| PAINT SPRAYER
CHOOSING A PAINT SPRAYER
There are three types of paint sprayers available to buy or rent, each with its own advantages.
AIRLESS SPRAYERS: are powered by either gasoline or electricity. Most have a hose (or draw tube) that you place in the paint container; some have their own paint container. Paint is drawn into the tube, then pushed through a supply hose to the spray gun under very high pressure. The paint is then atomized—reduced to a fine spray—by being pushed through the gun's tip at pressures ranging from 1,200 to 3,000 pounds per square inch (psi). This sprayer efficiently covers a large area in a short time. Use an airless sprayer to paint the exterior of your house.
The portable electric airless sprayer is the least expensive of all sprayers and works well for painting shutters, fences, decks, and iron rail-ings. It will hold only about 1 quart of paint, though some have separate tanks or tubes that can be extended into a larger container.
CONVENTIONAL AIR SPRAYERS: often called cup-and-gun sprayers because the spray gun and paint reservoir cup are one unit, are mostly used in production line work. Most rental stores don't stock them.
HIGH-VOLUME LOW-PRESSURE (HVLP) SPRAYERS: are very popular because they use under 10 psi to spray the paint. The lower pressure means greater control with less overspray. An HVLP sprayer looks like a conventional sprayer; it uses a one-piece spray gun and paint reservoir cup. HVLP sprayers are portable and affordable, and you can adjust the spray patterns from 1/2 inch to 12 inches wide. HVLP sprayers run on a 15-amp electrical circuit and work with most types of paint.
* Caution: Paint sprayers force paint out at high pressure; you can cause serious injury by actually injecting paint into your flesh. Never point a sprayer at anyone or anything other than the surface you wish |
Spray-Painting Walls I plan to paint my interior walls with a sprayer. How is it different from using a roller or brush?
Before using a paint sprayer, make sure you have good ventilation. This is critical because paint fumes can build up in an enclosed area and be ignited by a spark or a flame. Wear a respirator that has been approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Also wear a hat, old clothes, and wrap-around goggles to protect your eyes. Carefully cover floors and trim to avoid getting paint where you don't want it. To minimize overspray, practice on scrap pieces of cardboard or wood to get used to the feel of the sprayer before you begin on your walls.
Overlap each pass slightly, but not too much, or you'll get too much paint on the wall. Keep your body parallel to the surface you're painting and try not to move your arm in an arcing motion. Remember to bend your wrist and keep the sprayer at a right angle to the wall. To avoid spots or runs where your start and stop, start moving your arm before you pull the trigger.
For outside corners, stand 6 to 8 inches away from the edge and use a back-and-forth motion as you did on the flat wall. On inside corners, turn the spray gun 90 degrees so that the spray pattern is horizontal, and move the gun vertically in the corner.
How Is It Done?
- On a flat surface, bend your wrist as you move your arm to apply paint evenly. Slightly overlap each pass—as you would with a lawn mower when you cut grass.
- On an outside comer, stand directly facing the edge. Move the spray gun back and forth, bending your wrist as you move to ensure complete, even coverage.
- Face an inside comer and turn the gun, or adjust the spray nozzle; so that the spray pattern is applied horizontally. Then move the gun vertically to spray.
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Quality Latex Paint
Oil-base paint is no longer sold where I live because of laws banning substances with high VOC content. Can I get a latex paint that goes on more like oil paint?
In the past, oil-base paints outperformed latex paints on several fronts: They went on smoother and thicker, they covered better, and they did not leave brush marks. The trouble was that oil-base paints contained high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC's), which are now strictly regulated in most states because of their negative effect on the ozone layer. Fortunately, in the 20 years since the Federal Clean Air Act began regulating VOC's and other pollutants, paint manufacturers have developed improved latex paints. Today, with the addition of thickeners, surfactants, resins, and other additives, a better-quality latex paint performs as well as or better than oil-base paint, without the solvents that contribute to air pollution. If you want top-quality results from a latex paint, you have to buy top-quality paint with the better resins, thickeners, and additives.
SAFETY CHECK
Contact Lens Wearers Beware When Painting
Ophthalmologists say that contact lenses can absorb chemical vapors that could damage your eyes. If you opt to keep your contacts in while painting, stripping paint, cleaning up, or using solvents for any purpose, be sure to wear well-sealed protective goggles. A better idea is to switch to your glasses before using any paints, solvents, or other chemicals. |
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