Best Paint Sprayer

Paint sprayers are an excellent option if you are looking to paint your homes interior, especially if you have a lot of space.  The way they work is reasonably simple, in that high-pressure air from a compressor is used to atomize the paint or stain and in the end, provide a fine finish.

In more detail, airless sprayers (which can be electric or gas powered) mechanically pump paint or stain into what is called the sprayer.  Then, fluid is pushed through the tip of the sprayer, which cause it to atomize and ultimately become a spray.

For a beginner, it’s important to practice in order to improve. There is more detail later on, but at a high-level it is important to develop an easy and effective painting motion since best practice calls for a side to side spray, which will overlap each time around.  Read on to learn more.

Choosing a paint sprayer that works best for you is an important decision! It’s good to get a clear understanding of the different types of sprayers, to help you make the right choice. To help, we’ve identified to various types of sprayers below:

Airless Paint Sprayer

Work by sending out paint at a high pressure, spreading out to evenly cover the surface being painted.  Are best for exterior surfaces of the home such as fences, decks or siding and also can be used for interior applications like ceilings, walls or railing.  It’s also good to remember that different than compressed air or HVLP, these types of sprayers are able to handle thicker paint types.

Compressed Air Sprayer

Different than airless, these sprayers use compressed air to apply paint to a surface, producing a smooth and even finish. Best application for this type of sprayer includes painting of smaller objects, like interior furniture, chairs, or cabinets. If looking for a lower cost alternative to an airless, these can be a good option but beware, they use the greatest amount of paint and are also known to be the messiest.  For the individual who already has an air compressor, good news, you simply need a reliable hose and a paint gun and you are good to go!

High Volume Low Pressure Sprayer

Last but not least, these sprayers work by carrying droplets of paint on large volumes of air. It does travel slower, making these droplets stick to the surface, which in turn creates a smooth overall finish.  As opposed to compressed air sprayers, these don’t use as much paint, but as you would expect, cost more than the others already listed.  Our best advice is to use them on interior projects.

It’s a common question, asked by millions of Americans every day. “I want to paint my house, but I’m not sure what’s the best way to do it” Well, welcome to the answer. Now, we’re not talking about your small touch up projects, you can use a brush for those, we’re talking about the all in, drag out paint the whole interior of the house projects, like you are thinking of.

When the latter is the case, step in the Paint Sprayer. Here are a few things to consider as you are making your decision:

Top 3 Reasons Why a paint sprayer might not be right for your job:

1. Prep work is daunting. You might think you can get away with not covering everything, but don’t fool yourself. With the spray from these devices, everything will be covered in no time unless you do your diligence ahead of time.
2. Cleaning isn’t a dream.  Under the impression that brushes are a bear to deal with? Don’t kid yourself, cleaning a paint sprayer is just as difficult.  And don’t believe you can skirt over not doing it, clogs are sure to head your way if not done immediately.
3. Small Jobs. Forget It. While economies of scale make this option right for a large job, if it’s a small area or project, it’s best to leave that to the brushes. Given the prep work, plus the cleanup, you’d be in for more than you bargained for.

Top 3 Reasons Why a paint sprayer makes sense for your job:

1. Large Spaces are your friend. Put that brush down. It’s time to pick up the real deal paint sprayer and get the job done quick and well.
2. Quality is high. As we’ve mentioned, a key benefit of a paint sprayer is the fact is goes on smooth and even. Especially when you get some practice.  The closest comparison is a paint roller, and we’re being generous with that.
3. Nothing better for the outside. Given the spray radius, the evenness and more, these make for a great option when painting exterior walls or objects in the home or at the office.

There are many different options when it comes to paint sprayers, but lucky for you we are here to break them down and make the decision easier.  At a high level, there are several main brands to know in the paint sprayer industry. We’ve highlighted them below, along with some informational text they’ve provided about their products:

Graco
“Graco has a very large selection of paint sprayers for all applications and user needs. Whether you are a professional painting contractor, handyman, homeowner, do-it-yourselfer or need it for industrial fine finishing, you will find the most dependable, durable, accurate, and time saving paint sprayers in the industry. Every Graco paint sprayer is made in the USA Each paint sprayer is specifically designed and engineered for a wide range of paint spraying needs, from large industrial and commercial jobs, to smaller one-time projects. Engineering a top quality paint sprayer and customer satisfaction are our top priorities”

Titan
“Whether your applications range from a closet to a full-scale commercial job site, we have an electric airless sprayer designed and built for your needs.”

Wagner
“Whether you are painting a house, shed, fence deck or interior walls Wagner has the right sprayer for you. That long weekend just got a lot shorter.”

Campbell Hausfeld
“Campbell Hausfeld offers paint systems that let you accomplish any home painting job quickly and easily, with professional-looking results. Whether you’re creating a customized faux finish for an interior wall or giving the entire exterior of your home or deck several new coats, there’s a Campbell Hausfeld paint system to help you get the job done right.”

As we’ve mentioned, using a paint sprayer instead of rollers or brushes can make painting projects go much quicker, especially if the project includes medium or large sized spaces.  Here are a couple main areas to make sure you cover, as you begin your painting project:

Top Tips For Using Your Paint Sprayer

• Mask off windows, doors, floors and woodwork.
• Have a Stepladder handy for high up painting areas.
• Wear a face mask to prevent inhalation of spray
• Have a paintbrush around in case you drip onto an unwanted area.

Using Your Paint Sprayer

You can spray any latex or oil-based paint or stain with a Paint Sprayer without needing to thin the material. Here’s how:

• Turn the power dial to adjust the air pressure
• Turn the tip to select a horizontal or vertical spray pattern
• Set the pattern width by adjusting the red lever on the tip
• Fill the cup and flick the switch on your gun to turn on the turbine

Perfecting Your Technique

Take it from us, the best thing to start is coating a test surface prior to whatever the main surface is you’ll be doing. This allows you to fine tune the settings and also lets you have a little practice prior to the real deal. Here are some tips on how to practice:

• Select a vertical spray pattern, which produces a tall, thin oval of paint coverage from the sprayer
• Spray while moving the gun from side to side
• Keep the tip a uniform 6 to 12 inches from the surface while you spray, and avoid arcing at the ends of your stroke
• Adjust the distance and speed of movement to get full, even coverage
• Change the spray pattern to horizontal, which produces a wide oval-shaped spray pattern
• Practice spraying with an up-and-down stroke, using the same technique