Can we talk about the push for waterborne paint in every shop?

Three years ago in Denver, my shop switched to a full waterborne system after a big local job required it. I spent a month fighting with the spray gun settings and the dry times in our climate, which is so dry. The rep kept saying it was the future, but the extra steps for a quality finish felt like a step back on every repair. Has anyone else found it just adds more hassle than it's worth on daily work?

3 comments

3 Comments

hayden_rivera22d ago

We had the same fight with humidity in our shop. Ended up getting a dedicated dehumidifier for the booth and it cut our dry time in half, made it way more bearable.

the_lucas9d ago

Remember my buddy who paints guitars in his garage? He was fighting the same thing phoenix625 described, just a sticky mess that wouldn't cure. He tried running a fan and an AC unit together, said it just moved the damp air around. Finally broke down and got a decent dehumidifier for the corner. He said the difference wasn't even subtle, it was like flipping a switch. Stuff that used to stay tacky for a full day was ready for a second coat in a few hours.

phoenix62522d ago

Our humidity hit 80% last summer and it was brutal. We tried fans and silica gel packs first with zero luck. A small dehumidifier in the spray area was a total game changer for us too.