Anyone care to share their tips and techniques for spraying very large surfaces (conference tables, large tops) where you have no option other than to spray down the center and out to and edge and get around and pick back up on the center which may have already started to flash?

Just ran a 16' x 50" wide top where there was no way I could reach across the 50" width and tieing in to the center start when moving around to the other side is always nerve wracking.

Thankfully this sort of stuff is rare here but would love to hear how you guys that do these regularly handle it. More reducer?

Do you happen to have a finisher other than yourself and an extra spray set up ? If so each of you get on a side and both of you start in the middle and work your way towards yourself.

We did this on hundreds of 4x8 wall panels and this system worked quite well.

A couple options:
1. Use retarder so it's not flashing off so quickly :)
2. There are rollable options.
For example, Milesi makes a rollable 2k urethane that is every bit as good as their sprayable ones. For a conference table, this would work fine.

Big tip and slow retarder.

I use a 12-174 (815) on big stuff or when I'm spraying a lot of pigmented. You can almost run when spraying clear with this tip.

Going to be much tougher if you are spraying with an HVLP or similar.

Two guns would always be preferable but not alwats an option. Never considered a rollable option. Have to investigate. Retarder has been the route but still prickly to be dead wet when you get around to pick back up.

For Milesi, the rollable water based 2k is HSA6A457-5

This is in the natural series (IE looks like nothing), which is what i normally would use on a table like this for the kind of stuff i build.

I haven't explored whether other 2k urethane manufacturers offer a similar product.

Mark, If I need to shoot a very big top by myself I will use some retarder in a slow reducer(most of my big tops are 2K PU) I will start at a edge and "push " to the middle and then run around to other side and then "pull" towards me till I reach the opposite edge.
If two of us spray I have two guns that are the same and we both take a side.
The key is the right amount of retarder and also the right kind of retarder based on the coating you are using. You don't want it to stay wet forever and get tons of dust inclusions. Good Luck

What material are you spraying?

i've done as bob has suggested almost every week for 10+ years. 16' is not typical, but 10-12' is. and we spray way wider stuff.

you want to get tricky - how about an 8' square table top? i've done this twice. had to crawl up on it and spray it from my knees while backing off. it keeps me young!

good luck.

Someone should invent an extension rod that attaches to the gun.

Thanks for all the tips. The push to the center then run around is the approach ive been using. Doesnt really matter what material it is, CV, 2K, WB, i was more asking for physical technique. I hope i never land in the google world on an 8x8.

Thanks a bunch everyone.

LOL... Someone has invented an extension for wide surfaces...way back in the 50's...Devilbiss had up to four foot extensions for their spray guns.! The ones we used were angled to be perpendicular to the sprayed surface. Don't know if their still making them but you can Google and find out.! I believe Binks made some also, but I never used any of theirs.

Lean it on it's side. Think about spraying the side of a boat. The way to avoid runs is to do a tack coat. Let it flash off and go back and hit it again.

The majority of surfaces in the world that are sprayed are not flat or level.

Thanks Adam,
We seriously considered fixturing it at an angle but it presents it own issues with hitting the underside/edge on the lower side. On these tops its nice to hit the couple inches of underside, edge, and top all in one wet coat. Anything much wide and we'd likely have to consider angling it more seriously but flat was still the preferred orientation here.

Use airless ..... it pumps lots of material with minimal air with very wide pattern.....and you need to run fast back and firth , good luck