Using an Airless Paint Sprayer
Using an airless paint sprayer to paint the walls, ceiling or other surfaces of your home will provide a uniform application. It also will eliminate much of the cutting in that is usually required with traditional painting techniques which adds up to big time savings.
Airless paint sprayers are unique in that they do not use a compressor to delver the paint. Instead, the paint is pumped through a high pressures hose and then pushed through tiny painting tips that deliver the paint in a nice, even fan shaped spray. The biggest benefit to using an airless paint sprayer as opposed to a compressor driven paint sprayer is that because the paint is not forced by air the overspray from an airless paint sprayer is kept to a minimum. This is a really key feature for indoor paint applications.
An airless paint sprayer consists of a hose, a pumping unit and a gun. There is a “dipping hose” that goes into the paint and a high pressure hose that delivers the paint to the surface you are painting. There are also many different sizes of tips for the gun to choose from and the tip you choose will depend upon the type of paint you are using and the application for which you are using the sprayer.
The amount of paint that is delivered will depend upon the tip that you choose. For safety it is very important to keep your hands and fingers away from the spray of the gun since it is delivered at very high pressure and can easily cause injury.
You can rent airless paint sprayers from home improvement stores, rental shops or paint stores. When you rent your paint sprayer you should also pick up an extension arm for the gun which will give you much greater reach.
Before you start painting be sure to cover anything in the room that you don’t want painted with a drop cloth. This includes floor, furniture and any other items in the room. Once everything is covered you can start getting the airless paint sprayer ready to use.
First, you will want to put your paint in a large bucket and insert the dip tube into the bucket. You need to prime the machine before you use it, so turn the knob to recirculate and let it run for a couple of minutes. This will also remove any excess air from the machine.
Once the machine is primed you will need to set the pressure. If you used too much pressure with your airless paint sprayer you will get thick spots and an uneven coat, so it is important to get this step right. Using an old board or a piece of cardboard, adjust the pressure until the spray from the gun does not have thicker areas at the edge of the spray pattern. The gun should spray an even coat of paint all the way across the spray pattern. Once you have reached that point you have the pressure set correctly.
When you start painting you will want to remember to begin moving your hand before you pull the trigger on the gun. The paint starts spraying immediately so if you are not in motion when it begins you will get a thick spot on your surface. Start by painting the more difficult areas of a room first including edges and tight spots, leaving the large, easy open area in the center of the wall or ceiling for last.
Use a damp sponge to clean up any overspray or mistakes before the paint has a chance to dry. When you are done painting you will want to clean the airless paint sprayer by rinsing and scrubbing it, and then pumping plain water through it for a few minutes to remove any excess paint that is still inside.
