3 Tips For Perfect Paint Sprayer Application

25 November 2019
 Categories: , Blog

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Painting a house, whether inside or out, used to be a long and involved process. First, you had to prepare the surface by scraping off peeling paint, sanding rough areas, and cleaning the surface. Then, you would have to cut in around the edges and trim. This was followed by the application of multiple coats of primer before you could even begin to apply two or more coats of the final paint. Thanks to new products, such as one-coat paint plus primer, the process is simpler. Of course, the single tool that makes painting less painful is the paint sprayer. The following tips will help you make the most of this tool.

#1: Mix and Strain

The single most important thing you can do is to properly mix and strain the paint before adding it to your sprayer. An automatic paint stirrer that attaches to a power drill is the simplest and most thorough way to mix paint at home. Once the paint is mixed, don't pour it straight into the paint sprayer. Instead, first, pour the paint into a second paint bucket through a mesh paint strainer. The strainer attaches to the top of the bucket so that straining is easy. The purpose of straining is to remove any sediment, dried paint flakes, or undissolved pigments that may be in the paint. Speak to the staff at a company that sells paint strainers, like Spray Right, if you have any questions.

#2: Test on Scrap Material

Before painting the wall, test the spray gun on a piece of scrap material. It's preferable to use the same material as you will be painting, such as a piece of extra siding or drywall offcut. You can use this scrap piece to determine the best pressure setting and spray pattern for the material as well as to play around with the distance of the nozzle from the material. If you have never used a paint sprayer before, this practice run is vital so that you don't make a major mistake on your wall.

#3: Perfect the Distance and Technique

Generally, you want to hold the sprayer nozzle about one foot from the surface you are painting. If you have issues maintaining this distance, do a dry run with no paint in the device. Start by holding the gun two inches from the surface and slowly move it back to one foot. Move it back and forth for a few minutes then use a ruler to verify that you maintained the correct distance. After a few practice runs, you should be able to eyeball the distance fairly accurately.

With practice and the right accessories, like a mesh paint strainer, you will be able to paint like a pro