OT: Airless paint sprayer?
Jack Fisher
paint than I want to think about, but this is going to be done in
stages over many months. I was thinking about purchasing an airless
paint sprayer but wanted an opinion on what brands to look into. I
don't want to spend more than $400.00 new and don't want to buy used,
also don't want to bother renting. I don't think I need a high volume
commercial unit either since this will be an occasional use item.
Most of the surfaces will be either cinder block or drywall, some
plywood as well. Any suggestion would be appreciated. I'll be using
interior latex paints if that info is important.
Thanks
Jack Fisher
larsen-tools
Painting w/ an airless is worthwhile only if........
1) there is a lot to do, &
2) overspray is not a problem (IOW, not a lot of masking to do),
3) you have the skill......... yes, there is a skill to it.... otherwise
you get sags, overspray all over the place and, could inject paint into your
eyes or skin.
4) painting w/ a roller equals the time it takes for MASKING....... SET UP
..... & CLEAN UP. If you are doing a lot of rooms in stages........ a wall
or a room, now & then, go w/ rollers.
Organizing the job is important. For instance, if you can shoot ceilings &
walls BEFORE carpet, doors jambs & cabinets..... that's ideal....... o'wise
you have to mask doors & cabinets ......... it's a lot of work & it isn't
cheap.
I've had a Grayco airless for 30+ years and just bought a new Grayco for
$1500. My first one lasted 30 years because I took good care of it........
cleaned it meticulously after each use, which takes 45 min to an hour.
I use an airless on apartments in which I'm going to replace the carpet.
Otherwise, rollers are faster. It's important to only use SEMI-GLOSS
interior latex........ it's much more durable than 'flat' and nobody seems
to notice that the walls are a little shiny.
Drywall......... use 5/8" ALL the time - the benefits out weigh the cost
diff. w/ 1/2"
Here's a real time/ energy saver......... both Hamilton and USG have a
product that acts as both a final skim coat and as a primer....... it's
GREAT. They have different names for it & I don't know if Home Depot has it.
You may have to go to a "drywall/ stucco supply."
Basically it's like a heavy, fast drying water base paint........ I roll it
on, for remodels. For bigger jobs you spray it on w/ an airless & then go
over it w/ a roller for texture............. get it?? - skim coat, primer,
texture - all in one!
$400 isn't enough to get set up w/ an airless capability. There's a lot of
other stuff you need to go w/ the machine.
"Jack Fisher" <jfi...@schillers.com> wrote in message
news:3e2fa6b7.04030...@posting.google.com...
Artemia Salina
> I've got some rooms I'm remodeling and more walls and ceilings to
> paint than I want to think about, but this is going to be done in
> stages over many months. I was thinking about purchasing an airless
> paint sprayer but wanted an opinion on what brands to look into. I
> don't want to spend more than $400.00 new and don't want to buy used,
> also don't want to bother renting. I don't think I need a high volume
> commercial unit either since this will be an occasional use item.
Steer clear of cheap Campbell Hausfeld units. I bought one from a home
center and when it came time to replace the filter in the gun I couldn't
find one. No one seemed to have them for sale. I wound up buying a Grayco
gun to replace the original one (which is nice also in that it has a
swiveling hose connection). Come to think of it, the sprayer itself
didn't work when I bought it, and so I had to return it for a working unit.
Oil based paints are more difficult to clean out of an airless sprayer
than water based ones, which is a pain in any event. I wouldn't break out
the airless sprayer unless I could save more time on the painting job
with it versus a roller than I would lose in the clean up.
--
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that disturb and ruin my work ..., so that I shall be able to cleanse
myself." -- Rabbi Shlomo Eliahu
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Artemia Salina
> I don't think I need a high volume
> commercial unit either since this will be an occasional use item.
I would also suggest that you stay away from the self-contained
sprayers like the Wagners. The trouble with them is that you have
to swing your paint supply and pump and motor with your arm extended.
This is fatiguing. If you'll be painting on a ladder then you'll be
doing a lot of climbing in order to refill the pot.
One more tip: Get the longest hose that's practical for your work area.
The 15' one that came with the sprayer I bought was woefully inadequate,
forcing me to constantly stop and reposition the sprayer (of course I was
painting the exterior of a 4 story building, not interior rooms, so a 100'
hose was just about right for me).
larsen-tools
Do the cut-in (edges) w/ a 3" trim brush (angled bristles)..... get an
expensive brush...... they hold paint better & have more 'body'...... faster
to work with.
Keep the paint pan on the FLOOR.
Most Important..... Use an extension pole on the roller.
To get set up for airless, think in terms of $2000.
(I hate to paint...... painting is a real ass-kicker)
"larsen-tools" <larsen...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:Zb21c.10836$h23.9394@fed1read06...
Refinish King
Refinish King
"Artemia Salina" <y...@sheayright.com> wrote in message
news:pan.2004.03.02....@sheayright.com...
Old Nick
<larsen...@cox.net> vaguely proposed a theory
......and in reply I say!:
>I've had a Grayco airless for 30+ years and just bought a new Grayco for
>$1500. My first one lasted 30 years because I took good care of it........
>cleaned it meticulously after each use, which takes 45 min to an hour.
Precisely. IMO cheap airless guns are crap. Wagner home models etc.
**************************************************** sorry
.........no I'm not!
remove ns from my header address to reply via email
Spike....Spike? Hello?
Old Nick
<y...@sheayright.com> vaguely proposed a theory
>I would also suggest that you stay away from the self-contained
>sprayers like the Wagners. The trouble with them is that you have
>to swing your paint supply and pump and motor with your arm extended.
>This is fatiguing. If you'll be painting on a ladder then you'll be
>doing a lot of climbing in order to refill the pot.
The one I had was horrible to use. No control, really. It was a Wagner
(320?..not the bottom of the range, anyway).
Not many people who use them like them. They are not up to the pro
models. Parts are very expensive, compared to the unit. They have to
be kept _meticulously_ clean. They don't like abrasive water-based
paints.
IMO they are good "paint hoses". I did a boat with one. The finish was
not all that good. But then part of the problem may be the people that
try to use them, rather than the machine? They are marketing to people
who nothing about spraying with _any_ method.
OOI, actually you _could_ use it from a pot, by placing a long hose in
the pot, and waiting for about 1/2 hour for the paint to get to the
gun <G> (and yes I had about a 1/4" hose). But I reckon they are a
"have".
Jack Fisher
sprayers, some very good points were presented and after further
concideration I've decided to stick with the old manual methods for
now.
Jack Fisher
Statics
I bought a Graco Magnum low end sprayer off of ebay for around $225 iirc.
If I had it to do over again, I would have bought a new one to avoid the
hastle of dealing with missing parts, leaks, etc. The low end Graco's are
still better than any Campbell Hausfeld and Wagner IMHO, but I have not used
either of their 'commercial' offerings.
I needed to spray an exterior for a buddy getting transferred to Washington
and his house had to be ready to sell *quickly*. Rollers were not an
option. I definitely agree with the other poster about good commercial
equipment being worth every penny. However for the occasional user, say a
few houses a summer, this Graco hit the spot. New I believe they are $300
complete, though an extension for the nozzle would have been nice. I tried
his Wagner power painter - the house wouldn't have needed painting if it
weren't for that Wagner. Not to mention very loud and your hands are numb
after a while from the vibration. The paint needed thinning to run properly
through it and went on too thin last time around (only 2 or 3 years prior)
and did not hold up. Plastic junk. The same money as the Wagner would have
rented a commercial sprayer and saved the cost of repainting at a shorter
interval.
I also used a roller system with a clear plastic paint syringe for a handle
for the trim, holds enough paint to make one trip up the ladder between
repositioning and it was about $25. I would have paid more after using it.
Also mentioned earlier, the cleanup and masking are critical but when you
have a lot to do...
StaticsJason
"Jack Fisher" <jfi...@schillers.com> wrote in message
news:3e2fa6b7.04030...@posting.google.com...
SteveB
SteveB
>
> "Jack Fisher" <jfi...@schillers.com> wrote in message
> news:3e2fa6b7.04030...@posting.google.com...
> > Thanks to all who replied to my quesion about the airless paint
> > sprayers, some very good points were presented and after further
> > concideration I've decided to stick with the old manual methods for
> > now.
> >
> > Jack Fisher
>
>
Today, I got a wild hair to paint a block wall. I pulled out my Graco XR7,
and went to Home Depot to get the paint. We got back and started painting
at 1230. We used ten gallons of paint, which, by their conversion chart
said would cover about 2,000 square feet. I doubt we covered anything like
that because we put it on heavy. Bottom line, at 430, were done and cleaned
up.
Say what you want about airless spraying. They ain't for every type of
painting. They ain't for every person. They have their upsides and
downsides. But when you use the proper airless on the right type of work,
they are a joy.
Mine cost $500 at Home Depot, and I bought it for $278 on ebay. With the
time I saved today, I am going skiing tomorrow.
yeeeeeeeehawwwwwwwwww
Steve
Artemia Salina
> 2) overspray is not a problem (IOW, not a lot of masking to do),
I remember seeing a home improvement show once where a pro was using
a sort of hand-held blade to prevent overspray rather than masking.
IIRC it was shaped similar to a miniature snow plow, about 2.5 feet
long, curved, with a hole to form a handle. It seemed to be made
of sheet aluminum. The painter just held it in place to shield areas
where he was cutting-in. He was moving quite fast and the job looked
pretty nice when done. Not much use up on a ladder though, I suspect.
Ed Huntress
> On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 07:57:46 -0800, larsen-tools wrote:
>
> > 2) overspray is not a problem (IOW, not a lot of masking to do),
>
> I remember seeing a home improvement show once where a pro was using
> a sort of hand-held blade to prevent overspray rather than masking.
> IIRC it was shaped similar to a miniature snow plow, about 2.5 feet
> long, curved, with a hole to form a handle. It seemed to be made
> of sheet aluminum. The painter just held it in place to shield areas
> where he was cutting-in. He was moving quite fast and the job looked
> pretty nice when done. Not much use up on a ladder though, I suspect.
Oh, it works well on a step ladder. That's how I painted my house last time.
You have to have some finesse when you're spraying where clapboard joins
window frames, but it's all a matter of angles. It's a snap to mask soffits
and so on that way.
I'll let you know if I can still do in around June. I'm painting the sucker
again this year.
Ed Huntress