Greengate Ranch Remodel
Remodeling a Daylight Ranch in Oregon

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Painting Built-in Bookshelves

We finally painted the built-in bookshelves I installed in the basement. Here is a picture of one of the smaller units that flanks the theater room...


Since we had quite a bit to paint (total of 14 x 7 feet), I decided to buy a paint sprayer to complete the job. We are going to be working on the outside of the house next year, plus the new garden shed, so a sprayer is in order.

After doing some research - and getting a great deal at Costco, I decided to buy the Wagner Paint Crew Plus painter.


The best online price for this is about $230. Costco had it on sale for $210, plus a $50 in-store rebate, so I picked it up for $160. I was originally planning on going with a low-end Graco model for $300, but at this price I figured it was worth a try. I bought the original paint crew unit for $150 about 3 years ago. It worked OK, but failed after about 6 months. The reviews of the Plus model indicate the reliability is much improved.

Bottom line: It sprayed paint well. I had it turned down to the minimum flow rate, and it produced a nice smooth finish. I did have to back roll a few spots where too much pain hit the front of the bookcase while I was spraying the back - any unit will do this. Also, it was pretty easy to clean - took about 15 minutes. Some of the reviews complained about the complexity of cleaning up, but I am not sure what they expect - if you shoot paint through something, its going to be a bit messy.

Here is the larger shelf unit:



And here is a close-up of the painted beadboard in the back of the shelves:



We still need to texture the surrounding walls (hopefully tomorrow), before trimming these out. I plan on letting these sit for at least three days to give the paint a chance to cure before putting any books in them.

1 comment:

The Repair-Home Team said...

Great job on the cabinets! I think it would make a great entry in our “Share Your Project” contest. You can win up to $2,700 just by uploading your project description and the before and after photos you’ve already taken. I hope you’ll consider submitting your project!

For more details check out: http://www.repair-home.com/project/

See my article library on eHow...