? its happen to me too what i did wrong was that i aplied tha stain and then left it for a few days then sprayed it most probaly moisture got to the wood and thats bad for water based clears. stains some times take longer to dry it might look dry but once u spray it and it starts to dry u will see shades,if u are spraying in a damp shed-garage u will get the same result. sand it as much as u can without getting to the stain then spray it again but dont spray alot on, its better to do 2-3 coat with a bit of drying time read the instructions what to do from coat to coat u might have to sand it

michael

Well here she is. Not complete as yet as I need to make the drawers and trundle for underneath but my son wanted the bed in there.

:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup::2tsup::2tsup: