Applying primer & paint ... sprayer? roll? brush? Prod and Cons please

[ARTIFACT]

I'm about to prime my cab. I just have to do some sanding here and there still (wood fill in gaps, etc) and it's going to be primer time.

Anyway - a friend has a couple of different paint sprayers and is offering to lend me one of them if I want it.
Do you have any comments about using paint sprayers to prime & paint arcade cabs?

I want to work at night without waking up neighbors too so perhaps I'll go with roll(s) and/or brush - what about those? Pros and Cons?

my cab is all Birch Plywood (not MDF) and I plan to do Prime > Black Paint (Matte) > Consider gloss coat after matte (after judging how matte looks)
Thanks very much in advance for your input on this.

[ARTIFACT]

PS: I *know* this is birch and I *should* be staining instead of painting ... that's what I wanted to do originally, but I'd prefer solid colors after all

[javeryh]

I don't have anything to offer other than good luck.  Painting is the most painful part of building these things.  I used a foam roller for mine and a TON of sandpaper (up to 1500 grit) - it took forever.

[meismr]

Artifact,
I used a sprayer for plywood and it was a really even coat.  It wasn't too loud (six gallon pancake) so my neighbors (400 feet away) didn't notice. 

PS: Thanks for asking all these questions.  They're great! I leach knowledge off all these posts!

Have fun,
Eric

[ARTIFACT]

 

thanks guys

I live in a residential area - they'll hear any kind of compressor

I'll start with rollers. I am not in a rush, it's ok if it takes a long time

KEEP THE ADVICES COMING!

wish me luck!

[AMDman13]

I have to agree painting was the hardest for me when it came to my cab.

Make sure you use a good HIGH DENSITY foam roller. High density is the key! If it's to spongy you will end up with a really rough paint with tiny bubbles all over! Trust me I learned this the hard way! Look for the the white stiff foam rollers! Not pink or yellow. Those are crap! 
If you are planning on using an oil based enamel with rollers (after primer) then I would also recommend a paint additive called Penetrol it makes oil paint work much better and longer. In other words it prolongs the drying time and allows more time to make sure the coats are even.

[ARTIFACT]

I believe I'm going with water-based black (matte)

After applying my matte coats  ... IF I want to make it shiny, is there "gloss" available by itself?

[AMDman13]

I'm sure there is a gloss somewhere..

I just got to say that is one sweet cab!

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

After applying my matte coats  ... IF I want to make it shiny, is there "gloss" available by itself?

I can vouch for using a semi-gloss polyurethane after using matte paint.  I was NOT happy with the matte black that I had used... it looked dull and grey.  I bought a quart of "fast-drying" Minwax polyurethane (you should be able to find this at any paint store,) and was quite pleased with the results, even after only one coat.  If you use a roller with the poly, it will bubble and you will need to sand a little to get rid of the bubble remains when it has dried.  If I had done several coats and sanded in between, I'm sure it would've been even better, but I'm not that particular yet!

After covering all the painted surfaces of my cab with one good coat, I still ended up with about a quarter of the can left over.  My cab is huge, so that should give you an idea of how much you'll need.  And make sure you do it somewhere WELL ventilated... this stuff is seriously not fun to breathe.

If you like, see the (admittedly not great) pics here; quarterheaven.livejournal.com

[GameOver]

Can't speak to other methods, but I used brush/foam roller to apply primer & paint to my cab.  It did take several coats with sanding inbetween but the results were VERY good using this approach. 

My cab is MDF so there wasn't any grain to hide, I believe painting any type of wood with grain can be a beast trying to hide the grain.  I guess it'll take several additional coats if you want to completely hide it not really sure.

[ARTIFACT]

yeah i think ill borrow my neighbor's sprayer and use it
ill make sure to put in thin coats, several of them, and sand smooth each time with 220 grit (or more) paper.

i havent done any of this before ... so feel free to post any advice that may be useful for me to read as i go.

again: thank you all

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

To address the other things you asked in the topic post:

My cab is 3/4" (well... 11/16") plywood and I primed one coat, painted two coats, then polyurethaned once.  I don't know the exact grain/compostition of the plywood I used (it was donated to me) but the one coat of primer well hid the grain that was there. I used a roller the whole time, and only ran into problems when I got to the poly (the aforementioned "bubbles.")

In your case, since it appears your cab is already standing (I painted before final assembly) I would think that using a sprayer would be easier overall. 

I live in a residential area - they'll hear any kind of compressor

Is that a problem if you're painting during normal waking hours?  Would people complain and/or call the cops?  If not, I'd say use the sprayer as it will probably give you the most bang for your buck (especially if someone is loaning it to you for free!) 

Aha... I see it's your neighbor's sprayer... well in that case, by all means use it - and invite them to play when the cab's complete!

[ARTIFACT]

yes its not a problem during the day - i just may work t night after my son goes to bed - thus the possibility to do some using (high density) rolls

[rooterman]

If you're just painting it black, I just use Rustoleum Black Satin paint, no primer, just straight on, and a cheap roller, comes out great.

r

[ARTIFACT]

interesting! no primer

I'll keep that in mind

You do a few coats + sand fine each time though right?


A friend lent me a small, light, paint sprayer (looks like a hair dryer! ... much louder though )

[vidmouse]

Before you paint you may want to Bondo or wood-fill up those
screw holes?  Nothing like a nice smooth finish along the sides...

[ARTIFACT]

thats an old picture

its all wood filled, sanded fine, etc

[ARTIFACT]

OK

I had time to work on my cab tonight, and since it was late I just used a small roll (high density / flat surface)

PRIMER COAT IS ON!


QUESTION: how many coats of primer should I use? .. one? Two? more?

Thanks

[Malenko]

at least 2 coats of primer.   For me spray is faster but a foam roller almost always yields better results. Im actually redoing the sides of my cab, wood filler didnt do that good, so Im gonna bondo it, re double prime, and repaint a nice flat black.

[javeryh]

I used 2 coats of primer, sanding in between with 220 grit.

[vScourge]

I second the high-density foam roller suggestion.  Also, if you're rolling, apply a small amount of paint in several passes.  If you roll on too much paint in one go the texture becomes much more apparent.  Go slow and steady, and work with wet edges.

[ARTIFACT]

Great. thank you guys. Did I say that already? You all RULE.

Tonight I'll spend time sanding 220 grit carefully until it's smooth again, then apply a 2nd coat of primer with the small roller.

BTW... QUICK QUESTION: how do you suggest I sand? I mean lightly or pushing hard on the wood, holding the sheet by hand or wrapped around a 2x4 block, making circles or straight, fast or slow, etc? Kind of a weird question

I second the high-density foam roller suggestion.  Also, if you're rolling, apply a small amount of paint in several passes.  If you roll on too much paint in one go the texture becomes much more apparent.  Go slow and steady, and work with wet edges.

Very interesting to know, thanks. What did you mean by "work with wet edges"?

[javeryh]

I used a block to sand between paint coats.  Go back and forth and not in circles and try and get it as even as possible - there's definitely an art to it.  You just get a feel for it as you go.  Also, use a tack-cloth to clean up the residue.

[ARTIFACT]

excellent. thanks. will follow guidelines tonight

stay tuned...