Paint Sprayer - Is it worth it?
Arlington, TX · Member since 2018 · 82 posts · 47 votes
I'm about so close on my first investment property and I'm exploring my renovation options. I've painted rooms using rollers and crushes before and it's definitely not my favorite activity. I've been looking into getting a paint sprayer that will make the task of painting much easier. Since I plan to continue investing after this first place, i want to get a paint sprayer that i will be able to hold onto for multiple years that will get me through many projects.
My question is:
1) Is it worth it to but a paint sprayer in your opinion? Or should i suck it up and put some sweat into it instead.
2) What sprayer would you recommend? I've been looking at the Wagner Flexio 970 because it has a long hose that would allow me to paint up to a second story, but I've read some worrying things about Wagners. Is there a better sprayer for your money that will be reliable?
@Alex Nelson I have a love / hate relationship with sprayers. You really have to ask the hard question of how much you will really use it. If you will use it a lot, then it is worth the learning curve. If you will use it infrequently, it is a hassle to get it ready, learn to be good at spraying, and cleaning.
I should add like others have said, there is a learning curve to being good with the sprayer. I forget that because I sprayed cars in high school and was able to hop right in.
Watch some YT vids, the most important part IMO is to not ever stop while holding the trigger down (glob of paint real fast and a mess to clean). Other than that get your speed and distance right, you'll be g2g.
Well...lots of comments already...
I think you should learn how to roll and brush first.
Sprayers are great...in controlled environments. In the field, its going to depend on lots of factors. The people who spray outside, are likely not paying much attention to the fact the paint is probably ending up on the neighbors house and cars. Whoops. Don't show that in the commercials.
The advice here is all over the board because, the appropriate time to use a sprayer is all over the board. They are great for certain things no doubt. Sometimes they save time. Sometimes they don't. They definitely take some getting used to. Regulating the proper pressure and flow out of the gun is key. Careful, their dangerous.
I own a Graco Magnum Pro X19. It's ok. With all sprayers, you have to clean them entirely and really, simply expect to replace filters all the time and even the guns every so often. I buy replacements beforehand.
I love me some rollers. Fast enough and simple. Don't need a hazmat suit. I paint in my bare feet sometimes.
Buy the better brush. I have grown fond of the 2.5 inch angled Purdy, nylon (I think) $14. Rollers don't matter as much, but the super cheap ones sometimes have little frays that come off and end up the paint.
Can't talk about paint without posting this:
Hum de dorty doe - lets do a bit of touch up shall we? Whoops. That's what happens when your dad thinks an old ice cream pale is good enough for a paint bucket. I was actually glad it was me carrying the paint when the handle broke. LOL. It was like slow motion when it happened. Yes, that floor was just refinished. Took 8 man hours to clean the paint off the floor.
Sometimes when you paint you should go really fast, and sometimes when you paint you should go really slow.
@Alex Nelson finally something I am an expert on! I am a field rep for a paint company and work with professional painting contractors for my 9-5. I also sell Graco and Titan spray equipment as a component of my job and have painted professionally in the past.
I would highly recommend an investment into an entry level commercial paint sprayer for anyone doing renovations on a regular/semi regular basis. The amount of time/energy saved by masking and spraying (when approached correctly) is immense and you will justify this cost in a single interior/exterior repaint. For example, the image below is my current rehab at my own home. Using a 3M M3000 Hand Masker and my Titan 440 Impact, I masked and sprayed a full prime coat, and two coats of finish on this project with about 2 hours of actual labor. This would be for multiple rooms of window, baseboard, and doors. To accomplish this same project by hand (roller/brush) would be 5x the time and the finish would not be as appealing.
A decent light duty commercial airless sprayer will run you between $800-$1000. I would recommend staying away from the big box or DIY sprayers (plastic body housings) as they are not meant to be used professionally and often cannot be repaired. Take a look at the Titan 440 Impact or the Graco 390/395 to start.
For the folks in the thread above saying that they made a mess of things when using a sprayer, its all about the prep! Use drops, masking paper, and adjust the pressure settings on your pump. Use the recommended tip for the paint you are spraying and don’t try and be a hero on a “one heavy coat” application.
I also recommend the Graco Ultimate 2 Handheld for those small projects. Sprays with the efficiency of a true airless pump and is infinitely repairable. Cordless and Battery powered for those projects where only a small amount of paint is needed and power supply is an issue.
@Andrew Korver Thanks for the advice! This is my first renovation so I'm trying to keep costs relatively low. Can you tell me what the difference is between say the Graco x5 or X7 which are $300-$400 versus the 390/395 which is $1000 or more? Is there really a $600+ difference in how they spray?
@Alex Nelson finally something I am an expert on! I am a field rep for a paint company and work with professional painting contractors for my 9-5. I also sell Graco and Titan spray equipment as a component of my job and have painted professionally in the past.
I would highly recommend an investment into an entry level commercial paint sprayer for anyone doing renovations on a regular/semi regular basis. The amount of time/energy saved by masking and spraying (when approached correctly) is immense and you will justify this cost in a single interior/exterior repaint. For example, the image below is my current rehab at my own home. Using a 3M M3000 Hand Masker and my Titan 440 Impact, I masked and sprayed a full prime coat, and two coats of finish on this project with about 2 hours of actual labor. This would be for multiple rooms of window, baseboard, and doors. To accomplish this same project by hand (roller/brush) would be 5x the time and the finish would not be as appealing.
A decent light duty commercial airless sprayer will run you between $800-$1000. I would recommend staying away from the big box or DIY sprayers (plastic body housings) as they are not meant to be used professionally and often cannot be repaired. Take a look at the Titan 440 Impact or the Graco 390/395 to start.
For the folks in the thread above saying that they made a mess of things when using a sprayer, its all about the prep! Use drops, masking paper, and adjust the pressure settings on your pump. Use the recommended tip for the paint you are spraying and don’t try and be a hero on a “one heavy coat” application.
I also recommend the Graco Ultimate 2 Handheld for those small projects. Sprays with the efficiency of a true airless pump and is infinitely repairable. Cordless and Battery powered for those projects where only a small amount of paint is needed and power supply is an issue.
Cool! Yes, the handy masker is a time saver!!! Found that out the time-consuming way. Great post! Sprayers are awesome for panel doors. Latex on an entry door - not so much. Oil in a sprayer - not so much either - unless you have a trick to clean it out that doesn't require a gallon of thinner. I really like the Rustoleum door paint - oil based - I have had to thin it a bit to achieve a reasonable working time though.
@Alex Nelson great question. Initially, your X5 and X7 will do the job. These are great examples of what Graco would produce for the homeowner crowd that are not looking for long term performance or quality in a tool. They will spray your conventional coatings for the first few jobs no problem and be great value for dollar. However, the internals of the unit will be the difference. What will wear out on your airless paint sprayer will be your piston and packings. In the "DIY" models, none of these components are designed for prolonged use and often the entire unit is scrapped once any small issue arises. On a light duty commercial sprayer, every single piece and part is replaceable and designed for contractor abuse.
Long story long, if this is your only project you may be better off buying the cheaper X5 or even just renting a sprayer from your local paint store or rental equipment yard. If you plan on painting a few projects a year and looking to do this on future projects, the extra few hundred dollars for a commercial sprayer will amortize out in the long run. For the folks that take the time to treat their equipment properly, a good sprayer can have a nearly indefinite lifespan.
@Account Closed for a commercial sprayer, oil or latex it makes no difference. However, alternating back and forth between the two solvent carriers is your issue. Once you run latex through a sprayer, switching to oil and back again is a non-starter. Often times you are replacing your pump/gun filters and having to run quite a bit of solvent through the machine to clear the piston and line of any latex debris (hello fish eyes!) The pros will nearly always have a dedicated pump for oil and lacquers and keep the two families of paint products separate.
@Alex Nelson
I have a ton of experience painting. I currently own a Graco XR9. I WOULD NOT buy a sprayer. When you have a project go and rent one. They are so finicky and break all the time. I have rebuilt the front end of mine a couple times. You have to store it. They never run as well as the Titans you can rent.
I love the feel of a paint sprayer in my hands. It is really fun and amazing. Just don’t buy a machine. Spend the $90 to rent on for exterior painting. Roll the interior of finished homes and call it good.
@Kai Van Leuven this is another example of how frustrating the "DIY" tools can be vs even the most basic light duty commercial pump. Initially great until something starts to wear out. Kai, I am guessing you were still into the XR9 for $400-$600 depending on the vendor? A couple hundred more bucks and you would have picked up a Graco 390 which can be had for less than $700 if you catch them on sale.
@Alex Nelson great question. Initially, your X5 and X7 will do the job. These are great examples of what Graco would produce for the homeowner crowd that are not looking for long term performance or quality in a tool. They will spray your conventional coatings for the first few jobs no problem and be great value for dollar. However, the internals of the unit will be the difference. What will wear out on your airless paint sprayer will be your piston and packings. In the "DIY" models, none of these components are designed for prolonged use and often the entire unit is scrapped once any small issue arises. On a light duty commercial sprayer, every single piece and part is replaceable and designed for contractor abuse.
Long story long, if this is your only project you may be better off buying the cheaper X5 or even just renting a sprayer from your local paint store or rental equipment yard. If you plan on painting a few projects a year and looking to do this on future projects, the extra few hundred dollars for a commercial sprayer will amortize out in the long run. For the folks that take the time to treat their equipment properly, a good sprayer can have a nearly indefinite lifespan.
@Account Closed for a commercial sprayer, oil or latex it makes no difference. However, alternating back and forth between the two solvent carriers is your issue. Once you run latex through a sprayer, switching to oil and back again is a non-starter. Often times you are replacing your pump/gun filters and having to run quite a bit of solvent through the machine to clear the piston and line of any latex debris (hello fish eyes!) The pros will nearly always have a dedicated pump for oil and lacquers and keep the two families of paint products separate.
So, while I have your attention...and thanks for the tips by the way!!!
I own a Graco Magnum X19. Is this one of the pro models with replaceable parts? Or did I buy a disposable model?
As far as switching between latex and oil, that makes sense. I actually did a round of oil and then switched to latex, have not gone back and forth yet...actually decided to never run oil again because of the need to use solvent instead of water to clean it out. Any tricks to cleaning out oil? So far I have dumped an entire gallon of solvent into the bucket and ran it through. Gets expensive and then I end up with lots of solvent to get rid of. And on that score, do you ever reuse solvent? Maybe run it through a strainer?
Thanks again! Great to have a rep who has in-depth knowledge of the products on here!
@Account Closed the Magnum line is Graco's step down from commercial units. That's not saying that you won't get value for your money spent if you take good care of it, it just won't hold up over time when compared to a commercial pump.
In regards to the solvent, if you have made the switch back to latex don't run any more solvent (paint thinner) through the unit. Continue to flush the unit thoroughly with water (lukewarm if possible) after you run your waterbased paints. I typically will flush about 2-3 gallons of water through the pump (on the prime setting) and about 2 gallons of water through the hose and gun (on spray setting) to clean my Titan pump. After flushing the pump, I pull the manifold filter from the pump itself and clean thoroughly. Then reinstall before I flush the 50' hose and gun. I am on city sewer, so the approved method of disposing waste water (not full strength paint) is to flush down the toilet as it gets treated at our wastewater plant. Your municipality may be different so double check.
With advances made in acrylic/hybrid paint technology, there are some really fantastic products on the market with water cleanup. Back in the day, oil based enamels were the best choice for hard films (doors, cabinets, etc), but now with hybrids you can get oil performance and clean up your tools with water. Not being too familiar with your market, go talk to your paint dealers (not your Menards, Home Depots, Lowes, etc) and ask them about their hybrid products.
@Account Closed the Magnum line is Graco's step down from commercial units. That's not saying that you won't get value for your money spent if you take good care of it, it just won't hold up over time when compared to a commercial pump.
In regards to the solvent, if you have made the switch back to latex don't run any more solvent (paint thinner) through the unit. Continue to flush the unit thoroughly with water (lukewarm if possible) after you run your waterbased paints. I typically will flush about 2-3 gallons of water through the pump (on the prime setting) and about 2 gallons of water through the hose and gun (on spray setting) to clean my Titan pump. After flushing the pump, I pull the manifold filter from the pump itself and clean thoroughly. Then reinstall before I flush the 50' hose and gun. I am on city sewer, so the approved method of disposing waste water (not full strength paint) is to flush down the toilet as it gets treated at our wastewater plant. Your municipality may be different so double check.
With advances made in acrylic/hybrid paint technology, there are some really fantastic products on the market with water cleanup. Back in the day, oil based enamels were the best choice for hard films (doors, cabinets, etc), but now with hybrids you can get oil performance and clean up your tools with water. Not being too familiar with your market, go talk to your paint dealers (not your Menards, Home Depots, Lowes, etc) and ask them about their hybrid products.
Thanks! Well, I guess maybe this will not be the last sprayer I buy!!! I've been through a couple and spending the extra on a unit that can be fixed is definitely the right move IMO - wish I had done a bit more research the last times!!! Yea...those "great deals" I have allowed myself to get suckered into are not that great of deal. Renting is an option of course, but I would wonder how well it got cleaned out. Nothing worse than getting going with a gunked-up unit.
As far as paint technology, I'll look into that. I love putting oil on doors, especially entry doors, because it just holds up and is easy to clean vs straight latex.
That said, I finally tried out a water-vehicled polyurethane for floors and such - awesome stuff! I was hesitant to use it, but realized it's still poly, just carried to the surface with water. Crazy easy to use, much less odor, super fast dry time, simple clean up.
Finally, thanks for the note about how to dispose of paint. Something we should all be keeping up on!
@Alex Nelson
Sprayer is worth it 100%. Also consider the extra masking involved with all projects.
I paint commercially as my other business and primarily spray all exteriors. Interiors can be trickier but are still worth it.
Spend a little extra money and get a Graco 390 or 395. If you take care of it it will last you a lifetime.
I bought a spray was about to take it out of the box...realized how much I hate taping, understand overspray from working in a body shop, and also hate spending the time to clean up. I also somewhat enjoy painting.
For faster brush roller you need to invest in some equipment but it's not overly expensive.
1. get a handheld paint pail. the red one. it's $9. get the disposable liners.
2. cut your ceilings with a 3.5" angled brush. I prefer Purdy brand.
2. get a 7" roller for back rolling. cut the ceiling with a brush then back roll horizontal with the 7". keep the edge wet. 3/8" nap is what I like.
3. purchase a paint extension pole. easier on the back and of course good for ceilings.
4. gorrilla platform from home depot. $70. (you will use this for cleaning gutters, fixing light bulbs, trimming trees and it's super lightweight.)
5. 9" or 18" roller for the walls. 3/8" nap or match the nap to your back roller size if you used 1/2" for example.
you can do a lot of cutting without taping. I do all of my edge work without taping. a good brush is the key. You need to use the angle of the brush to your advantage. I recommend watching HomeRENOVision on youtube. He has a good explanation about cutting. It's not as hard as it looks.
If you want to paint interiors fast you need two people. That's the real secret. One to cut and back roll the top, the other to roll vertical.
Clean your brush, rinse your roller frames, toss the roller pads and your paint liners. Easy clean up. No taping. Most pros I talk to brush and roll. There's a reason for that. Also keep in mind if you were to pay someone to paint "materials" includes new roller pads and sometimes brushes. The pros aren't wasting time cleaning roller pads. They get used and tossed after the job. Is your time worth standing over a sink for 20-30 minutes to get a $4.00 roller clean??? NO it's not. Clean and re use your brush. Good youtube video on that too.
The above is for interiors.