Ken, I would prefer to spray, but my understanding is that outside ventilation and a suitable room is required. Is that correct, or is there a way to make this work in a home studio setting?
Terry.
I do both rolling and spraying depending on the type of canvas i use. generally i tend to spray heavier canvasses and roll thinner ones.
I very much prefer rolling due to material penetration, coating thickness and evenness, although the chances of destroying the entire print is much higher when rolling.
For spraying with a wagner, just have a large plastic sheet or some alternative covering the floor out to about 2-3m away from the ground zero of your spraying should be fine.
the canvas should be taped on a surface of about 15 degrees slant (like on an easel) for spraying.
most spray laminates are water based so fumes are not an issue. you might wanna have some n95 or p100 breathing filters if you're worried about particles getting into your system.
The particles generally settle down onto the ground in about 5mins in a room with zero ventilation. i would prefer NOT to have any moving air so the stuff can go straight down instead of flying all around my studio, and also less chances of airborne debris getting onto the wet canvas.
I have used quite a number of laminates in the market (BC, liquitex, golden, etc..) including making my own and i would say
Aquathane from australia is about the best spray lam at the moment. It's outdoor rated under australian sun and also graffiti proof. I tried doing an experimental 2nd coating of acrylic based lamination via rolling (for added thickness and mechanical protection) and the whole 2nd layer slid (like a reptile shedding its skin) right off the sprayed-on aquathane first coat.
the downside is that it smells a tiny bit, dries a bit too fast and extremely difficult to roll.