Choosing an Interior Paint Sprayer
Whether you’re flipping houses or just want to give your home an upgrade, an interior paint sprayer can make the job easier and faster. But success depends on choosing the right one for the job and learning a few tricks to reduce overspray.
The key is masking, covering anything you don’t want covered in paint-including floors, windows and trim. Then, work in sections, painting horizontally before moving vertically and overlapping each pass.
Preparation
A paint sprayer makes painting a room or staining cabinets far less daunting than using brushes or rollers. They deliver even coverage, and they help prevent drips and brush marks. They can also work on surfaces that are difficult to reach.
Before using a sprayer, it’s important to prepare the area where you will be working by masking areas that don’t need to be painted. This can be a long process, but it’s necessary to ensure that the job is completed properly.
You should also thoroughly clean the interior paint sprayer after each use. You can use a solvent to flush out the gun, line, and cup to remove any dried paint and reduce clogs. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations to do this, and you should always wear gloves when handling an airless sprayer, which works at high pressure. If your skin comes into contact with the tip, it can inject paint and dangerous toxins under the skin.
You will also need to determine the right PSI (pounds per square inch) for your paint sprayer, which you can find in the user manual that came with your machine or online. Different nozzles can emit various spray patterns and handle thicker or thinner materials, and you should test your settings on some scrap material before starting the project to get the hang of the technique.
Spraying
A sprayer uses air pressure to propel paint through the gun. This creates a fine mist of paint that covers the surface to be painted with minimal overspray and provides an even finish. The air pressure and paint flow (the amount of paint interior paint sprayer being sprayed) can both be adjusted to get different effects. Often times you can also change the direction of the paint spray to direct it vertically or horizontally.
It is important to thoroughly clean the surfaces you are painting with TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) before beginning the spraying process. This will help to remove any dirt and grease that could lead to an uneven finish. Additionally, it is helpful to sand any rough areas to prepare them for spraying. You should also mask off any areas that you do not want to be painted. This can be done with painters tape and plastic sheeting.
When using a paint sprayer, it is best to spray the walls lightest to darkest to minimize areas with heavy paint leading to drips. Also, be sure to let each coat dry before applying another.
For an airless paint sprayer, it is helpful to use canvas drop cloths that are heavier than plastic and can withstand any overspray. Also, it is important to check the cleaning procedures and clogging issues with each model before purchasing.
Cleaning
When you’re done painting, you can toss that roller and tray liner but you have to clean the paint sprayer. That might not be front of mind when you’re just finished a job or a weekend project, but it’s important to follow a procedure for cleaning to ensure that the equipment will work well on future projects and to limit the time spent on clean-up.
A methodical cleaning process extends the life of a paint sprayer, reduces down blister packaging machine time between jobs and minimizes costs by recapturing usable material. For a professional painter, cleaning the equipment should take no more than five to seven minutes. According to painter Nick Slavik of Nick Slavik Painting and Restoration in New Prague, Minnesota, following a specific cleaning procedure keeps the equipment running smoothly from job to job.
Before you start cleaning, set aside one bucket to dump the filthy liquid cleaner into and another empty bucket to refill with clean water or thinner. Keep refilling the buckets until the dirty water runs clear. If you’ve used an airless sprayer with oil-based paints, you’ll want to add a little bit of paint thinner to the water.
If your spray gun is clogged with dried coating, remove the tip and soak it in the appropriate solvent (water for water-based coatings or thinner for oil-based) before scraping both sides of the tungsten carbide spray nozzle with a toothbrush. Soaking the gun and hose in solvent will help prevent the formation of hard deposits that can cause clogs. To save even more time, Slavik stores his spray gun tips in a Mason jar filled with thinner — although using an ultrasonic unit is the quickest way to clean a paint sprayer.
Storage
While it may seem like a hassle, taking a few extra minutes to properly clean and store your paint sprayer is worth the effort. In addition to extending the life of your equipment, it can also keep you from spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars in unnecessary repairs or replacement costs.
Airless Paint Sprayer Storage
If you will be storing your airless sprayer for more than a week, flush it with Power Flush cleaning fluid as per the instructions in your owner’s manual. If you are in a climate that regularly dips below freezing, flush with a pump protectant such as Graco Pump Armor or similar product to prevent water from freezing within the pump. Alternatively, you can submerge the suction tube and spray gun in mineral spirits to protect them from freezing.
Make sure the power supply cord, spray hose and gun are removed from the paint bucket. If you leave them in, they will become clogged with paint and create an obstacle for the next use. Replace the lid and then place all of your sprayer parts in their respective boxes, ensuring each one is properly labeled. I also designated a few clear boxes for the other painting supplies that tend to float around my garage – roller covers, paint stir sticks and extra caulk.
