The Homeright Finish Max is an electric HVLP Paint Sprayer and is quite possibly the most impactful tool I have in my arsenal of furniture painting products. Find THREE of the most useful videos you will find on this sprayer below!
You can find the Finish Max HERE (aflink) There is no air compressor needed and it has an incredibly simplified design to take all the guesswork out for you! I often consider it the perfect introduction to spraying furniture however, I will also often add in that I have yet to feel the need to “upgrade” to anything more sophisticated. Learn this and so much more in my Ultimate Guide to Furniture Painting!
Who would use the Homeright Finish Max?
It is really much easier to skip over to who would not want to use the Homeright Finish Max. If you want to use Oil Based Lacquers for high gloss furniture, chances are you will not need this sprayer. You also may not prefer it if you use a lot of oil based products, although it is able to be used with them, the parts may just wear quickly due to the chemicals you have to use for clean up. Personally I recommend it primarily for water based products.
Painting a modern look
Using a sprayer is a great way to achieve a modern look. By spraying you are able to lay the paint pigments down evenly creating that clean look. Whether using your can of mineral paint or using the cabinet paint from the your home improvement store. I tend to really love Benjamin Moore Advance in my Homeright Finish Max as well as Dixie Belle (aflink) Both are water based paints that dont require top coats unless you need it for a high traffic area (like surfaces you may set a glass on).
Painting a shabby look
While you can brush your shabby style paint finish, spraying can get you to the fun a little faster! Using your favorite easy to distress paint you can spray 1-2 coats and move right on to glazing, waxing, and distressing to get the shabby look you love!
While I still like to use Benjamin Moore Advance & Dixie Belle here, any other chalk or mineral paint is just fine to use! I walk you through how to get your paint just right. A couple of tips can make the process (and your paint finish) so much more smooth!
Painting farmhouse white
White can tend to be the most difficult color to paint. With such a small amount of pigment, it tends to allow more contaminants to discolor it and getting full coverage can also be more difficult. Your brush may pull the pigments across the surface causing them to displace.
A sprayer allows pigments to lay down evenly! Because you arent working against the brush strokes, I would argue that not only do you not waste more paint, but you may even use less than if you use a brush! Again, once you have your lovely white paint finish you are able to distress and farmhouse up the look as you like! You can even spray the top coat for flawless look and feel!
Painting spindles and details
If you ask a group of painters about painting spindles on chairs, or rails; or if you ask about painting deep ornate details, you will often be met with experienced painters that have long left the fight with their brush and now skip over to using a sprayer.
By using a sprayer you are able to once again lay those fine pigments down and allow them to just fill those little nooks and crannies. With a brush you will often find yourself working the paint in or on one area while you inadvertently remove it from another. Its inevitable!
What comes with my Homeright Finish Max?
When you receive your Homeright Finish Max, you also will get an air blow nozzle, cleaning brush, and a viscosity cup. While I don’t personally use the blow nozzle very much, the viscosity cup is my best friend! You will use it to ensure your paint isn’t too thick or too thin to properly spray. Be sure to check out the video to understand how it works!
Will I need anything else with my Homeright Finish Max?
No, you wont “need” anything else but of course I want to tell you about the things I believe you will find useful! I would not want to spray without them!
- Of course you need your Homeright Finish Max first
- Fine Mesh Strainer
This ensures you have no lumps or clumps to clog up your sprayer! - Paint Cup
It REALLY helps to have an extra super sized cup to test the viscosity in during set up! - Stir Stick
To mix your water and paint to get it just right! - Spray Shelter
This is great to not only keep over spray contained but to also protect your finish as it dries from bugs and airborne crud! - Dust Mask
It may seem harmless but breathing in the airborne paint particles is no good! Use something to protect your sinuses and respiratory system. - Painters Tape
You wont need it for everything but I highly recommend it for drawers. - Timer
You can use any timer, even the one on your phone. This is used to measure your viscosity which is VERY important!
How to use the Homeright Finish Max
I get it! We can be so excited to get these gadgets, then before we know it they have sat in a closet for months because we are just so intimidated! Its time to get over it! Spraying with the Finish Max is easy, you will feel so silly once you experience using it! To help I created a Facebook group dedicated specifically to the Finish Max and I invite you to join! Join Now
Setting up your Finish Max
Getting set up is half the battle. Once you get the hang of this, you may find you can knock it out easily and possibly even without the viscosity cup or timer. Getting the viscosity right is so important though. If your paint is too thin you will have a runny splattery mess! If your paint is too thick, you may have clumps, sputtering, and it flat out wont work.
Begin by adding the desired amount of paint into a container. (I use this paint cup) Remember you probably don’t want to add the entire container because if you make it too thin by accident, you want to be able to add more paint to thicken it back up.
Next grab your timer (a phone timer is fine, just be careful!) and your viscosity cup! Your goal is to dip the cup down into your paint to fill it up, then lift it up so the paint drains out of it within 25-40 seconds! (Personally for light colors I aim for close to 40)
If your paint takes more than 40 seconds to drain, your paint is too thick. You will need to add water to make it thinner (assuming its a water based paint) If it take less than 25 seconds, your paint is too thin! You will need to add more paint to your cup to thicken it up.
Generally if you have no additional paint to add, you can leave it in the open air and check on it every few hours. This can be a little tricky since bits can dry up but, its either this or possibly buying more product. Tip: Make sure to STIR your water/paint with your stir stick and do not “whip” it. You want the contents to combine without creating air bubbles.
Once you have the right viscosity, grab your strainer and place it over the mouth of your sprayers paint cup. Pour your paint in. Any clumps or dried bits that would have caused issues, will be caught here. Be sure you to pay attention to the fill lines on the cup and don’t overfill.
As you screw your Finish Max cup on, pay attention to the angle on the tube coming down from the sprayer. This will need to point forward if you plan to point the sprayer downward at all, and point backward if you plan to spray upward at all.
Spraying with your HomeRight Finish Max
One of the absolute best things you can do to help understand your sprayer is hang a piece of paper or card board to practice spraying on. Remember pooling is bad. you want to see the spray pattern fade out gradually at each end. If it instead pools at each end, turn your nozzle perpendicular or move your sprayer perpendicular to the direction you were previously moving it. Here are some basic tips to apply
- If spraying up and down, turn nozzle up and down. (horizontal spray pattern)
- If spraying side to side, turn your nozzle side to side. (vertical spray pattern)
- If you turn the nozzle diagonal, the pattern is somewhat round and universal
- spray PAST the piece you are spraying if its a surface that “ends”. (Furniture, cabinet doors, drawers etc.) The prevents uneven application and pooling at the edges.
- Keep your sprayer positioned parallel to the surface you are spraying. This helps to keep an even spray pattern
- When using chalk style paints: Keep a cloth on hand to wipe the nozzle. The air coming out can tend to dry up the paint at the tip while you spray. Be sure to keep that area clear.
Cleaning up your sprayer
If you Clean your sprayer immediately you will VASTLY extend the life of your sprayer!
Cleaning up is also much more simple than we tend to imagine! As soon as you are finished, remove the paint cup from your sprayer and pour out the paint. (Or if you have purchased an extra cup and lid simply remove and out the lid on!) Fill a sprayer cup with water (maybe a touch of dish soap if you like) and attach that to the sprayer.
Swish the water around to be sure to rinse the top area inside the container as well as the cup if there is leftover paint from the cup. Then “spray” the water until it comes out clear. you may want to dump and refill one more time if you did this using the same cup you had paint in.
If needed use the brush included with your sprayer to clean the tubes. Its also good to unscrew the nozzle and use your brush to clean this area. Nothing more than soapy water should be needed! (Assuming you are using water based products)
Join my Homeright Spraying Community!
Now, its time to get started!! Want to feel like you have a friend with your walking you through? Ill invite you one more time to join us in the HomeRight Finish Max Everything Group! Ask anything you need and share your creations!
