Spraying flat glossy paint like in the stores?

[Evanism]

Anyone know how commercial places get their finishes so flat, juicy and well covered on all surfaces, curves and edges in commercial furniture?

I'm doing a few tables and chairs and while it's not bad, it's not perfect. I have good gear.

[ian]

not necessarily in this order ...

compressors and air reservoirs measured in the 10s of cubic metres -- if the compressor does kick in while spraying, the operator doesn't notice

the spray equipment if not "the best money can buy" is definitely not cheap gear from Bunnings

technique / operator experience

air extraction -- not quite pull the operator through the exhaust fan (but you get the idea) teamed with filters to remove dust from the air entering the spray booth

the material being sprayed

how the material is dried

[Master Splinter]

What he said above, plus the whole "I've sprayed 60 chairs today" effect is not to be underestimated.

Have a look at some of the spray videos on the customspraymods youtube channel.

[surfdabbler]

Yes, there are certainly plenty of issues that can come up in spraying. Getting the mix of the paint right is important, with the right ratio of thinner, and also the right spraying pressure/nozzle/distance. I've sprayed some lacquer, and got good results, but not perfect. I've often resorted to sanding and polishing for a mirror finish on lacquers. For normal paints, the paint selection is also a consideration. I think slower drying paints tend to smooth more before they dry, whereas faster drying paints will have more 'texture', as they have less time to naturally smooth out before drying. That's my 2c.

[soundman]

good preparation and process controll goes a long way.

AND

Often there is a funky product.

Mostly retail finish products spray poorly...retail enamel for example is horrible to spray in every way...gooey jammy residue every where and you think you have a great finish layed up....ya stand back and it looks perfect.....come back 20 minutes later and there are runs everywhere

the commercial products are designed to "hold up" and "flow out" without running.....and this is a clever thing.

OH and one very very big thing.....do not try to lay up too much product on in the one coat.

seriuoly these guys in the factories spend a long time getting their process right.

I got talking to a bloke who had a fully automated paint line manufacturing a flat pack product.......the wrong brand of MDF and the whole thing went pear shaped.

His whole operation was dependent on the brand of MDF he used machining soo much better than another brand and the paint line being adjusted to the absorbency of the MDF.

cheers