Painting Kitchen Cabinets 1: Fuji HVLP spray gun Review

Here are the parts I used:
- Fuji Mini-Mite 4 Platinum HVLP system
- 3M PPS #16325
- Timber Mate water based wood filler
- STIX Waterborne bonding primer
- Benjamin More Advance Waterborne Alkyd
- 3M full face mask with 3M 60923 filters
- IKEA Torhamn Ash Shaker Doors

I bought all these with my own money and have used them for over a year.

Why didn’t I just buy the white doors already painted from IKEA? Well all the white doors they sell are particle board (MDF) covered with a melamine foil finish. They feel cheap and fake in my opinion. We wanted Hardwood real doors that feel substantial. So that is why we needed to paint them. Plus there is plenty of trim in the kitchen that would also need to be painted. Also, if you want a custom color like the blue we are thinking about for the island then you need to be able to paint.

[heyb]

3:10 😂 I know that phrase brother! You aren’t alone!

[burnbabybyrne]

Great content - thanks! Don’t call yourself a rookie; this content is very helpful and I’ve looked at lots of videos from ‘pros’. It pulls together Fuji HVLP and 3M PPS in one very helpful video.

[markzod]

Really excellent review of your systems, it's details, and some explanation of why you chose what you did. Thanks for helping me on my HVLP journey 🙂

[creativedave]

At first, I was searching for that FUJI systainer then learned that you actually made it yourself. It looks AWESOME. I use systainers for everything. This is a great solution!

[heyb]

Just upgraded from an earlex 5500 to this mini mite 5. So glad I watched this. Love the 3M cup and I’m definitely going to order a remote start! Great idea!

[onepoket]

Omg we were so close. I have been on the struggle with BM Advance. I first tried to brush/roll it on, that was a fail so I sanded down my two 7' doors and moved onto spraying. I have a Fuji MM 3, so one stage less than yours. I have a few questions you were very close to answering.

1) What viscosity did you thin the advance down to? How many seconds in the Ford cup?
2) Gun setup, did you start from wide open and bring the paint flow down to get a good fan or start at zero and work up?
3) What tip/aircap size?
4) What size systainer is that?

My problem is I have a slight orange peel thing going on. I thinned to about 55 seconds in #4 Ford cup, which was way more than 10% water. I had no Floetrol so it was all water, it sprayed okay with a 1.8mm tip but Im afraid that the added water evaporated too fast so the paint didn't level enough and/or not enough solids were deposited so it peeled a bit.

Hoping you can remember what you did, I have been searching everywhere for specific info on Fuji + Advance spray settings.

Either way, great video 👍

[davidd.perata]

I am a newbie to the Fuji system and painting cabinets. I used SW Extreme for a primer and their Emerald Urethane Hybrid for the topcoat. First mistake is using the 1.3 tip that came with the gun. He's right to use the 1.5. I had to get this job done with the 1.3, however. From my spraying experience with standard air compressor guns I knew how to gloss out paint onto the surface to compensate somewhat for orange peel.
But as he said, it was difficult not to get runs, especially with the Emerald. However, I will say that the Extreme primer dries very hard but is easy to sand. It withstands aggressive sanding with 220 paper without burning through the edges. This makes it great when you need a thicker coat for some reason, because you know that it will sand out beautifully.
The Emerald is a learning curve, and with a 1.3 tip it seems very difficult to get that fine spray without thinning the paint down too much. I'm certain the 1.5 tip will take care of that problem. But it levels so well that runs I touched up with a brush that left brush marks were barely distinguishable from the sprayed finish. At least least well enough to pass for the people who owned the house that were flipping it so resell. It really save my rear.
One thing that I found very difficult was to position light where I could see my spray pattern to put on a wet coat that was not going to run. I was shooting blind a lot that did not help. I had to go more on feel.
Anyway, that's my two cents worth.

[beurre]

This is fantastic content -- incredibly helpful. Thanks for doing what you do!

[shaffer]

Enjoyed the educational video! Learned much more than I anticipated.

[sinister]

Thanks for the video. Ive been debating on gettiing the MM4. Im a pro residential painter and Ive been doing alot of cabs recently. Wanted to increase the quality. If u like Advance u will LOVE Emerald urethane. I still use Stix. Its still the best wb bonding primer.

[aylaybay]

Very helpful! Can't wait to see how the kitchen turned out!!!

[michaeljakus]

Thanks for the heads up on the PPS system from 3M... great idea!

[turninground]

I've been shooting HVLP for twenty plus years now. I have a competitors gun but have been interested in the Fuji system for a nephew. I have a time saving tip I learned from a pro many years ago. You will laugh but you will reap the reward if you just give it a try. One of the very finest lubricants on the market that water will not bother is for it Chap stick. So you have complained that cleaning the outside of your gun is a pain right. And as a presenter having a paint soaked gun distracted me from taking you seriously at first. So if you use a bit of chap stick on the body of your gun the paint will not adhere to it. It will wipe right off and make cleaning a breeze. Also if you use it on the needle barrel you will prolong it's life at the contact area before the trigger. Applying it on your cap will keep it clean and make shooting easier. My gun still looks new after twenty years of use. And wait for it. It smells pretty good too. I swear to all of you this is serious. It's a great lubricant and it's not water soluable. Give it a try.

[Mikey__R]

Hi! Really interested to learn the Mini Mite will fit in a generic systainer. What size systainer did you get?

I've already got Festool and Makita, so adding systainers makes good sense.

[ILruffian]

Quality content. Fuji can produce a great finish. And the PPS 2.0 is a godsend. Fuji whip hose is a POS. I didn't even get through my first set of cabinets before mine broke.

[dylan-nguyen]

btw Hu probably want the pink and black cartridges
The yellow is for heavy chemicals like chlorine and sulfur
black is for organic vapors like paint

[edsolomon]

Have you posted other videos of your technique? How do you avoid painting the edges where the panel and rails/stiles meet? Really enjoyed this first video

[mays]

i would like to invest in the Q5 fuji sprayer

[texascrossbowdude]

Does this system produce a lot of overspray? Compared to a wagner or homeright sprayer

[gola]

Great video. I have the same system. You mentioned the liner part number is 16325. Can you share what is the part number for compressor cup/top filter cap and adopter required for the spray gun. Thank you!