On the top of the list of weekend home projects you can often find one that involves painting something. In the Spring and Fall this might be an outdoor project and at other times it may mean repainting a piece of furniture or a room.
For many people the thought of getting out the paint brushes and rollers is not what they look forward as a weekend activity. However, recently paint sprayers have become a popular addition to the DIY weekend warrior's arsenal and have made painting jobs not only faster and easier but even enjoyable. Commercial sprayers might cost around $500, but you can now find models available for the homeowner that are in the $100 range. A moderately priced sprayer can give you superior results over what you get doing it the old way.
Why Should You Use a Sprayer?
Sprayers offer many benefits over the old brush/roller method. One of the biggest advantages is its ability to evenly cover irregular surfaces such as stucco, brick, and intricate objects such as slats in a door or shutter. Other items such as cane or wicker furniture are a breeze with a sprayer. You can use it inside to spruce up the walls and ceilings of a room. These jobs might take a day or longer to complete with the old roller method but with a paint sprayer it's done in a fraction of the time with professional looking results and you'll use much less paint as well for even more savings.
If You Are New to Paint Spraying
If you have never used a paint sprayer before you need to take the time to thoroughly read the instruction manual or view the DVD if it is provided. If your sprayer does not come with either of these then you should contact the manufacturer to obtain the instructions. If you still come up empty handed you should return the sprayer and purchase one that comes with this information. If you know someone who is experienced with using a sprayer you could ask them to give you some tips. When you first start it's a good idea to practice on some scrap material so you can get the feel of how it works.
Preparing the Paint
Unlike using a brush or a roller where you use the paint right out of the can, you need to thin the paint to the proper viscosity before you can use it in the sprayer. If you forget this step the result will be globs of paint on the surface. Your instruction manual will tell you how to do this for the various paints. Latex and oil based paints will require thinning, however, others such as stains and polyurethane can be use right out of the can. If you need to thin make enough for the entire job as this will save you time in the long run.
Preparing the Surface to Be Painted
When you feel you are ready to start on a real project there are a few steps you need to take that will ensure that you get a professional looking result. Make sure that the object to be painted is free of dirt, dust or other foreign material. If this is a wall in a room then you'll need to wipe it down with a damp sponge or cloth. This may seem like an unnecessary step but it pays off by giving you a great finished appearance that you will be pleased with for a long time.
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