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Need opinions on paint sprayers

17 years ago

We're biting the bullet and painting our 3000 sq ft home. The pros have recommended getting a top of the line sprayer (about $600) to do this job. That's fine if that's what we need, but has anyone attempted a job this size and bought some less expensive. Any opinions on what to get?

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Comments (12)

lotus-bud
17 years ago
you should rent one at a paint store unless you want to buy one. you may be able to buy one from the paint store. sometimes they sell used ones. if you buy get a good one with easy change tips. these use different size tips for the amount of paint that comes out/min. 1 gal-2-5 the bigger the hole in the tip the more paint.
jasonmi7
17 years ago
I was just involved in writing an article about paint sprayers, and not to be offensive to anyone, $600 is not top of the line....it's the bottom on professional units. The important thing (to getting professional results and reducing things such as overspray), is to get a unit that is AT LEAST as large, in GPM, to use the tips needed to adequately spray the thickest, unthinned product you might use.
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I have a new Ortho sprayer with three different settings. I love it. My old generic sprayer was a mess. It sent more water down my arm than out the nozzel. Look around the HD garden area. They usually have a couple different types.
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I ordered and received the Paint Zoom Platinum 9/14/2011. I even ordered the extra bottles, strainers, tape and plastic sheeting. I never used it, until yesterday (8/26/2012). I had a small wall to finish painting and I didn't want to use the roller to finish it. So I watched the dvd it comes with and read the instruction manual. When I removed the hose out of the box and attached the one end to the machine, the hose came out of the gasket. I tried to thread it back it, and it appeared to be okay. But when I started to use the machine, after five minutes, the "compressor" got very very hot, and thus, so did the hose since it was hot air blowing through it. Seriously hot air. Then the hose came out of the gasket again. So I twisted it back in, and secured it to the gasket with tape. I began my wall again, and behold, the hose came apart from the gasket attached to the paint spray gun. So I did my best to twist it back into that gasket, and taped it securely as well. I was able to finish my very small project. It did paint, so long as all the hoses stayed on. But, if I had that compressor hanging off of me, I am afraid I would have been burned. It seriously gets very very hot. I wouldn't run it more than five minutes at a time if I ever use it again, which I highly doubt. Also, the power cord is so very short, that you need an extension cord if you are going to reach anywhere higher than two feet off the ground and one foot from my paint area. I didn't use an extension cord, but you will need one. The hose itself is way too short to have a decent reach if you chose not to hang that device off your body. I had a step ladder so I didn't have to hold it. When you shut it off, the switch is also very hot. I do feel ripped off due to the above reasons. I would highly recommend this product be investigated for safety and quality. For the price I paid ($129.84 plus $19.95 shipping...$9.95 -3 containers, $4.95 for two cloth, tape and five strainers and tax of $12.66) Total of $187.30, it never should have done this within 20 minutes of using the product. There is a 5 year replacement warranty should the product have a defect in materials or workmanship, they state they will repair or replace it without charge to you but a shipping and processing fee may apply. They give their Customer Service Number as 800-431-1902. I don't feel I should be paying anything to correct their defective product. I seriously suggest staying away from this product and if need be, purchase a low end professional model instead.
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Comments (5)
Using a sprayer isn't going the eliminate the problem of the obstacles. If anything, it makes it harder. You need to tape and dropcloth off anything you don't want overspray to cover, even with a HVLP. HVLP doesn't eliminate overspray, it just minimizes it. Using a brush or roller will let you target your need to be painted spots a lot more accurately. WHere a sprayer will work great is for large same color expanses like walls, but even there, you will still have to tape off the trim. You can use a spray shield instead of taping, but you need enough experience to be able to maneuver that with one hand and the gun with another. It's not for a novice. It takes practice to get right and starting with a hard job isn't the way to gain confidence and control. From your description of the job, I don't think that a sprayer will help you make this an easier job in any significant way. 90% of painting is always the prep, and only 10% is the actual application of paint. Speeding up that 10% by adding another hour or two to prep doesn't leave you with any gain. All it does is leave you with a less quality job (sorry) if you've got an inexperienced person operating the sprayer for a difficult job. If you think you have enough paint jobs in your future to benefit from a sprayer purchase, then purchase one and start on easier jobs first to gain experience. However, most homeowners that I know who've purchased their own sprayers use them for a single job and then never touch them again. The "hassle factor" is high with a sprayer and it's just easier to use a brush and roller, even if it's less "cool".
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Comments (2)
There are basically two man types of guns: airless and airpowered. for fine work, the air powered are most common. Within air powered guns, there are high pressure guns and HVLP guns ( HIgh Volumn Low Pressure) The HVLP guns produce less overspray due to the low pressure at atomization. They are normally powered by air turbines, rather than by air compressors. This makes them very portable. An HVLP would spray a low viscosity paint such a lacquers with little problem. They would also spray most oil paint with little problem after a little thinning. Where they don't work overly well is by heavy bodied latex paints. The British company Earlex makes some decent , relatively low priced consumer units ( just over $100) that work well. Many retailers handle the brand. Of course, the sky is the limit for professional units with many exceeding well over $1000.
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tommyw
17 years ago
I bought a Graco dx sprayer and could not be happier. It is so easy to setup, spray and cleanup is a breeze. I had several Wagner sprayers but they just never held up and were a monster to clean up.
tryinbrian
17 years ago
Here's another vote for the Graco dx, about $300. It's head and shoulders above the "buzz-sprayer" airless unit I had previously. I'm not a pro, but I feel like one using this unit.
jan9
17 years ago
If you're painting the inside of your house the Graco Magnum DX will do fine. If you're doing the outside then you need to step up to the larger unit. Exterior waterbase is thicker and more abrasive than interior. Even then, unless you're going to become a house painter a $600 unit will do the job.
jasonmi7
17 years ago
I'm not trying to be difficult, but I'm not sure I agree with that. The Magnum DX says it supports a tip size of .015, but most latex paints, such as SW A100, require a larger tip size; .017-.019. So you'd have to either turn the pressure up so much that you'll have overspray and other issues, or you're going to have to thin the paint. I'm going to agree with lotus-bud in that if you don't want to buy a professional unit, then rent one. It's easier to get good results, particularly if you're not a pro, with better equipment.
tommyw
17 years ago
Just to add further info .... I have used my Graco Magnum DX with exterior Benjamin Moore paint [MooreGuard] with no problem at all. I didn't thin it and I also have sprayed Zinssar Primer 123 with no problem as well. Additionally, I sprayed 200 ft of fencing using a Cabot stain and it worked beautifully. I have not done any interior painting but IÂm sure it would be similar.
kbkids
Original Author
17 years ago
Well, we bought the Magnum DX, and it works great!!! Renting one was never an option. We've got way too much painting to do that it wouldn't make sense cost-wise. We've put 10 gallons of Zinssar Primer 123 through it today, as well as another 5 gallons of Behr paint. It covered great!! We'll see tomorrow, but I really don't think a second coat is even going to be necessary - maybe just in spots.
tommyw
17 years ago
Great choice! I think you will continue to be very satisfied with the dx. By the way, when I last used mine, I covered the 5 gal paint can and draw tube with a plastic bag (sealed tightly) over night and went back to painting the next day - worked just fine. Good Luck!
kbkids
Original Author
17 years ago
Yup, that's exactly what we did. We had no problem starting back up this morning. The ceiling looks perfect - no second coat necessary. There's a couple of spots on the wall that needed another blast, but we're very pleased with the outcome. We didn't get to put in a full day today, but we got the family room and the foyer ceiling done. Now if I could just quit changing my mind on what color to paint some of the rooms!! :o)
jan9
17 years ago
There's a 2 foot extension you can buy for the DX gun. For an ordinary 8' ceiling you don't need a ladder. For finishing doors with semigloss you might try to find a Fine Finish tip. I doubt HD will have them though they might. I use a 210 Fine Finish tip from Gleempaint.com.

Jan
kevinrmac
16 years ago
kbkids, When you were spraying the Zinsser 123 and Behr paint, how high did you have the pressure dial set on the sprayer?

My FIL dropped off his Magnum DX for me to use, and I did a test run with a gallon of Zinsser tonight, and it didn't seem to go very far.

Are you using the .015" tip that it came with, or did you buy a larger .017" even though the directions say the machine will only support the .015"?

Thanks for your help.
-Kevin

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