My Experience Using Dixie Belle Silk Paint in My New HomeRight Super Finish Max Paint Sprayer
Have you used a paint sprayer before? I am going to share my first experience using a paint sprayer and talk about how to spray Dixie Belle Silk Paint using a paint sprayer. This was my first time using a sprayer to apply any paint, other than spray paint from a can! I had heard about people using chalk mineral type paints in paint sprayers before and decided to give it a try. I had a few hardware store gift cards left over from the holidays so opted to use those to order a sprayer.
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Go Here For More On The Basics of Using Chalk Mineral Paints: Tips and Techniques For Success With Regular Chalk Mineral Paints and Silk Paint
Deciding Which Paint Sprayer to Purchase
Next up, after deciding to buy a sprayer was researching which one to get. My final decision came down to budget really, as I didn’t want to go over what I had on the gift cards. Reviews on-line and YouTube videos of prominent furniture painters using sprayers helped me narrow it down to two sprayers. It was between the HomeRight Finish Max Super versus the Wagner Flexio 3500.
Both sprayers had good reviews as far as using with chalk mineral paints. I went with the HomeRight sprayer because it was around $100. I also went ahead and bought a spray tent. – the Wagner Large Spray Shelter. Next, I’ll dive deeper into my experience with the sprayer and tent AND spraying Dixie Belle Silk Paint!
Learn About Your Sprayer
First off, it’s best to learn about the sprayer you have. To do this, I watched YouTube Videos and read the booklet that comes with the sprayer. This HomeRight sprayer has three tips for different paint and project types. And it has a couple different settings to choose the spray pattern and the flow. I do also want to emphasize how simple this sprayer is. Initially using a paint sprayer sounded a bit overwhelming, but it wasn’t near as scary is I expected. I had never used a sprayer to paint before, except from a can! The sprayer is simple to use with some learning curve.
So step one, would be to learn about your sprayer before you begin! The little booklet that came with the sprayer was a quick read. And there are several good videos online also.
Safety & Environment
Chalk mineral paints typically have very low if any VOCs and are safe to use indoors, but I would still recommend taking precautions to protect your environment, your eyes, and your airways. Anytime you are using pressure to aerosolize materials it can change the amount in the air and the ease with which they might get into your respiratory tract. And honestly in my opinion why take a chance! Just get a respirator like this one on Amazon, inexpensive and very good to use!
Also I suggest that you wear eye protection, like these also from Amazon, very inexpensive. And another tip would be to wear old clothing that you don’t mind to get paint on. You may be a super neat painter, but I for sure am not. And I have certain items I wear when painting to avoid ruining more clothes!
Using the Wagner Spray Shelter
The Wagner Spray Shelter is great! I’m sure it could be used indoors or outside and it keeps your spray contained so not to go all over your surfaces. You could also create a spray booth using tape and thicker drop cloths. Okay, one important note about the spray shelters is that they come in three sizes. I got the large. And, when they say this tent is large, let me tell you it is quite massive! I wish I had a video of myself trying to put up this tent.
I have put up tents before and overall it was easy but I underestimated the size of the tent and the size of my garage space free to place it in! Oh my, it was like a comedy show to see me trying to get this thing up in my small space! But it isn’t hard to use once you get it figured out. Just watch a few YouTube videos and you’ll be good. But do consider the size of the space in which you want to put the tent and order the one that might be most fitted to your available space! Do as I say and not as I do. LOL!
About Dixie Belle Silk Paint
If you haven’t used Dixie Belle’s Silk Paint I highly recommend it. It is different from their regular chalk mineral paint line. It is a mineral paint and not chalk paint. There are now even more colors than originally to choose from. The paint is like “Silk” when you are painting. Goes on so nicely and smooth. They recommend against using a misting bottle or adding water to your paint when brushing it on and you use a synthetic brush to apply. It leaves a nice eggshell finish, not flat and chalky but not satiny or glossy. Definitely more of an eggshell type finish.
The big selling point of this paint is that it has built in primer and topcoat. So basically if you are looking for a one-step product, a one and done, this is a great option. The coverage is fantastic and it dries quickly. You can re-coat in 2 hours and be done with your project in one day. White it is a 3-in-1, primer, paint and topcoat in one, you can use with a topcoat if you want. You can also add all the fun stuff like decoupage, stencils and transfers if desired. So it is very versatile.
If you’d like to learn a bit more in general about Dixie Belle Silk Paint check out: A Quick Review and What You Need To Know About Dixie Belle Silk Paint.
Although I talk about brushing on the paint in this post there are some good basic helpful tips in there.
How To Spray Dixie Belle Silk Paint: Step By Step
Okay, so now I want to share how to spray Dixie Belle’s Silk Paint. After doing a little research, I learned that Dixie Belle recommends only thinning their paint with water when you plan to spray it. And the amount of water added depends on the sprayer, but they recommend not more than 1 oz of water per 16 oz of paint. So that is about 2 tablespoons per 16 oz. Mix it and pour into your spray container.
At first I did not use a mesh filter to strain the paint and I kept getting clogs in my nozzle/spray tip. So I learned my lesson. So, when I sprayed the second coat I used these Blue Hawk Trimaco 4-Pack Plastic Cone Paint Strainers that I got a Lowe’s. You can find similar ones on Amazon also. This made a world of difference. No more clogs in my spray nozzle tip!
How To Spray Dixie Belle Silk Paint – Techniques
I found a few videos on YouTube, like this one here by Christina at Pretty Distressed where she demonstrated how to spray with Silk Paint. Another one here by Lauren at Furniture Flipping Teacher was also very helpful! Watch the videos to learn good techniques. I also placed a flattened cardboard box inside my spray tent against the back wall. I practiced spraying on the box first to get the proper flow and settings going for the pain. This was also very helpful.
I had never used a sprayer and am so used to brushing on my paint. And both are great options! I will still more often use my brush! But I was also amazed at how flawless and smooth the finish was with the sprayer! So gorgeous and smooth!
Cleaning Your Sprayer After Use
Okay, so next lets talk about sprayer clean up. Yes, the sprayer clean up took a little extra time. But proper clean up is so important to maintain the life of your sprayer. I got a bucket of warm water with Dawn Dish soap and followed the manual instructions on how to clean the sprayer parts after use. Overall I’ll say the cleanup wasn’t bad, although it certainly takes a little more time than just washing out your paint brush! So definitely factor in the time for sprayer clean up in your plans.
Summary
I hope this article has helped you learn how to spray Silk Paint.! Overall I had a great deal of fun and learned so much with this project! My first paint sprayer project with the Dixie Belle Silk went well overall! Yes, it was a learning process, but very doable! And I do plan to use the sprayer again. And now I am fully convinced that anyone can learn how to spray Silk paint!
I think the sprayer could be even more beneficial on very large pieces of furniture. As well as on pieces where there are large flat surfaces like armoires, dressers, chests etc. And if you invest in a paint sprayer it can also be used for walls and with other types of paint, not just the Silk! I am looking forward to trying the sprayer with other types and brands of paint.
Overall, I am happy that I purchased the HomeRight Finish Max Super Sprayer and the Wagner Spray Shelter. I look forward to trying this on other upcoming projects!
Other Helpful Blog Posts
And here are some links to additional blog posts that you can check out:
If you want basic info on furniture prep, How To Sand For A Smoother Finish With Chalk Paint.
And if you are a beginner furniture painter check out this info on the basics of using chalk mineral paint.
And of course Dixie Belle Silk Paint: A Quick Review and What You Need to Know About Silk Paint! Love this stuff and highly recommend!
Where To Find Me
I’d love to connect with you on social. You can find me here on social:
I’d love to know if you have tried Silk Paint or if you have tried painting chalk mineral paint in a paint sprayer? XOXO Abbey
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