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Interior painting dilemma

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WayneJ

Member
So I made the decision to not prime except where necessary. This is because I hate to paint, mostly because of the odor, but also for all the other reasons discussed in depth here. Now I am working on the fuselage and have realized that this is the best time to finish paint the interior parts that will show. My plan was to use Rustoleum in rattle cans because others have had good results and I like the simplicity, but there is still the issue of odor. While searching the forums I ran across some mention of Sherwin Williams JetFlex WR (Water Reducible). This would add complexity because it does not come in rattle cans but the water cleanup and low odor are very attractive features, I?m thinking it may be worth considering. Unfortunately I have not been able to find much information and have a lot of questions.

1. What kind of primer is compatible? Can I apply it over the NAPA 7220 I have been using?

2. What kind of equipment is required? Do I need an expensive spray gun or is a cheap Harbor Freight gun good enough.

3. High pressure or HVLP?

4. Where can I buy it?

5. How easy is it to apply/repair?

6. How durable is it?

Maybe there are some other water based options. Any input would be helpful.
 
WayneJ said:
So I made the decision to not prime except where necessary. This is because I hate to paint, mostly because of the odor, but also for all the other reasons discussed in depth here. Now I am working on the fuselage and have realized that this is the best time to finish paint the interior parts that will show. My plan was to use Rustoleum in rattle cans because others have had good results and I like the simplicity, but there is still the issue of odor. While searching the forums I ran across some mention of Sherwin Williams JetFlex WR (Water Reducible). This would add complexity because it does not come in rattle cans but the water cleanup and low odor are very attractive features, I’m thinking it may be worth considering. Unfortunately I have not been able to find much information and have a lot of questions.

1. What kind of primer is compatible? Can I apply it over the NAPA 7220 I have been using? I applied Jetflex WR over both NAPA 7220 and Sherwin 2-part Epoxy Primer. No problems with either. Durability seems to depend more on the surface prep prior to priming. Scuffing with scotch brite seems to be the most durable pre-priming surface prep for me.

2. What kind of equipment is required? Do I need an expensive spray gun or is a cheap Harbor Freight gun good enough. Cheap Harbor Freight HVLP worked great

3. High pressure or HVLP? See above.

4. Where can I buy it? Bought mine from Global Aerospace Coatings in Oklahoma. Check the Jetflex site for distributors and start calling whoever is close to you. Some may be more willing than others to deal with builders of single aircraft like us.

5. How easy is it to apply/repair? Surprisingly easy to apply for even a novice painter like me. Thinned about 10% with distilled water and applied with the right gun settings (practice on scrap first), you can achieve a very nice micro-texture that looks quite professional.

6. How durable is it? Very durable but can be damaged by careless handling (bumping or scratching other parts into the painted surface). It's quite easy to touch up though. A q-tip dipped in the paint will work wonders for tiny areas and will be barely noticeable. Re-painting large areas with HVLP (after masking whatever you don't want paint on) is quite easy as well, and matches perfectly.

Maybe there are some other water based options. Any input would be helpful.
Click to expand...

Comments in red. I wouldn't hesitate to use JetFlex WR again. I bought a gallon and it's easily twice as much as I needed to paint the interior of my 9A. Hope this helps!
 
I wouldn't breathe any paint mist even if it smelled like roses. Why don't you get a good 3M respirator with carbon filters? The 7512 has the Organic Vapor cartridges (#6001) installed and you will not have anything coming through there (careful with cyano-cyclics, i.e. 2K polyurethanes likely pass enough to cause a problem). I used this mask for anything related to solvents, ProSeal and for priming and painting.
 
I absolutely use a respirator when painting. My problem is during the drying and curing phase, the parts emit odors that hang around the shop for hours, even if I do the painting outside then bring them inside.

Since my post I have learned that although the SW JetFlex WR is water reducible and water cleanup, there are still toxic odors associated with it. I was hoping that it was similar to water based (latex) house paint with low odors but apparently that's not the case.
 
Thumbs up for Stewart Systems waterbased...

I used Stewart Systems one-part water based paint for the interior. It is "people-safe" as they say. Of course it does have some odor, but not much. It smells a little like interior latex wall paint.

It is holding up very well. It was so easy to use compared to a solvent based paint. It sprayed on easily, and cleaned up easily. It is also reasonably priced. I would definitely use it again. It has a semi-gloss finish, at least the way I sprayed it, which I think is perfect for the interior.

Michael-
 
I second the statement about the Stewart System. I used that as well for the interior and I sometimes put the parts in my shop for drying (heated over night). I didn't have a problem with nasty odors from that stuff and it is a quite durable paint. It is a bit more delicate in different climates when shooting it but it's manageable after learning how it reacts to different temps and humidity.
 
One thing to remember about respirators: once the package is open the filters have a surprisingly short useful life. You must seal them up in some way when the job is done if you want them truly functional next time.

This info is usually in the small print on the package. I am told the old rule, "If you can't smell it, everything's OK" is incorrect and dangerous.

Any indoors spray job over about a minute and I set up the Hobby-Air and breathe the allergen-loaded South Texas atmosphere and I don't have to think about what that paint spray is doing to my eyes.

One additional word regarding summertime interior painting: take precaution about sweat droplets inserting themselves in your color scheme. Yep, BTDT.

Jim
RV-12 almost 200 hours
 
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