Advice on paint sprayer

fastfredracing · 02-26-2009, 10:15 AM

Any painters out there??? We are looking at purchasing, a paint sprayer. We mostly do rental houses, so most of the paint work will be interior, but I am planning on painting the outside of my own home as well. I am looking for a decent unit that can feed out of 1 or 5 gallon buckets. Something not terribly expensive, but I dont want to buy junk, would like it to last for 3-5 years. We will probably paint 2-3 houses per year if things go well.
Thanks for your help

Rot 911 · 02-26-2009, 12:00 PM

Every one I have ever used has always had so much over spray I spent more time on paint prep the I would if I just used a brush and roller. On the other hand I could see how convenient they would be for new construction where overspray was not a problem.

Pazuzu · 02-26-2009, 12:03 PM

If you have access to one that can feed from a 5 gallon bucket, you'll never want to see a roller again. The big professional ones, with long hoses and interchangeable wand tips just flat out kick butt for painting anything larger than a door.

I cannot help fastfred, for I know not of specific brands, the one I used quite a bit was an ancient old beast (probably 10 years old).

Zeke · 02-26-2009, 12:09 PM

Just like everything else, you get what you pay for. I used to be a painting contractor way back when. Airless sprayers have not changed that much. New stickers and names. Frankly, I'd rent if that's all the work you're gonna do. You can rent heavy duty units that will push all the paint you can handle w/o having to over thin the stuff. Smaller units will not paint well with many paints, like solid stains and vinyl-acrylic.

Here are some tips: Stain all your material after any thinning (5-10% recommended) into super clean buckets. Use a .017 tip with a 10" fan for vinyl and a .015 for enamel. Don't fan motion an airless gun. Act like a robot and keep the gun at 90 degrees to the surface. Overlap only as necessary. If you see "tails" at the edge of your spray pattern, your pressure is low or the paint is too heavy.

An airless is a wonderful tool in capable hands. But spraying is over rated. The amount of prep time, clean up, etc. can easy be longer that just diving in with a roller and a brush. Of course, acoustic ceilings are a perfect job for a spray gun. So is any rough surface, but I back roll the wet paint to work it it whenever possible.

Need more info, just ask.

turbo6bar · 02-26-2009, 03:32 PM

The lower level Graco and Titan are pretty good. I think the Graco starts at the 495. The Titan 440 is also a good rig. If you can boost the budget up to $1000, you can pick up lightly used big rigs. I picked up a Ttian 1140i for $800 + freight from an underemployed painter in the Northwest. New construction (residential and commercial) is off so bad that used pricing for the big sprayers has fallen through the floor. This sprayer is big enough to handle heavy coatings like high build primers, but not break a sweat doing small work.

The sprayers are great for spraying trim and doors in new construction, but for remodels, they don't shine so much. I began hiring out painting, but if things slow down and I start picking up the brush again, I would roll the walls, brush the trim, and spray the doors. If you're lucky and the carpet is out, spray the ceilings. The airless sprayer for the ceilings is superb. Don't forget the prepwork.

Zeke · 02-26-2009, 04:50 PM

Oh yeah, the Graco 495 is a good unit. It will set you back close to 1500. I have an older 395 which is comparable. That was 800 10 years ago. The new 300 series are lighter duty. A Graco is like a Porsche. Anything that starts with Campbell and/or is sold at the home stores needs to be thoroughly evaluated. I'd rent one at least for hr first job.

Evans, Marv · 02-26-2009, 09:33 PM

I agree with what Milt says. I've had a sprayer for about 15 years and have gotten my money out of it. But the prep, cleanup, and cleaning the sprayer (which is really important if you want it to last & do a good job) are really time consuming.
I am paining the inside of my house now, so I've bought a selection of 9", 12", & 18" rollers. I use the smaller ones for smaller rooms. The 12" & 18" rollers really decrease the time on the job.