I have to paint the top of the shower. Can I use spray enamel?

[Maraya1969]

I had to paint on little strip on top of the windows and I swear I get paint all over the place. It is like a held the full paint brush and did a hip hop dance all over the place!

So I have this enamel paint and I thought it would be a lot less messier.

Thoughts?

[LunaSea]

1. Brush is way better for a small area. If you must spray, read the instructions on the can

and follow them explicitly. Masking with low-tack tape is helpful. Ventilation is a must! I don't recommend spraying anything indoors, but put a fan in a nearby window if you can. No matter how well you ventilate, tiny paint particles will be everywhere, including your lungs if you don't wear a respirator, those paper masks are of very limited use, and won't stop the really fine stuff and are useless for vapors.
That said, use a light touch, use even motion, overspray will carry farther than you think. Like most things, best results come from practice. Try some practice moves on something outside.

Really sounds like you should brush on paint in this instance as you'll need to do a lot of masking, or end up opaqueing your windows with overspray. You needn't load a brush with TOO much paint in the first place. try a small amount on the tip, then wipe off one side of the brush in the inside of the can. In either case, try some gloves (latex, nitrile, dish gloves, etc) and get a dropcloth of some kind.

As a painter of many things, (next week, an airplane..) let me know if you have further questions.

[Maraya1969]

3. I planned to use a respirator.

[Mosby]

2. water based gloss

gloss doesn't splatter as much as flat, for a small area like that I would use a throw away small roller and sash brush.