HVLP stands for high volume low-pressure spray guns. Painters for refinishing their work widely prefer HVLP spray guns.
It is also used by professional painters for making the best out of their paintings as these guns can be very useful in detailing jobs and precise work.
There are various benefits of using an HVLP spray gun, but at the same time, it has multiple drawbacks too.
Today we are going to discuss everything a person should know about HVLP spray gun. So let’s get started:
An HVLP spray gun is suitable for both outdoor and indoor painting works as it provides efficient coverage and produces less noise. In comparison to the other airless sprayers, it stands out much more as it can be used for exterior as well as an interior painting whereas the other sprayers are only suitable for outdoor art.
The other benefit of HVLP spray gun is that it accumulates less overspray and gives excellent coverage to the painted surface.
Various parameters are used to judge the efficiency of any paint-sprayer gun. To study information about HVLP spray gun we need to know all these parameters and how well the HVLP spray gun works in context to these. The various settings are:
Principle of operation
HVLP spray guns are said to be the modifications of conventional spray guns. The first working of the HVLP spray gun depends on the air compressor as it atomizes the paint for spray at high volume and low pressure as desired.
There are some units of HVLP spray guns which use turbines instead of air compressors for facilitating atomization. And if talk about airless sprayer they use pistons instead of compressor or turbine to spray the paint at high pressure and that is what makes the main difference between airless sprayers and HVLP spray guns that are airless sprayers spray paint at high pressure whereas HVLP spray guns spray paint at low pressure and high volume.
Material Viscosity
You guys might know this that before applying some paints, we need to thin them for better quality and coverage. And same needs to be done for HVLP spray guns. When a painter works with HVLP spray gun he/she needs to thin the paint as the pressure of the HVLP spray gun is low and when it comes to an airless sprayer, you don’t need to thin the paint for these sprayers as they spray paint at high pressure. Thick paints such as latex or enamel require thinning with the help of mineral spirits or thinners.
Production
HVLP spray guns have been famous for so long for their excellent production. Other spray guns are preferred because of their high output, unlike HVLP spray guns. HVLP spray guns work for quality, not for quantity and that is the reason professional painters favor it for their expensive and high-quality paintings.
The transfer rate of paint of an HVLP spray gun is about 80-90% without any wastage or overspray whereas airless sprayers only offer 50 % of the transfer rate of paint. Even the PSI for HVLP spray guns is remarkably lower than other airless sprayers where wireless sprayers give 2000 psi of pressure; HVLP spray guns give 10 Psi per nozzle.
The presence of air compressors helps in providing a better and smooth coverage. People prefer HVLP paints more for detailing and minor jobs rather than outdoor or colossal painting jobs.
Cost
HVLP spray guns are expensive as compared to any other paint sprayer or its turbine unit one. HVLP spray guns are used for touch up and detailing of costly paintings and are master of less overspray due to which it has a high price than any other sprayer.
The excellent quality of production and coverage it offers makes it expensive to own. But you can save money on this spray gun if you have your turbine or compressor with you, you can combine your compressor with HVLP spray gun and make it less expensive.
Suitability
We have been reading this for so long that the HVLP spray gun provides less overspray and gives better coverage with less wastage of paint. It is preferred for expensive paintings as it can help in saving the wastage of the costly colors being used in the paintings.
HVLP spray guns are also width used for jobs like detailing or touch-ups or maybe for precise jobs like furniture painting or fixtures with carvings etc.
Performance
An HVLP spray gun with compressor helps in getting the best quality coverage and excellent quality of paintings. But the best part of these guns is that with the air compressor you can achieve any pressure you desire.
People use HVLP spray guns especially when they are aiming to achieve a fine spray. This was about the air compressors, but when we talk of the turbine units of HVLP spray guns, we should know that they are portable. They can be carried anywhere along and the hot air produced by the sprayer helps in drying the paint faster than usual which means that there will be no choking issues in the paint gun hose.
The only issue with HVLP spray guns is that they don’t work with thick paints and require thinned paints for spraying. Due to the presence of air compressor and turbine, there is very less or minimal production of noise from the HVLP spray gun whereas due to the presence of piston for spraying paint in an airless sprayers make it noises.
Precautions
When dealing with paints, you need to keep in mind that they are made from harsh chemicals which can cause damage to the person eyes or any other body part if gets in contact.
To avoid any mishap or any other injury a person should ensure that he takes all the precautions mentioned on the label of the pack of paint as advised by the manufacturers. And one more thing he needs to follow is wearing of proper protective gear to avoid any contact of paint to any sensitive body part.
Protective gears like safety goggles, rubber gloves, protective shoes and a face mask should be worn to avoid any injury as safety is the priority for every individual.
Disadvantages of HVLP spray guns
There are various cons of HVLP spray guns too as everything comes with pros and cons. The multiple problems of HVLP spray guns are:
- Thick paints cannot be used in HVLP spray guns as they require thinner paints for better spray quality at low pressure.
- Expensive– The HVLP spray guns are costly than any other spray gun present as they provide the excellent quality coverage.
So this was everything and anything you should know about HVLP spray guns before using them. These guns are being preferred by people who aim expensive painting and exceptional quality coverage.
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Read more: How to use a Paint Sprayer?
Peter Levick
ArchitectI am a licensed architect who is passionate about all things home improvement industries, I have been doing DIY painting projects and have developed lots of experience around home improvement over the 10 years.
