# Spraying technique: Cross-hatching vs mowing the lawn.



## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

Just curious how most of you folks spray items such as man doors, cabinet doots, large panels etc. My first ten years or so were pretty much exclusively walls (interior and exterior) aside from the occasional trim pack, so I've always only sprayed things either left to right or top to bottom, but never both. 

But I see a lot of sprayers online cross-hatching more often than not. Is this a better method to apply? I could see how it would better diffuse any visible spray pattern versus mowing the lawn where you can see the the fan pattern if you you don't have everything including your technique dialed in. I could also see how this might allow for better hang on vertical surfaces too, as you could (maybe?) get a proper finish with less product. Any thoughts?


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

I generally only crosshatch if its a rough surface that wont be backrolled. I dont think either way is better than the other, just personal preference. I play with speed and overlap myself. For lacquer, I do a double wet pass, with higher gun movement speed, but less overlap (if that makes sense) For paint, I do more single pass, medium speed 50% overlap.


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

I think this is a great topic for discussion. Even though you'll likely get varying opinions based on the individual's preference, I think there are some areas which benefit from crosshatching in particular. Areas with varying height surfaces, (stucco, popcorn, thick brocades), as well as areas with tight clearances, (multi-panel cabinet doors with those little grooves), and also as @Woodco mentioned, walls/ceilings if I'm not backrolling, (much more ceilings than walls for me, no matter the texture). 80% of my ceilings aren't backrolled, but 100% of them are crosshatched. Highly reflective areas, higher sheen paints, 

There are other areas and situations where crosshatching might not be ideal, like when you're spraying long skinny boxes. Crosshatching the inner boxes means throwing out a ton of overspray during the horizontal portion of spraying. Instead of 4 vertical passes on the interior sidewall of a long skinny box, you'd be doing about 15 horizontals, (x2 per box). In those cases, I'll just second-coat my verticals on the opposite side as the first coat, so if I'm doing the interiors of the long skinny boxes working from left-to-right on the first coat, I'd start on the right side and work my way to the left on the second. I can also think of situations where the trim on either side of the object you're spraying would see some negative effects during a horizontal crosshatch, since you'd be starting & stopping on them many times, That could lead to spits or a lack of uniform build of the finish coat when they get sprayed, or on the rare occasion, a run, (gasp).


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

Crosshatching is more intended for cope & stick framed raised panels in order to insure coverage of all profile details.


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

It makes sense on cabinet doors because of all the angles. Just a different technique really. I have my doors on a carousel so I can spin it. What's a man door?


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

finishesbykevyn said:


> It makes sense on cabinet doors because of all the angles. Just a different technique really. I have my doors on a carousel so I can spin it. What's a man door?


Ive always referred to them as the door that goes from the inside of the garage to the outside of the house, usually right inside the backyard fence. That doesnt sound like what the OP is talking about though... When I googled it, there are at least three different types of 'man doors,' though.

When I do cabinet doors, I angle the gun a bit different for every pass, but all in the same direction.

The fact is though, if you paint it properly, it wont matter whether it was crosshatched or not. If you see crosshatches, or lines when its dry, you did something wrong. I generally dont crosshatch, because when its drying, it looks like a checkerboard, and Im paranoid that it will stay that way. Im sure it wont, but thats just what my mind does. 

Its like the ceiling orientation debate. I was taught to go parallel to the brightest window, others were taught to go perpendicular. Others taught to crosshatch... Does it matter? I dont think so, as long as you do it properly, whichever way you choose.


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## Rbriggs82 (Jul 9, 2012)

I only ever cross hatch when spraying popcorn ceilings.


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

With some slower drying finishes in lesser sheens such as waterborne 2Ks, it’s often better to do multiple thinner passes due to flattening agents resulting in a stripey finish with one heavier pass.


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

finishesbykevyn said:


> It makes sense on cabinet doors because of all the angles. Just a different technique really. I have my doors on a carousel so I can spin it. What's a man door?


Ha! Good question..My first painting boss always called them man doors, basically any door that a person walks through. I think he used that to differentiate them from overhead doors. It always stuck with me though. ( looks professional on the estimate) ☺


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

Woodco said:


> Ive always referred to them as the door that goes from the inside of the garage to the outside of the house, usually right inside the backyard fence. That doesnt sound like what the OP is talking about though... When I googled it, there are at least three different types of 'man doors,' though.
> 
> When I do cabinet doors, I angle the gun a bit different for every pass, but all in the same direction.
> 
> ...


I'm the same way with ceilings, I'm not even sure I would know how to paint one going perpendicular to the light..


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

Redux said:


> With some slower drying finishes in lesser sheens such as waterborne 2Ks, it’s often better to do multiple thinner passes due to flattening agents resulting in a stripey finish with one heavier pass.


Good to know. Yes that's specifically where I was noticing the cross hatching, watching guys spray the 2ks.


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

fromthenorthwest said:


> Good to know. Yes that's specifically where I was noticing the cross hatching, watching guys spray the 2ks.


I was having some striping issues with a matte clear when spraying in one direction similar to what’s described in the following link. They speak about “boxing” the spray pattern or “box coating” which is the proper term for cross-hatching as a means to eliminate striping with matte or dead flat finishes. 

Avoiding "Stripes" in a Flat Finish


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

stelzerpaintinginc. said:


> I think this is a great topic for discussion. Even though you'll likely get varying opinions based on the individual's preference, I think there are some areas which benefit from crosshatching in particular. Areas with varying height surfaces, (stucco, popcorn, thick brocades), as well as areas with tight clearances, (multi-panel cabinet doors with those little grooves), and also as @Woodco mentioned, walls/ceilings if I'm not backrolling, (much more ceilings than walls for me, no matter the texture). 80% of my ceilings aren't backrolled, but 100% of them are crosshatched. Highly reflective areas, higher sheen paints,
> 
> There are other areas and situations where crosshatching might not be ideal, like when you're spraying long skinny boxes. Crosshatching the inner boxes means throwing out a ton of overspray during the horizontal portion of spraying. Instead of 4 vertical passes on the interior sidewall of a long skinny box, you'd be doing about 15 horizontals, (x2 per box). In those cases, I'll just second-coat my verticals on the opposite side as the first coat, so if I'm doing the interiors of the long skinny boxes working from left-to-right on the first coat, I'd start on the right side and work my way to the left on the second. I can also think of situations where the trim on either side of the object you're spraying would see some negative effects during a horizontal crosshatch, since you'd be starting & stopping on them many times, That could lead to spits or a lack of uniform build of the finish coat when they get sprayed, or on the rare occasion, a run, (gasp).


Definitely agree with you on those long skinny boxes, if anything cross-hatching would seem counterproductive..

I'll have to try cross-hatching ceilings on my next NC job, sounds like a real neck saver.


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

Redux said:


> I was having some striping issues with a matte clear when spraying in one direction similar to what’s described in the following link. They speak about “boxing” the spray pattern or “box coating” which is the proper term for cross-hatching as a means to eliminate striping with matte or dead flat finishes.
> 
> Avoiding "Stripes" in a Flat Finish


Yeah, that striping effect is one of the reasons I was wondering if cross hatching (or boxing) on fine finish work might be a good idea.

It was the semi-gloss that always made me nervous, but I could see how the matte would also be problematic since there's a higher concentration of flatteners, if I'm understanding that right.


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

fromthenorthwest said:


> Good to know. Yes that's specifically where I was noticing the cross hatching, watching guys spray the 2ks.


A few reasons you’re probably seeing more cross hatching videos with waterborne 2K finishes than with other finishes, is that 2K systems have higher maximum wet film & total system dry film thickness tolerances than most coating systems do. That permits building a higher wet film with multiple alternating passes, plus with many 2Ks it’s possible to achieve the total system minimum film thickness requirements by applying multiple alternating wet on wet applications in one pop. 2K cure times aren’t affected by applying heavier wet films when doing alternating wet on wet passes as they would with other coating systems, plus they’re less prone to solvent entrapment & solvent pop due to being slower drying than with quicker drying coatings.


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

Redux said:


> A few reasons you’re probably seeing more cross hatching videos with waterborne 2K finishes than with other finishes, is that 2K systems have higher maximum wet film & total system dry film thickness tolerances than most coating systems do. That permits building a higher wet film with multiple alternating passes, plus with many 2Ks it’s possible to achieve the total system minimum film thickness requirements by applying multiple alternating wet on wet applications in one pop. 2K cure times aren’t affected by applying heavier wet films when doing alternating wet on wet passes as they would with other coating systems, plus they’re less prone to solvent entrapment & solvent pop due to being slower drying than with quicker drying coatings.


Thanks for the info, that's very helpful. So when you say they're less affected than other coatings by thicker wet film mils does that mean they have better vertical hang too? Along with the other issues you mentioned like solvent pop etc.


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

Vertical hang varies by product & manufacturer, but 8 wet mils is achievable on vertical surfaces with some WB 2Ks.

You’ll often see application specs on 2K product data sheets specifying cross-hatching, crosscoating, or box coating. 

https://www.ics-ilva.com/downloads/ILVA-Red-Book-2018.pdf


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## Knobbe (Mar 14, 2021)

fromthenorthwest said:


> Ha! Good question..My first painting boss always called them man doors, basically any door that a person walks through. I think he used that to differentiate them from overhead doors. It always stuck with me though. ( looks professional on the estimate) ☺


I always called them man doors too but today they are Person doors!!


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

Knobbe said:


> I always called them man doors too but today they are Person doors!!


I’ve always called them service doors, or service entry when attached to a garage. One person found the term offensive and antiquated.


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## slinger58 (Feb 11, 2013)

Holland said:


> I’ve always called them service doors, or service entry when attached to a garage. One person found the term offensive and antiquated.


These days there are some folks who are always on the lookout for ways to be “offended”.
Hell, you can call me antiquated and I won’t be offended. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

Redux said:


> Vertical hang varies by product & manufacturer, but 8 wet mils is achievable on vertical surfaces with some WB 2Ks.
> 
> You’ll often see application specs on 2K product data sheets specifying cross-hatching, crosscoating, or box coating.
> 
> ...


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## CharlestonPainter (Jun 3, 2020)

Redux said:


> A few reasons you’re probably seeing more cross hatching videos with waterborne 2K finishes than with other finishes, is that 2K systems have higher maximum wet film & total system dry film thickness tolerances than most coating systems do. That permits building a higher wet film with multiple alternating passes, plus with many 2Ks it’s possible to achieve the total system minimum film thickness requirements by applying multiple alternating wet on wet applications in one pop. 2K cure times aren’t affected by applying heavier wet films when doing alternating wet on wet passes as they would with other coating systems, plus they’re less prone to solvent entrapment & solvent pop due to being slower drying than with quicker drying coatings.


Wow. Superb advice and in depth knowledge, so spot on with what I'm learning. I've been trained to box/cross hatch Waterborne Renner 1k and 2k coats on Cabinets, it subtly provides a better level of coat mil consistency over the entire piece vs mow the lawn/50% overlap, which isn't always very uniform in mil thickness unless you're reeeal good. Plus it reduces mil variances on the cabinet profiles, or sharp profile edges, and reduces the need to slant the gun sideways as much on certain passes, to catch those profile edges well, as they will be misted on the sideways pass. Just a more uniform coating, and indeed, no fear of going thick, Renner 765 High Hang can go on thiccckkk, (even vertically), without patchy or uneven drying. Off topic a bit, but I saw a brief Video of Nick Slavik testing Scuff X with single, double and triple mil thickness coats in one shot, wet on wet, (a flat cabinet), and the triple thickness coat dried just a fine and uniform as the single. Quite Interesting.That mysteriously formulated Scuff X just keeps on impressing.

Edit: Oops. Just realized this is an old thread, kinda new here, Waterborne coatings are my thing and this got me excited wanting to respond Catching up on old threads, so many gems of good info and insights from you guys.


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## Drew1118 (9 mo ago)

CharlestonPainter said:


> Wow. Superb advice and in depth knowledge, so spot on with what I'm learning. I've been trained to box/cross hatch Waterborne Renner 1k and 2k coats on Cabinets, it subtly provides a better level of coat mil consistency over the entire piece vs mow the lawn/50% overlap, which isn't always very uniform in mil thickness unless you're reeeal good. Plus it reduces mil variances on the cabinet profiles, or sharp profile edges, and reduces the need to slant the gun sideways as much on certain passes, to catch those profile edges well, as they will be misted on the sideways pass. Just a more uniform coating, and indeed, no fear of going thick, Renner 765 High Hang can go on thiccckkk, (even vertically), without patchy or uneven drying. Off topic a bit, but I saw a brief Video of Nick Slavik testing Scuff X with single, double and triple mil thickness coats in one shot, wet on wet, (a flat cabinet), and the triple thickness coat dried just a fine and uniform as the single. Quite Interesting.That mysteriously formulated Scuff X just keeps on impressing.
> 
> Edit: Oops. Just realized this is an old thread, kinda new here, Waterborne coatings are my thing and this got me excited wanting to respond Catching up on old threads, so many gems of good info and insights from you guys.


I would be careful if you use Scuffx now adays and had used it in the past. I've sprayed it since it came to Michigan...they had major problems with microbubbles this spring. They added more defoamer and it's not near the same as far as dry time and amount you can put on wout getting sags. Used to be able to lay that stuff on thick as hell...in fact it felt way better when it was sprayed on slower/thicker and dried crazy fast. That is def not the case anymore as I found out the hard way the first time using it after their microbubble problem was fixed. Doesn't dry near as fast and will sag at half the speed I used to go with it. Its def different and no way you can do what he did in that video anymore but i will say the finished product feels just as good as it did before wout having to be put on near as thick so not using near as much product.


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