How to Use a Paint Spray Machine

Using a sprayer can be a real time saver. There's nothing like it for painting rough, uneven areas, or spaces where precision is not important and everything can look the same. Here are a few steps to help save painting time as you use a paint spray machine.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Paints
• Buckets
• Paint Strainers
• Power Sprayers

1. Rent an airless spray machine. It's the state-of-the-art - and what's painting if not art? You won't want to buy one unless you're a professional - they're expensive.
2. Protect areas adjacent to the area you're painting very well. Spraying puts a lot of paint into the air, and it doesn't all go on the wall. It can drift like a fog and settle in places you never wanted it to go - such as another room.
3. Seal the area if you're working inside. Outside, never spray on a windy day, and cover your car (and your neighbor's car), all plants, walkways, and even the exposed sides of nearby buildings.
4. Note that most airless sprayers work the same way: paint is poured into a bucket or bin, and the pump runs it through a hose and out the nozzle in your hand.
5. Pour the paint through a strainer into the bin or bucket; you don't want any lumps or odd bits of non-paint material.
6. Thin the paint, but no more than recommended by the manufacturer or it won't cover well.
7. Cover yourself very well, head to toe: wear long-sleeved shirts and possibly gloves. You'll get paint on yourself, without question. Consider wearing a ski mask.
8. Start at a corner, work from the top down, and keep your strokes steady and smooth; a lot of paint is going on the surface in a short period of time. It's better to paint several light coats than one heavy one.
9. Take care not to create "columns" of paint; this is a result of too much overlapping.

Tips & Warnings

• There are basically three kinds of sprayers: airless (the best), compressed air (not necessarily a bad thing), and electric pump (for small projects).
• When you rent the unit, explain to the dealer what kind of room you're painting and what kind of paint you're using.
• Get instructions specific to your machine from the dealer; paint sprayers can be finicky things. The nozzles, particularly, are prone to clogging, and you'll have to know how fix them; they don't all work the same.
• Cleaning requirements may also be different: this equipment needs to be kept really clean, or it just won't work.
• If you're painting in the same room - or even in the vicinity of - any appliances such as water heaters, air conditioners, or furnaces, turn them off! If you're using latex paint, you could ruin the appliance. If you're using alkyd, you could cause an explosion.
• The paint that comes out of the nozzle is really moving ' if you hold it close to your skin, it can go right through it, or take some off.
• Never try to unclog a nozzle while it's running. The pressure coming out the end is very high - high enough to puncture skin.
• Wear a respirator, even outdoors, and not one of those little cloth masks, but the real deal, with canisters. Otherwise you'll be inhaling a mist of liquid that's really not good for you.

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