paint sprayers - implements and walls?

[rus_geek]

1) I know nothing about paint sprayers
2) I have never used a paint sprayer

Now that I have that out of the way, I find myself needing to paint some implements for the tractor, as well as painting some new rooms in my house. Is there a sprayer that I could use for both of these purposes, or is it the usual case of "it does both, but does neither well" for a given type of sprayer?

I don't need to set up a professional autobody spray booth, or start painting houses commercially, so the idea is to buy a sprayer that's cheaper than hiring a painter

-rus-

 

[CharlieS]

I'm no expert by any means but for what its worth, my experience with sprayers for home painting has been limited to rental of airless. They are designed to set the sprayer over the top of a 5 gallon bucket of paint eliminating the need for frequent refills. while in theory i suppose they could be used for other purposes i suspect there might be some viscosity problems unless nozzles are changed as typically automotive type paints have some reducer added for thinning purposes.
Using a hose mounted gun like auto painters do would be quite time consuming as you'd constantly be stopping to refill the paint pot which generally are a quart or smaller.
Another option might be a small airless available at the big box stores, and would be a compromise, but again, small paint pot would be quite a detriment.

 

[Fixemall]

For indoor use, rent or buy an airless sprayer. If you are not planning on doing many houses, I would rent. For implement painting I would get a cheap HVLP gravity gun online or from Harbor Freight. I would also stay away from solvent based paints, there are some excellent water based enamels that hold up well and can easily and safely be sprayed, Valspar at $7.99/qt comes to mind.

 

[Chef Pa]

I have gone the airless big box route & wouldn't recommend. Bought a hd model for a decent price and it worked well first couple of years. Was always careful to clean up, lubricate etc and third or fourth year a seal went bad. May have been normal wear but seemed premature to me. Now I can't get parts from big box and model was ESP for big box so I pitched it. If I need airless again I will rent a commercial unit and let someone take care of the equipment. Don't paint enough myself to warrant the cost of a good unit.

Happy painting...

 

[TRR]

I painted the exterior of my house with an air compressor and spray gun. Would never do it again - you get better adhesion and coverage with a roller. Prep time for a spray gun was very lengthy. Better to use an airless for house paint and an HPLV for the implement paint. I've heard there is an LPLV paint sprayer that is easier to use than HPLV but have not been able to find one.

 

[Taylortractornut]

The man that builds our dumpsters has an airless sprayer to do boat docks builds and our dumpsters. We would wash and sand blast 2 40 yards a day and then he could paint them in a few minutes each then recover them. I used one in a building once putting down red oxide primer inside a 10 by 10 duct. Had the hose blow betwewn gun and the pump pressure switch. I hade the ball up and be sprayed by 20 gallons of paint.

 

[5030]

Farm implements=Rattle Can
House=Roller or brush.

I own an airless, a large one. Fine for barns and such, too much masking inside.

I also own a an HVLP paint gun and I prefer rattle cans for implements. No mixing, no solvent and no cleanup. Toss the can in the trash or better yet, your burn pile. Empty rattle cans make a nice boom in a burn pile.

 

[BHD]

as with any tool it has to be properly set up to do it job,

and air less sprayer can be used with solvent based paints, with the proper tips and set up, but is normally used to pump latex type paints a heaver body paint, the tip is large in comparison to what one would use with a solvent type paint,

I for machinery usually use the old style air paint gun with a paint pot, (in my opinion a paint pot is nearly indispensable as the paint is not sucked but pressurized to the tip, and the gun position is not a thing to be concerned about and the thickness of the paint is not as critical, (they say you use more paint with a air sprayer, but regardless one has over spray, and wast with the sprayer)

of what I have seen with the HVLP guns I was not that impressed, and listening to the wine of the vacuum cleaner motor squealing all day long is not my idea of fun,

any more many times I will just brush it on, many times as easy by the time one deals with clean up,

for house or buildings I use a airless, inside I use rollers and brush, unless it new construction and I can paint before all trim and flooring is put in,

I do have a old commercial spray rig, but unless your doing 10+ gallons it is a mess to deal with as well, this one set over a 5 to 55 gallon drum, I uselay use a 15 gallon or a 100 pound grease drum, as my working container,

 

[forgeblast]

for oil based i use my aircompressor and a kit from northern tool, with a water seperator.
I have repainted metal benches, chairs, lawn furniture, and my solar air heaters. work great.

I used my friends titan xt 420 and it was amazing. Painted the barn,coop playset and fence in one morning. I would have gotten more done but i ran out of paint.
That being said if it was indoors you would have to seal, and cover everything.
Indoor i would use a roller, if painting red get the grey primer otherwise you will be doing 6 coats....that was a horrible day.

 

[BHD]

titan makes a special roller that will work with the airless sprayer to feed the roller nearly continusly, it feeds from the inside of the roller,
for info use only not a recomendation of the web site, JN Equipment - Pressure Cleaners and Paint Sprayers
could save a lot of time in a larger area,

 

[radioman]

I have used the airless sprayer for outside with small container. its ok for large buildings and sheds, but its a pain to clean. yet I still use it.
I have used both rattle cans and air automotive sprayer for implements. I find its cheaper and more coverage from auto air sprayer then rattle. rattle is good for touchups in my mind. I wouldnt use air auto spray in the house. Too much work to refill and the latex paint seems thicker. I always used a roller and brush in house as i am afraid of oversprays. I tried the battery version of paint roller and they really bites due to clean up and waste of paint. in a house its soo much easier throw away the roller and use new one next paint project instead of cleaning. implement painting I still would use the small automotive touchup can to paint since its lighter and easier to get into corners and its more consistent in coverage then rattle cans.

 

[Domush]

Wagner 0515034 ProCoat Stand Airless Paint Sprayer ($200)

Here is the one I bought a year ago. Clean up is easier than my HVLP compressor gun and it does a fabulous job on everything I've used it on, including my house. A friend even used it in his kitchen.. mentioned he only had to mask off 1 foot of the ceiling. I have yet to try it indoors, but will this winter.

Not sure how well it handles 1 qt cans, though, as it is made for 1gl or 5gl cans. The suction hose will fit, so I don't see any issues, but who knows. I'll likely use it for my tractor, as my HVLP gun always seems to clog and spray like crap.

As a side benefit to having these big guns, they aren't nearly as headache inducing as hearing the compressor run. The compressor in this one barely even runs and is quiet enough to use in a small room without ear protection. I was quite shocked how little this things runs. As far as pricey tools go, this was a great purchase.

I originally bought a refurb, but amazon doesn't have it anymore. It was $110 with swivels on each end of the hose, so you can't get all twisted up (highly recommended add-on if you end up buying a different model). The hose itself on these things makes my air compressor hose resemble a cheap tonka toy, as this hose simply can't kink. I wish standard air compressor hose was this tough.

I can't speak as to how long it will last, as I've only used it a few times, but if you are sick of HVLP guns and cleaning up after each job, this is the way to go, as you hook a garden hose up to it and that's it.

Here is a video showing the compressor running (you will be amazed): it is the overview of it (with actual use). The little bird chirping sound you occasionally hear in the background.. yeah, that is how quiet it is.

If you want more reviews on it, here is the link to the exact one I bought (my review is there as well). It has many more reviews from people.

It's funny, I'm not one to give glowing ratings on many things I buy, as I am quite often disappointed in something or other. This is one of those things which has yet to disappoint and, in fact, impressed even my high standards.

 

[crash325]

I have a Graco Magnum LTS17 and its good for big jobs. Waste of time for small jobs. Good indoors only on new construction before trim or flooring is installed.

Used the Graco to pre-paint 4x8' sheeting before installation. One thing to keep in mind is to spray a little paint on junk before siding or whatever as the first few seconds will be clearing out the oil.

Indoors a brush and roller are the way to go. Very little masking, no over spray, and easy clean up.

Equipment, small items a rattle can. larger and automotive type spray gun.

Have not used the hvlp gun so no comment. Used the others for a long time.

 

[ustmd]

For the interior work, get a roller and brush.

Unless, you are in new construction and have an entire hous to do, the prep time, clean up time on the sprayer and overspray will kill you.