Should I spray or brush?

billyg

I will be painting (white) all my 6 panel doors (about 20), baseboard trim, crown mouldings, window trim. All are currently finished with the builders original stain and glossy lacquer...My house is about 2600 sq feet.
As a novice, I have spray painted the EXTERIOR of my house several times with good results, but have never used an HVLP sprayer on interior trim and doors. I detest brush marks and so am leaning towards an HVLP sprayer.
What do you pros prefer to use? Many of you will probably say brush, I'm guessing.--But can you really get as smooth a finish (especially on 6-panel doors) by using a brush?--Do you use Flotroel additive to help the brush marks flatten?
On the other hand, after sufficient practice runs on scrap wood, can a novice get professional results with an HVLP sprayer?--Is there a favorite sprayer you can recommend? While I would prefer to use latex (due to lower VOCs), I'm open to suggestions regarding oil as well.
Two more questions...How would you prep the lacquer covered surfaces before the finish paint goes on? How many coats of finish paint would you recommend?

Thanks a lot!

KUIPORNG

if your baseboard already installed.... I will imagine it is real hard to spray ....

if everything is loose... spray is definitely the way to go at your backyard....

slickshift

No
I would actually recommend renting an airless, but using a fine finish (FF) tip and adjusting the pressure appropriately
Oil is a bit more durable, and will level better if you are using a brush
But it also has higher VOCs, uses solvents for clean-up, and whites will yellow in the absence of sunlight
I'd suggest an enamel (either way), and the waterborne enamels are almost as good these days
Clean, sand, wipe, alkyd (oil) prime, sand, topcoats

billyg

Thanks. Why would you recommend an airless sprayer over an HVLP? Wouldn't an HVLP give you better control over smaller areas such as window trim and baseboards? (By the way, I do plan on painting baseboard sans carpeting as it is being replaced also.)
And whether I spray or brush, do you recommend an additive like Flotroel to slow the drying time and give the paint more time to "flatten" out to minimize brush strokes?
Thanks again.

boman47k

If you decide to topcoat with an oil product, use penetrol.

slickshift

No
An airless has dozens of tip choices, some of which which vary the size of the spray pattern (that's one of the numbers on the tip "size", it tells you how big the fan is)
Then there is the fact that an HVLP is a horrible choice for latex paints

An HVLP might be a better choice for other types of finishes and projects

No...not out right no
Only if needed, or recommended by the paint manufacturer
Basically the paints are mostly the best they can be right out of the can
Sometimes it needs help because of the environment (humid, heat, cold, dry, etc)
Then a conditioner might be used...if it could help in the specific conditions

Sometimes the paint manufacturer will have specific instructions for spraying, which may, or may not, include some type of conditioner

The information will be found in the product's TDS (Technical Data Sheet), which all painting products have