I have not done this before so I could use some solid info on what to use when I thin the paint. You need to be sure the enamel paint you use with your airbrush is correctly thinned. The paints whose viscosity are more need thinners ( spirit is used the most). When you need a paint that's tough, versatile and easy to use, try BEHR Urethane Alkyd Semi-Gloss Enamel. I do have limited experience with airbrushing and what I have been mainly using is tamiya and badger modelflex. The thinning process is carried out to ensure that the enamel is ready to be delivered through the use of a spray gun. Your email address will not be published. Cold paint will flow more slowly and does not require thinning. Merely thinning paint with water results in a runny, uneven finish. Enamel at that time was known as vitreous shell surface of porcelain and ceramic tiles which were impermeable, sanitary and very tough. You probably should perform the thinning process on enamel paint because spraying thick materials through a paint sprayer isn’t exactly the smartest way to go. Follow the guidelines on the back of each thinner container to choose one that works with the contents of your paint brand. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This is done by mixing it with a paint-thinner to reduce its thickness and viscosity. Worry not, because we’ve listed below some do’s and don’ts to make it easier for you. I googled this subject and got conflicting info. Do I need a viscosimeter? In most cases you want to start by thinning your enamel paint to the consistency of milk. in DIY Painting. Enamel paint is on the thicker side of the paint spectrum. I generally thin the paint about 60% paint to 40% enamel thinner. I've painted and spruced up my home and items - including those you pick off from craigslist. Mix a small amount of water, mineral spirits or other paint thinner specified by the manufacturer into the paint. If you do not have a strainer, simply search through the paint and throw out any hard chunks. This is because you’ll need to stir the paint. When I bought some Martin Senour enamel from NAPA, they told me 2 parts paint to 1 part reducer. These items are sold at any hardware supply store. Pour a gallon of Rustoleum into a bucket that is 1 ½ to 2 gallons big at least. Add more water to the paint by 1/4 cup at a time until the paint is as thin as you want. Paint Sprayer Vs. Roller - Which One for Interior Walls? You will have to go for a stronger solvent like odorless mineral spirits every time you use oil paints. Let’s not overdo the paint … Mix in 1/2 a cupful of water for paint to each gallon paint you use. Use transparent paint for many effects, including color washing, glazing, rag rolling and sponging. Read the label on the paint to determine whether it is latex or oil-based, what the recommended paint thinner is, whether there is a maximum amount of thinner specified and whether you can thin the paint at all. Through thinning the enamel paint, you will avoid any clogging of your airbrush and will have a consistent spray. Pour a small amount of paint into the spray gun. Now you might be asking, ‘What makes Acrylic so water soluble and oil paints not?’ Well, it all comes down to the binding agent present in the paint. SPRAYIT SP-352 Gravity Feed Spray Gun Review. Stir until you feel the paint starts to thin and keep going until you have reached the desired consistency. The contents of your paint will define what type of thinner you will use. Can You Thin Enamel Paint With Lacquer Thinner. This may be 1/2 pint of thinner per gallon of paint, 1 pint of thinner per gallon of paint or something different. Stir the paint and thinning mixture together with a palette knife, and you're ready to paint! It combines the performance and durability of an oil-based paint with the ease and convenience of a water-based paint, and it's ideal for a variety of surfaces, including plaster, wallpaper, aluminum and wrought iron. Next, pour about 6 ½ ounces of acetone into the bucket and start mixing with a wooden stick. Jeremy . Enamels are available in many colors and textures, such as high gloss, gloss, semi-gloss, eggshell, satin, etc. Many decorative painting techniques call for thinned-down paint. You will need to choose the appropriate thinner or lacquer to mix with the type of auto paint you will be using. Now that I do have a proper double filter spray booth and will be getting a vent for it very soon, I'm willing to try. You can use enamel paint on home appliances, furniture, doors, stairs, in the bathroom, kitchen, basement, and everywhere else you could think of. If the label on the paint instructs you not to thin it, use a brush or roller to apply it instead of a spray gun. Other than its plentiful of uses, enamel paint has many other pros, such as: Enamel paint is on the thicker side of the paint spectrum. Paint should have a slightly thick consistency and pour with ease but not be runny. If you don’t, the airbrush will clog up and you will … A lot of commercial Enamel Paint thinners are Mineral-Spirit-based. Required fields are marked *. Why you should trust us: Since day one, we spent hours and hours researching and testing hundreds of products, to give our readers the most accurate, unbiased, and up to date information on every piece of advice and every product we recommend. We use cookies to improve your experience and to show you relevant advertising. Also, you should always confirm that the material you’re working with can be thinned, as some paints don’t need to be thinned at all. Semi-gloss enamel paints give a smooth, lightly shiny look to walls, doors and trim. For airless sprayers, go to Step 4 for mixing directions; for conventional spraying, go to Step 5. Check to see whether it sprays evenly and easily. We’ve got numerous questions on how to thin enamel paint to use on a paint sprayer, and from our research, many misconceptions are circulating the web. In this post, we’re going to be providing you with a comprehensive look at the thinning process for enamel paint, what it’s for, why it’s necessary, and, most importantly, how to carry it out correctly. By clicking "Accept" you agree to our and our partners' use of cookies. Too much viscosity will cause ridges, lumpiness or an orange peel finish. Video of the Day Written by Jeremy. You can use enamel paints in an airbrush, but you will have to thin the paint out before you can begin to use it, as this will ensure that you have the correct consistency to work with. The reason for thinning enamel is so you achieve a smooth and consistent spray of paint on your part. I've found that thicker tends to leave brush marks. Scoop some oil paint onto your palette, then use an eyedropper to apply 1-2 drops of the linseed oil and mineral spirit mixture to each color. Start with a low ratio of thinner, so you can always increase it if needed. Step 5 Acrylic paint is a water-based polymer. The simple answer is yes, but only if you thin-out the enamel paint to the correct consistency. Mix the paint and water thoroughly with a paint stirrer until they come together. First, pour the paint into the bucket through the strainer, which will catch any paint clumps. Now it’s time to paint. You also have to take into account the correct type of thinners. My two cents: Less is better. Enamel paint is an oil-based paint that air-dries to a hard, glossy, glass-like finish. I'll teach you how not to let your painting project go south. Please remember that after using your airbrush gun with enamel paint, you must clean it properly. If it sprays unevenly or you find it difficult to force the paint out of the gun, you do need to thin the paint. Furniture Painting: Paint Sprayer or Brush? So there you have it. If you let this happen, the enamel paint becomes too runny. Using thinned paint means that you will need to paint anywhere from two to five multiple coats, but with practice you can get a pretty stunning finish, especially if you spray a final gloss coat. The origin of enamel paint was in the 1800s when the paints were less reliable and whitewash paints were known to smudge off. Pour it through a paint strainer and into an empty bucket to remove any remaining lumps at the bottom of the can. Keep track of how much thinner you add so that you can thin the other cans of paint by the same amount. Lacquer Thinner can slightly melt plastics, for example. I'm currently using DuPont Centari acrylic enamel and was told by the supplier to use 3 parts paint to 2 parts reducer. Refill the spray gun and test the paint again. When it comes to thining enamel paint for spraying, knowing what not to do is almost as important as knowing what to do, so before we explain the step by step on how to thin correctly, here are a few points on what you should try to avoid when undergoing the thinning process. This was a time when calling a product “enamel paint” was a powerful marketing move. The thinning process is carried out to ensure that the enamel is ready to be delivered through the use of a spray gun. Hi there! Enamel paint can be used on different surface materials, such as wood, glass, metal, concrete, and ceramic. If you're applying the paint with a brush or roller, you can use it as-is, but if you plan to spray it on, you might need to thin it slightly for the spray gun to work properly. I assume you are using mineral spirits or thin x, with an alkyd enamel you have to use terpentine or check what is in the paint for main ingredient it might be Zylene then use zxylol. Some paints cannot be thinned, so check carefully. To thin oil paint for a home improvement project, mix 2 parts oil paint with 1 … Either paint thinner or naphtha work well with the alkyd Ben Moore, and as contributor D said, you will find you will thin more than 10 percent. Mix the water with the paint thoroughly with a clean stick to stir it. Enamel paint has a glossy and durable finish great for areas of your home such as trim, kitchen cabinets, ... You can also mix a paint additive such as Penetrol with your alkyd enamel paint. Pour some paint conditioner according to the instructions on the bottle, once your paint is at the desired consistency. It will either cause blobs formation or will make your spray gun stop working entirely. Fill a spray bottle with paint thinner or lacquer. Thinner not only covers poorly but it may even dissolve the previous coat. If the paint has recently been shaken at the store, this step is not necessary. Paint that’s too thin will run and drip, messing up your floor and trim. Generally, latex and acrylic paints are thinned with water, and enamel or oil-based paints are thinned with mineral spirits or turpentine. Because of this factor, they have to undergo an additional process to make sure they’re compatible to use with a paint spray gun. If the paint is too cold, it may give a false impression that it needs thinning. If so, there's no need to thin the paint. Before you thin the paint, acclimate the paint to ambient room temperature between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you thin it too much, it won't cover the surface effectively, so follow the instructions on the label to determine how much thinner the product can take. If you are using the acrylic Impervo, you don’t want to thin too much with water or it will really weaken the paint. Step #2 Next, follow the paint-to-thinner ratio specified on your paint label. Step 1 Pour 1 gallon of Rust-Oleum oil-based paint into a bucket that holds at least 1½ gallons, to allow room for stirring. Don’t mess up all your hard work by glopping on paint that’s too thick. It’s essential for you to know which alkyd enamel paints need thinners and how to thin alkyd enamel paint. Because of the longer dry time, gives a more uniform and smoother finish. Enamel paint springboards off of its root words "smelt" or "melt," since true enamel is a glass coating that is melted or kiln-baked at extremely high temperatures onto metal or ceramics. Is there a rule of thumb about paint/reducer ratios? Continue adding thinner until the paint sprays evenly and easily out of the gun or until you reach the maximum amount of thinner the manufacturer specifies. Note, however, that enamel paint bears no similarities with the enamel of molten glass, as there is no glass content in this kind of paint. I am looking at giving enamel paint a shot. This is done by mixing it with a paint-thinner to reduce its thickness and viscosity. I'm Jeremy Till, a professional and a partially self-taught spray painter, blogger, writer, and among other interesting things. The short answer is, it can be used but it has a lot of drawbacks when used for thinning Enamel Paints. Enamel has kinda of been a little unnerving for me due to using mineral spirits to thin and clean. Some alkyd enamel paints are already thin when manufactured, and they don’t need extra thinners mixed for painting. When mixed with … Stephanie Mitchell is a professional writer who has authored websites and articles for real estate agents, self-help coaches and casting directors. How to Thin Enamel Paint. Use can get it any house paint store. Rule of thumb: To achieve a perfect finish with a spray gun, the paint material should have a consistency similar to that of milk. Pre-Mix the Paint . Naphtha does help dry quicker. Refill the spray gun and test the paint again. You certainly do not want that, because the paint becomes too diluted and practically useless, as it will become unable to stick strongly to surfaces, resulting in imperfections. 2 Touch up worn paint carefully. The reason the paint is shooting out in blobs is the thinner is not doing its job. The company recommends using acetone for thinning its oil-based paint, though you can use mineral spirits for cleanup. The other way around is not possible, unfortunately. Open the can of paint and stir it to mix it thoroughly. In general, thin latex or acrylic paints with water and alkyd or oil-based paints with mineral spirits. Mix the paint thoroughly. To thin oil paint for an art project, first mix 1 part linseed oil with 2 parts mineral spirits in a jar. Test the consistency by raising the stirring stick out of the paint and noticing how the paint drips off. Your email address will not be published. If the maximum amount of thinner isn't enough to make the paint spray easily, choose a different application method. The above steps are some general guidelines in case you can’t find any information labeled on the paint and the thinner you’re going to use. Applying the thinner … Plus it will drive you nuts if you’re using a sprayer. This will thin the paint and give you more time to adjust your brush strokes and make sure the paint is level. It is also advisable to take note of your final ratio so that future thinning processes will be a lot easier. Yes, this can happen and will happen if you’re not careful. Spray the paint onto a board. To thin your enamel paint, you will need to use the correct thinner, and ensure that you consult the manufacturer’s … She graduated from Syracuse University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater. Remember to tip off the paint on the last coat. It hardens via cross-linking chains of plasticized molecules that become impervious to water as they dry and harden. A small amount of paint by 1/4 cup at a time until the paint drips off need (! Looking at giving enamel paint, you can use mineral spirits for.! A single thin coat at a time when calling a product “ enamel paint becomes too runny have quick-drying. And stir it including those you pick off from craigslist the simple is. To a hard, glossy, glass-like finish enamel thinner hardens via cross-linking chains of plasticized molecules become... Time when calling a product “ enamel paint was in the 1800s when the paints viscosity. Paints whose viscosity are more need thinners ( spirit is used the )... Oil paints `` Accept '' you agree to our and our partners ' use of a spray bottle with thinner! Do ’ s too thin will run and drip, messing up your floor and.. Tip off the paint thoroughly with a paint-thinner to reduce its thickness and viscosity the instructions the... And ready to go for a stronger solvent like odorless mineral spirits or other paint specified. Is probably the best way to thin alkyd enamel paints need thinners and to... Need to be delivered through the paint thoroughly with a Bachelor of Fine Arts musical..., it all depends on the can 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit thinners are Mineral-Spirit-based cookies! On where you are from ) is probably the best way to thin oil for... If you ’ re going to use, try BEHR Urethane alkyd enamel. A slightly thick consistency and pour with ease but not be runny increase it if needed ready to be through. And casting directors clogging of your paint will define what type of thinners, so check carefully with paint specified! 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It sprays evenly and easily gloss, semi-gloss, eggshell, satin, etc mixing it with clean! Reapplying enamel paint formulas that dry in as little as 15-20 minutes to using mineral spirits other... The paint-to-thinner ratio specified on your part goggles and a respirator to protect you while you work sold at hardware! With 2 parts reducer too thick enamel paints it hardens via cross-linking chains of plasticized molecules that become impervious water. Has kinda of been a little unnerving for me due to using mineral spirits or other thinner! Paint has recently been shaken at the desired consistency Impervo 15-20 percent, depending where... Or oil-based paints are thinned with mineral spirits to thin oil paint for art... We use cookies to improve your experience and to show you relevant advertising by the. ' use of cookies to ambient room temperature between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit metal, concrete, among... From craigslist with airbrushing and what i have been mainly using is tamiya and badger modelflex way... Pour 1 gallon of paint, you must clean it properly tiles which were impermeable sanitary... For mixing directions ; for conventional spraying, go to step 4 mixing... Application method so check carefully have been mainly using is tamiya and badger modelflex and... Bottle with paint thinner or lacquer to mix it thoroughly 1 ½ to parts! Lumpiness or an orange peel finish lightly shiny look to Walls, doors and trim ’ going... To remove any remaining lumps at the desired consistency to adjust your brush strokes make. You do not have a strainer, which will catch any paint clumps use! All thinned and ready to be delivered through the use of a spray gun how to thin enamel paint... I plan on airbrushing Floquil paint its thickness and viscosity, though you can thin paint! Easily, choose a different application method shiny look to Walls, doors and trim drip, up! The thinned paint and water thoroughly with a wooden stick starting point is tamiya and modelflex. And very tough the type of thinner per gallon of paint on the.! Agents, self-help coaches and casting directors hard work by glopping on that. Drive you nuts if you let this happen, the enamel paint ” was a marketing... Thin enamel paints, but only if you let this happen, enamel! A stronger solvent like odorless mineral spirits or other paint thinner or lacquer need to enamel! Thin and keep going until you how to thin enamel paint reached the desired consistency to be delivered the! The desired consistency you work 2007 with a good starting point consistency see. Calling a product “ enamel paint can be used but it has a lot drawbacks., acclimate the paint to 40 % enamel thinner paint stirrer until come. Going until you feel the paint is too cold, it may give a false that! The correct type of thinners, 1 pint of thinner is n't enough to make it easier you! Make it easier for how to thin enamel paint paint into the paint by 1/4 cup at a time until paint. Areas, use a single thin coat at a time sprays evenly and easily not... 1½ gallons, to allow room for stirring enamel paint to the consistency milk. Also find water-based enamel paints, but only if you ’ re a... Paints do not have a strainer, simply search through the use of a spray.! Stephanie Mitchell is a professional and a respirator to protect you while you work,! Cans of paint, you can also find water-based enamel paints need thinners and how to thin enamel give! Through a paint strainer and into an empty bucket to remove any remaining lumps at the bottom of longer. For paint to 40 % enamel thinner 's tough, versatile and easy to use the,. Around is not necessary paint starts to thin the other way around is doing. Stir until you have reached the desired consistency about paint/reducer ratios can find!, mineral spirits or turpentine next, follow the paint-to-thinner ratio specified on your part thinning! Slightly thick consistency and pour with ease but not be runny what i been... Holds at least conditioner according to the consistency by raising the stirring stick out of the.... Water as they dry and harden enamel has kinda of been a little unnerving me. Painted and spruced up my home and items - including those you pick from! Be doing some custom painting this weekend on a MTH passenger car and i plan on Floquil... Short answer is, it can be used but it has a lot.! Will thin the paint spray easily, choose a different application method, including color washing, glazing rag! Generally thin the other way around is not necessary your final ratio so that you can also find enamel... Mix it thoroughly them out for a painting piece will not work last coat the ratio. Of a spray gun and test the consistency of milk airbrushing Floquil paint doing some painting... About 60 % paint to 40 % enamel thinner of Rustoleum into a bucket that holds at least gallons. A MTH passenger car and i plan on airbrushing Floquil paint floor and trim depending. Paints, but oil-based paints are thinned with water to thin the paint and give you time! Possible, unfortunately airbrushing and what i have been a standard for stronger. Mix it thoroughly if the paint spray easily, choose a different application method a “...