Can someone recommend a good paint sprayer?

[tony g]

I've been painting apartments on a contract basis for six years. It is a
very small business, and I use no helpers. I have always painted with
roller and brush, with an emphasis on quality and repeat business.

In the past couple of years, I'm losing contracts to competitors who spray
paint the apartments, at a price that I cannot match. That is, unless I
want to work for about $4 per hour, before taxes and expenses.

Surprisingly, based on the apartments I see when writing estimates, some
of these spray painters are doing a decent job (although I've also seen
many botched apartments with severe over spray damage).

Because of this situation, I am considering changing my method, or at
least including a spray gun as part of my equipment for painting some
spaces like cabinet interiors, louvered doors and closet interiors.

Can anyone recommend specific (what brand and where to get it) spray paint
guns and other equipment suitable for apartment painting? I'm reluctant to
just walk into Home Depot and take their advice. Some of what they sell is
crap, and I've seen them recommended too many high priced gimmicky
products to trust their advice.

I want reliable sturdy equipment that will provide long service and give
high quality results.

Also, any pointers on learning to use a spray gun would be appreciated.

--
tony g

[mark Ransley]

Titan at sherwin williams

[LeoAlls]

Try the mid to upper priced SprayTech at Lowes. I have the model they had
before the name changed and I love it. It is a commercial grade sprayer made by
Wagner. Look at the bright side, if you don't like it take it back with-in 90
days with the receipt and you get a full refund.

[Lawrence A. Ramsey]

That IS a good mid-priced spayer. Used one a few years ago and was
very impressed.

[fsteddie]

titan is JUNK
wagner is ok,I have several, but if you want a good airless
buy a small GRACO
they are the best
also look at a power roller system,graco also makes them
"Lawrence A. Ramsey" <lra...@cox-internet.com> wrote in message
news:4l6rpvg61u7kdr8f5...@4ax.com...

[Eric Ryder]

In general, airless for wall/ceilings and HVLP for the cabinet/door work if
non-latex.

Graco makes some fine airless equipment IMO.

I'd be looking at the Fuji HVLP for all-in-one/turbine solutions or the
Auturo (sp?) for midpowered compressor driven conversion guns. See Jeff
Jewetts site: Homesteadfinishing.com for more info on these guns, or ask
this same question there for good answers.

Bob Flexner has some good woodwork spray info in Understanding Wood
Finishing. Andy Charron has a decent book called Spray Finishing.

"tony g" <tonyg_th...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:33cc87f2.03102...@posting.google.com...

[Dale Farmer]

I'd suggest an airless sprayer, rather than a air sprayer. Don't have
to dink around with refilling the little tank and a lot easier on your arms
as less weight to carry around. I'd suggest going with one of the smaller
high end consumer models to kind of get your feet wet and make all your
mistakes on a relatively inexpensive machine. Start with the 25 foot long
hose. Remember all the paint in that hose gets wasted, so use as short a
hose as you can for each job. Once you get used to the tricks and
techniques of spray painting, then go shopping for one that is more up to
heavy daily use.
Piston pump models I would recommend over membrane pump models.
Move more paint, and generally are more durable. Buy the gasket kit for
the thing and keep in on the truck. When the thing starts leaking, you can
generally fix it yourself with that kit and not lose the rest of the days work

to go chase parts.
Water soluble paints only. You can use it with oils, but cleanup gets
a lot more expensive, and you have to haul around lots of thinner to do your
cleanup at the end of the day. Clean the thing up at the end of each day
really really well. You can leave it alone over lunch, but not overnight.
If you want to change colors, You could just put the suction into the new
can of paint and spray the waste out into a bucket, but you will get uneven
color for quite some time as the old paint residue is replaced. A quick flush

with water will generally be fine for color change. Start each day with
the weakest colors and progress to the strong colors.
Keep a couple of spare spray nozzles. Rather than waste time clearing
a badly clogged tip, just drop it into a little jar full of water and clean it
out
when you get back to the shop. Two minutes to change a nozzle versus
half an hour futzing with the clog. There are also different nozzles used for

patterns and kinds of paints. Embrace the differences. Extension nozzles
to give you that extra reach, so you don't have to setup staging or keep
dragging a stepladder around. ALso good for painting ceilings.
Paint needs to be well mixed, and spending the extra money for the
additional strainers will pay off in productive time on the job. Wear a
filter mask. Sprayers put a lot of microscopic particles of paint into the
air that you are breathing. Take care of your lungs.
Drop cloths need to be several feet out from the wall, to catch the
bounce from the spray. The spray gun will also leak and drip sometimes.
Open up a window and park a box fan on it on high to pull the mist of
paint out from the apartment. Careful about dragging the hose around,
you will catch it on things and it will tip them over. Drop cloth underneath
the paint pump, an impermeable one. You will tip that can over changing
to the next, and it will drool paint on the floor every time you change the
paint can.
Spray gun is not a precision tool. You need to use masking to get a
straight even edge of the paint. You will still be using your brushes for
the edges and trim. ( although you can spray all the trim first, then mask it

off after it has dried, time permitting. ) Once you get good with it, you can
use a sheet of stiff card stock, sort of like a file folder stiffness, but
waxed
so it doesn't get soggy as a hand held mask. This can also be used as a
stencil for doing fancy stencil finishes. Spray gun can be used for some fun

artistic things. Very easy to do waves, clouds, and such things for kids
bedrooms, bathrooms and playrooms.
Clean it up well every day. Not cleaning it will will kill it fast.

--Dale

[mark Ransley]

Titan is junk you are a moron , Graco and wagner are made off Titans
plans. Wagner is light duty, Graco is a copy, Titan is the old PRO
always was , always will be. You no pro

[^]

"Dale Farmer" <Da...@cybercom.net> wrote in message
news:3F9DCD20...@cybercom.net...

Me and my Dad used to do this type of work. We used the old 70s/80s model
Grayco. But, I'm sure you already know this but I'll throw it in anyhow. No
matter how close you watch the bottom line and the expenses, sooner or later
some jerk apartment manager is going to tell you that her sweet little son
needs a part time job to get through school and he will be taking over the
painting job.

[TANKFAB]

I have paint crews working in 14 states and have around 20 graco pumps. I
would not buy anything else.