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paint sprayers

woodpecker47 | Posted in General Discussion on September 21, 2009 01:06am

i have to paint a wood railing with lots  of horizontal and verical pieces, cant use a brush cause it would take to long, i would like to use a sprayer, how are those wagner sprayer. i have a compressor  and i am using latex paint, can that be used straight from the can or do i have to thin it? thanks for any advice.

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  1. barmil | Sep 22, 2009 01:29am | #1

    What is "take too long?" A lot of people on this site might like to know, since they do take professional time with their work. I posted a day or so that anything Wagner is essentially junk, though I was kinder then in my posting (leaks, hard clean-up). A few weeks ago, MDW and I took brush and stain to our back yard cedar fence, needing this every few years. We ruined some shorts and shoes in the process, but we also are more in love with each other as a result. If you don't know what that means, then you haven't been there. Stay away from the sprayer.



    Edited 9/21/2009 6:31 pm ET by BARMIL

    1. dockelly | Sep 22, 2009 01:31am | #2

      "but we also are more in love with each other as a result."Come paint my house, you'll end up positively GaGa over one another:)

  2. User avater
    Metaxa | Sep 22, 2009 01:35am | #3

    Anything you spray has to be back brushed anyway...why not just brush/roll it on to start?

    Spray has its place and its purposes but aren't you going to be using this deck, sitting on it and chilling out? It will look way better rolled and brushed.

    Plus, a proper set up of trim rollers and brushes will only be marginally longer than masking everything you don't want sprayed, thinning the stain or paint, fixing the pattern, cleaning up drips, cleaning the sprayer, fixing all the over spray, etc.

  3. User avater
    Sphere | Sep 22, 2009 01:36am | #4

    You may want to look at the bigger picture.

    Overspray, shielding and masking, clean up time of the unit, upfront cost of the unit and your expertise with the unit.

    Transfer efficiency is the biggy, a brush or roller  ( weenie types) are nearly 100% where as an Airless is next, followed by a turbine, and finally conventional spray guns ( compressed air at 35-45 PSI). This all equates to material used, thinners or solvents, and amount of time masking and cleaning up.

    Me? I do it all depending on the situation and site conditions, but if you really want to get the paint on the work, its hard to beat a brush or roller.

    And as a Pro painter taught me many moons ago, don't push a dry brush.

    Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

    Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    View Image

  4. florida | Sep 22, 2009 02:34am | #5

    Call me a rebel because I disagree with everyone else. I never brush a railing if I can help it. Every junction is a place for paint to run and trying to get inside the horizontal pieces is a nightmare. I think sprayed looks much better and I can put on a coat of primer and top coat in less than half the time it takes to brush. We tape a 24" wide piece of plastic on the deck next to the rail and stand pieces of luan on that. No over spray to speak of and with 3 pieces of luan 2 guys can go non-stop. For spraying the outside we make a 10' T out of 1" X 2" and staple plastic to it. One guy holds it just outside the rail while the other one sprays.

    1. woodpeckers | Sep 22, 2009 04:24am | #6

      thanks for your post, for SOME jobs you can't beat a paint sprayer for the speed and finish. otherwise lets throw out all the nailguns and grab that hammer and nail punch. but NOBODY answered my question which spray gun or paint sprayer to use for latex paint , the railing consist mostly of 1 1/4" x 1 3/4" slats that are x and diamonds, 30" high, 11 sections 10' long. if i would know how to post a picture i would, because the railing is beautiful.

      1. User avater
        Sphere | Sep 22, 2009 04:31am | #7

        Get a Harbor frieght HVLP, they are remarkably good for cheap.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

        Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

        View Image

      2. florida | Sep 22, 2009 04:49am | #8

        Well, sorry about that. I use an airless cheapo Graco X7 I bought off Craigslist for $150.00. I could have thrown it away after the first day and made money. I think a cup gun is just too slow.

      3. junkhound | Sep 22, 2009 05:43am | #9

        which spray gun or paint sprayer to use for latex paint

        I use my old Wagner 835, works great, puts on 5 gal of paint evenly in 20 minutes. Keep your screen clean.  

        View Image

        Goptta keep my rep up, got mine for $20 5 years ago at garage sale, all it needed was to be taken apart and cleaned.   Longest part of the cleaning job was when I dropped the carbide ball and took 20 min to find it!!

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