Airless paint sprayers

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LJM

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Are airless paint sprayers worthwhile for home decorating? Do they have wider use, such as applying wood finishes in furniture making etc?

Cheers
 
One of the fundamental spraying technics is you do not use wrist action this will give an inconsistent paint depth and therefore finish as you will get further away from the work towards the end of any panel.

Personally I use an HVLP seems to give better results than the cheap airless sprayers, also less overspray.
 
Thanks for the benefit of your experience Mike. What system do you use?
 
As well as Mr Millard have a watch of Cam Decorations or London Craftsman on you YouTube for lots of airless vids as well as cabinetry on the latter.

The small handheld like the graco ultra are only designed for smaller jobs. They'll paint a whole room but if you want to do the whole house it'll probably kill it. The pumps apparently last about 200 ish litres before needing to be replaced (user replaceable).

For doing a room and then using it on your own woodwork stuff they seem fine, just remember that for every litre of paint you spray to put 75p in the jar for a new pump. Seems worth it for the time saved tbh. Mine only arrived Thursday before I had to go to work for the weekend so I've not had a chance to use it yet. It'll be doing the whole of ky little girls room and then mostly just workshop stuff.

The London carpenter shows you his spray room using a large airless but it's essentially the same as the smaller ones, he'll spray every panel for a wardrobe in like 10 minutes.

He's also a heathen and just uses topcoat and no primer.
 
I’ll be interested to hear your experience with the Graco, once you have chance to use it... I’m slightly put off by it using dewalt batteries, but could get over that
 
It comes with 2 and a charger, and you could easily just use an adapter.

Tool isn't available without batteries unfortunately. Well, unless you buy the corded one!
 
I like the idea of being able to paint quickly. I think the main things that put me off are the set up time and the clean up time. With spraying I think you need to do a lot of masking off in a room. Particularly if you first mask off for the felling, then for the walls and then for all the woodwork. What is the total job time like in comparison to cutting in by brush and rollering?
 
Luckily, I’m single, and in my world there is one colour: white. No requirement for a “feature wall” or that particular shade shade seen in that piece on decor in Vogue... I’d only need to mask the wood work.

if the job can be done quicker by spraying, that’s a bonus. But quality of finish is my primary concern.
 
Luckily, I’m single, and in my world there is one colour: white. No requirement for a “feature wall” or that particular shade shade seen in that piece on decor in Vogue... I’d only need to mask the wood work.

if the job can be done quicker by spraying, that’s a bonus. But quality of finish is my primary concern.

I'm not single but I share your vision of colour. ;)

A few years back I painted the whole house (walls & ceilings) white with a Wagner airless sprayer. The only masking off I did was with a 12" roll of the brown (automotive) masking paper and tape, along the skirting boards, door & window frames.

That took a few hours. Then went round the house (4 bedrooms but kipped the smallest one) with the paint in about 2.5 hrs on the same day (a Saturday). Sunday - went round once more in a few ours. Then unmasked - took an hour or so.

Had no overspray.

Was done in a day & a half with plenty of "tea breaks". The finish was perfect (for walls & ceilings).

HIH

Dibs
 
I use the Fuji kit from Axminster, it wasn't cheap but has given perfect finish with paint and lacquer on cabinets and also water based emulsion on walls for which I bought and used the 2 L remote paint pot to save continually refilling the spray gun pot. In terms of painting walls and ceilings the masking up took longer than the actual spraying.
If you are looking for something that can be used for more than one job then seriously look at the Fuji kit (HVLP) but as I said it's not cheap, more than £650.
 
I bought the Graco and returned it three times each time to have new pumps fitted during the guarantee period. The pump packed in the 4th time when it was just out of guarantee and I was told by the supplier that really the pump was a "consumable item". After a tantrum i got my money back.
After saying that the grace does its job really, really well, when I got it dialled in and got the overspray down to a acceptable level it was great....but I simply couldn't handle not knowing if it was going to work when I pulled the trigger.
 
I use the Fuji kit from Axminster, it wasn't cheap but has given perfect finish with paint and lacquer on cabinets and also water based emulsion on walls for which I bought and used the 2 L remote paint pot to save continually refilling the spray gun pot. In terms of painting walls and ceilings the masking up took longer than the actual spraying.
If you are looking for something that can be used for more than one job then seriously look at the Fuji kit (HVLP) but as I said it's not cheap, more than £650.
That's not airless though Pete? I can see an advantage in not having a hose trailing. Also the Graco 'throwaway' paint inserts (OK they aren't but...)
How much does that air lead get in the way and what compressor did you need please?
 
I like the idea of being able to paint quickly. I think the main things that put me off are the set up time and the clean up time. With spraying I think you need to do a lot of masking off in a room. Particularly if you first mask off for the felling, then for the walls and then for all the woodwork. What is the total job time like in comparison to cutting in by brush and rollering?
Like any job, it is aleays about the preparation. Sanding, filling, masking off, then paint. The cleanup part is easy for a brush, but more involved when using a spray gun ( either air or airless). I use a gun when I have many, or larger jobs, and if I can do the job outside. Painting with a gun does give a nicer and even result, and it uses less paint. But, the cleanup is the chore.
 
I like the idea of being able to paint quickly. I think the main things that put me off are the set up time and the clean up time. With spraying I think you need to do a lot of masking off in a room. Particularly if you first mask off for the felling, then for the walls and then for all the woodwork. What is the total job time like in comparison to cutting in by brush and rollering?
I'd agree. In a 'normal' room, emptying or covering furniture, one, two even three different lots of masking, I think total job time wouldn't be much different, so you'd be reliant on a better finish, ease of painting for the comparison.
 
That's not airless though Pete? I can see an advantage in not having a hose trailing. Also the Graco 'throwaway' paint inserts (OK they aren't but...)
How much does that air lead get in the way and what compressor did you need please?

I used the Q5 which is why I said it isn't cheap but the results are excellent, I have sprayed in the past with conventional spray kit in my Ex brother in laws motor car repair facility spray booth so I can judge the results.
The main hose is heavy and large but connects to a very light hose 3M long which then connects to the gun and same for the 2L pressure pot so the hose does not get in the way.
I bought the biggest unit because I am refitting 5 bedrooms with built in furniture and there is other stuff to do as well plus the house painting where the Q5 or the Q4 is required for pressure and volume to handle the emulsions and latex based paints.
The only Groco units that I was able to look at were the professional ones specifically for house painting so didn't bother. Got a free gun from Fuji as a promotional thing as well.
 
Like any job, it is aleays about the preparation. Sanding, filling, masking off, then paint. The cleanup part is easy for a brush, but more involved when using a spray gun ( either air or airless). I use a gun when I have many, or larger jobs, and if I can do the job outside. Painting with a gun does give a nicer and even result, and it uses less paint. But, the cleanup is the chore.

Yes clean up is a PITA and absolutely necessary if you don't clean properly after use then you have problems next time. My routine learned from a professional is wipe as much residual paint out of the pot as you can, rinse the pot with dirty solvent till it's nearly clean then fill with clean solvent and run through the gun till it is clean jus pure solvent. Often I will strip the gun and chuck everything in a bucket of solvent then wipe clean reassemble and run clean solvent through the gun. Save all the dirty solvent for latter preliminary cleaning. I don't have problems with blocked guns and I filter the paint through a piece of nylon tights material after thinning as it goes into the pot.
 

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