How to Make a High-Gloss Shine on Walls

Place masking paper over any areas that you don’t wish to treat. Use masking tape on the edges of adjacent surfaces such as trim or along the edges of the ceiling. Cover the floor at the wall base with drop cloths to avoid drip staining.

Mix a can of lacquer-based primer thoroughly with a wooden paint stirrer. Place a small amount of the primer into an HVLP paint sprayer’s paint reservoir. Test the spray pattern on a piece of cardboard before applying to the walls. You’ll want a smooth, clean spray with an even spread of material on the surface and no clumping at the nozzle entrance. Thin the primer if necessary with a compatible paint thinner to give you the spray pattern desired. Fill the reservoir of the HVLP paint sprayer with the primer to the marked fill line.

Point the sprayer at the wall, holding the nozzle about 12 inches from the wall’s surface with the sprayer parallel to the floor. Press the trigger of the sprayer to begin applying the lacquer to the wall. Work from the top of the wall to the base to avoid creating drips in the surface. Apply the material in long strokes, using a back and forth motion with your arm to keep the nozzle pointed directly at the wall, and the spray coverage in rows. Overlap each row by 50 percent to get an even coverage of the spray onto the wall. Allow the primer to dry for the time recommended by the manufacturer.

Mix a can of lacquer-based paint with the stir stick. Test and thin the paint as needed before filling the paint sprayer reservoir. Apply the paint to the wall using the same application process used with the primer. Wait an hour and then apply a second coat over the first, concealing the primer completely. Wait for the paint to dry completely after the second coat, following manufacturer's recommended drying times.

Use the stirrer to mix a can of clear-coat lacquer. Test the lacquer on the cardboard, thinning as necessary. Fill the paint sprayer and spray the paint on the wall with the lacquer, using the same application method used with the previous two coating types. Apply two coats of the lacquer, allowing an hour’s drying time after the first coat, and then waiting 48 hours after the second before removing the protective masking materials and drop cloth.