# Help me choose the right sprayer



## kennyb (May 3, 2011)

Your best choice would be the Graco 395 or you might want to look at the Graco 390.A little less money and still quaility.If you're not stuck on Graco only, the best bang for buck would be the Titan Adavantage 400.The Graco 395 and Titan 440's and larger have a bunch of bells and whistles(fancy electronics)that don't help you paint any better,just cost more!Stay away from the big boxes(Lowes.Home Depots....)and go to a:thumbup: local paint store.Not SW!!!:no:


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## Ironlight (Apr 13, 2011)

I'm, not a pro but I think the 395 is overkill for your needs, particularly since you are new to spraying. You'll be paying for flexibility, power, and durability that you don't need. It does not sound like you'll be spraying lighter finishes so you don't really need HVLP capability. While the house is large it's not like you're painting a 50k sq. ft. warehouse and need 1 gpm volume. And for the floor of the garage you probably want to use an epoxy paint and roll it on so you probably don't need the ability to spray heavier materials other than exterior latex. 

The magnum models should be fine for what you want to do. They are easier to handle, are less complicated to operate, and will be easier to sell if you decide you don't want to hang on to it. You want to spend your time finishing your project, not learning to use a complicated piece of machinery that is designed for more than you need.

Would love to see pictures of your project. Sounds like an interesting undertaking.


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## ltd (Jan 16, 2011)

imho the only thing i see a need for a sprayer for is for the e/x stucco.is this house furnished.if it is i see a real nightmare.for interior walls you still have to back roll them as to give a nice soft stipple.when you factor in cost ,prep,chasing after runs,learning curve, id would stick with cut and roll. :wink:


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## bokeh (Nov 1, 2010)

Thanks for the replys.

I've read many posts before putting the OP up. Most seem that the answer to my question is just to brush & roll. But I don't know how many of those other replys were from people who actually have used sprayers, or have just read others saying such and repeating their comments. 

as far as the learning curve, I pick up on things like that pretty good. I could practice an even stroke technique, along with dialing in a sprayer in the garage if needed, since I will be painting them anyhow..


about the overspray indoors. this is one thing that I seem to see allot of negative posts on. But like I was saying, I don't know how many of them are repeated from non users or sprayers. I've already gone through a couple rolls of the 12x500 foot painters plastic just to prevent splashing while rolling the ceilings. I could just get an extra sleeve of blue painters tape to make sure all the joints on the plastic are sealed, closing myself in each room (with a mask) as I go.

as far as backrolling. that is something I almost need to experience first hand. I am thinking that the time the sprayer will save me on 'cutting the corners' will make up for any time lost on backrolling five fold.


One of the reasons I was thinking a bigger model like the 395 ultra, was while I was watching this video. I seen a chart about tip sizes, and it showed that for exterior coatings the tip sizes of 15-21 are recommended. the magnum prox9 goes to a max tip size of .019. If .019 is going to be good for the exterior then that may be the right choice for me. But that is the max that machine is capable of. The max tip size on the Graco Ultra 395 is .023
http://youtu.be/UO7t4NHPnqY
the chart is at 1:07


would I be able to run a primer such as Gliddens Gripper through a sprayer with or without Floetrol on the interior?

as far as the paint, for the interior I'm using Benjamin Moores Regal paint. I will probably go with BM on the exterior also, since I was impressed with BM's performance since switching from Bher premium plus half way through the project last fall.


as I think you can see, I am really trying to convince myself that a sprayer is the answer to my problems with this project.


thanks


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

kennyb said:


> Stay away from the big boxes(Lowes.Home Depots....)and go to a:thumbup: local paint store.


7,000 sf feet of interior, with ceilings, walls and closets is a great application for spray equipment so long as everything can be the same paint. color and so forth. You are still going to have to do the trim by brush? And don't skimp on the time and material it takes to mask off for overspray. 

Same for exterior.


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## bokeh (Nov 1, 2010)

sdsester said:


> 7,000 sf feet of interior, with ceilings, walls and closets is a great application for spray equipment so long as everything can be the same paint. color and so forth. You are still going to have to do the trim by brush? And don't skimp on the time and material it takes to mask off for overspray.
> 
> Same for exterior.




for the most part its the same paint.

same color in every interior room, for now. but, I will be using semi-gloss in the baths, whereas I am using flat everywhere else.

on the interior, the trim is oak, I've been masking that off in the past with tape & plastic. thats one reason why I am not shying away from the prep time to seal everything off for sprayer use. I'm already about 3/4 of the way there just prepping for brush&roller.

as for the exterior, I haven't chosen a paint from BM yet. But it will be one color for the walls, and another darker color for the trim.

If I finish in enough time (6weeks) before I leave, I may darken the crown molding that is in a few areas. that crown molding takes a ling time to paint by brush. with tall ceilings, I am having to go up, down, move ladder every 5 feet or so. let alone making sure all the paint was getting into all of the detail on the molding.


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## bokeh (Nov 1, 2010)

here are some pictures of the project:


yet to be painted exterior:





































the front is mostly stone, but there are a few area that will need painted.













as far as the interior:

you can see the ceiling in this room. it was the first room I painted, no primer, two coats. I will be repainting this ceiling, and possibly putting a coat of primer on it also to hide some of the imperfections that were patched but still noticeable from an earthquake in the 90's









this is part of the hall/foyer that I finished last fall. the crown molding was a P.I.T.A. I am considering painting the crown a darker color possibly to somewhat match the oak trim and mostly to add a little seperation from the walls to ceiling.



















heres the master bedroom I painted, still needs some finishing touches.









this bath was painted in flat. I need to re paint it with a semigloss:












thats all for the pics. 

this painting project is the first time it has been painted since new in the 1980's. This same color throughout was chosen just to clean the place up and give it a fresh coat, the colors may change at a later date once we get a look at the place finished. all of the walls/ceiling are plaster, many of the walls had wallpaper, the hall/foyer was a padded material, and I painted that before I started using Glidden Gripper as a primer, the plaster was soaking up the first few coats of paint leaving it very uneven, much like the ceiling in the above photo. but, in the hallway I applied 4 coats, whereas in the above ceiling that needs repainted I only applied 2, but needed to clear that room out because visitors were coming over. believe me.. it still looks better than it did before.


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## bokeh (Nov 1, 2010)

I found a local Paint Store selling the Graco 390 for $649.99 and the Ultra 395 stand for $899.99


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## kennyb (May 3, 2011)

*The right choice*

You can't go wrong with either sprayer.You have a beautiful home and a big job to do.Good luck:thumbup:


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## STL B. (Oct 29, 2010)

Sprayers are great for new construction or a empty home where you can lay drop cloths to protect the floor. Thats not the case at your place though, you'd have lots of masking inside and out. It's a toss-up I guess if it were me I'd just bite the bullet and start rolling. The last thing you want is to end up with overspray on the brick,collums,chimney,pergola,gutters or deck.




btw your home is beautiful congrats.


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## Ironlight (Apr 13, 2011)

Why are you painting the stucco exterior? As soon as you do, you doom yourself to having to maintain a painted surface. Part of the beauty of stucco is that it is a relatively low maintenance exterior surface.

If it's simply because it's dirty, you could just power wash it instead.


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## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

For a diyer a sprayer with 3000 psi and that pumps at least .30gpm is sufficient. I prefer a piston pump over a diafram, as the piston pump sprayes on the up and down stroke and they last longer. I wouldn't by a sprayer from a box store, as the internal parts are cheaper than what you would find in a sprayer from an actually dealer. You would aonly need to use a tip with an orifice bigger than .019 if you where going to spray block filler, elastromaerics, and thicker coatings. for spraying latex you can use an orifice of .014-.019 and be fine. You shouldn't need to thin any of the material. You will have a lot of masking off as you already know. Buy a 3m hand masker with the poly film blade and some poly film and paper to mask with. You will have to bacroll the paint after it is applied to the surfaces. Personally if it was me I would just roll and brush the interior and probably roll and brush a good portion of the exterior too. Sprayers have there place when it comes to painting, generally NC, exteriors, fences, etc.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

That's gonna be a tough exterior to spray. You will be masking stone, roofing, trim........I'd say you would be better off brushing and rolling AND, you won't have to buy a sprayer.


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## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

If you're "most the way there" masking for brush and roll, you need to look at what your doing for that. Drops are easy to move, and not nearly as labor intensive as masking for blow by from a sprayer. Remember, it also has pressure that can open up loosely draped poly.
(BTW- I've done lots of both, but VERY seldom spray in an occupied house) 
Get a handimasker with 6" paper and tape, and you're 3/4 of the way home for B & R. 

Most of what I see ( and great house BTW) looks ready made for B & R. 

Consider priming that ceiling with 50/50 of ceiling paint and Gardz, might do a lot to even it out. 

BM Regal ( or the new Regal Select) matte is a wonderful interior finish, IMO.


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## bcw0801 (Apr 30, 2011)

Since you've never used a sprayer before, I wouldn't rush out and buy an airless sprayer. They're great if you know what you're doing but just like anything, there will be a learning curve. There is alot of prep work in covering up things you don't want to get overspray on and this can also be time consuming. You can also get runs in your paint with the spayer. My advice: go get a Wagner or comparable brand small electric sprayer. The kind where the entire unit fits in one hand and has a quart size tank you fill up with paint. You can probably get one for $30 to $50 and learn to use it. If you hate it, then you're not out much. 

Airless sprayers are the "professional" way to go but if you're not going to do this commercially, it may be overkill. Plus paint sprayers must be thouroughly cleaned after each use. There are filters to clean and depending on what you're spraying, you may need different size spray tips that will cost between $25 to $50 each. Another words, you'll need one tip for the exterior paint (smailler tip) and another for the elastomeric foundation paint (larger tip). 

My advice: start and finish one project or room at a time and don't get overwhelmed by the overall huge project. Also, buy the cheap Wagner sprayer and try it for your small spraying needs before spending alot of money on something you may very well hate or not be any good at using. Lowe's or Home Depot sell these little angle pads for easier corner cut-ins. The pads are two sided on a 90 degree angle and will help with your cut-in frustrations. One important thing to remember when using a paint roller is when you first wet your roller you start left and as the paint is wearing off the roller you are working towards the right. Then when you re-wet the roller, start to the right of where you finished and work back towards the left. This way the paint will be more even and not as splotchy when you're finished. But please plan on doing 2 coats regardless of what paint you use. Sure, some paints are better than others but I call bull**** on 1 coat coverage paints. You've already done the prep work, do 2 coats and you'll be happier with the end result. 

If you're thinking I'm an idiot and didn't answer your question and you're still dead set on a paint sprayer then fine. But expect to make a mess in the beginning and expect a learning curve. Make sure you have a wet rag handy for when you accidentally spray the floor or a piece of furniture you didn't want to and wipe it clean ASAP. This most likely will happen. And please, please make sure you clean the sprayer thouroughly, including the filters and spray tip. Don't forget about the filter inside the gun handle. Also, make sure you run a heavy enough gauge electrical cord to the sprayer, especially when running a long cord. This makes a huge difference and if not careful, you will burn up the electrical motor. So many times people will run electric tools 200' on a small gauge cord and the electric motor doesn't get the ampage it needs and gets burned up. Spend the extra money and buy a heavy duty cord. 

I have both the Graco Magnum X7 Pro and X9. I think they both are the Pro edition and I've been very well pleased. I'm most happy with the X7 Pro.

Good luck


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## bokeh (Nov 1, 2010)

Thanks for the input everyone.

I bought the Ultra 395 today, and will practice a little with it on the garage walls(since I will be painting them in a few weeks) before I use it indoors.

I have good feelings about this, for helping complete this process alone quicker in all the corners with a more consistent application on larger areas.

I will reply back to this thread a a later time to give my opinion whether it was a good choice or not to get this unit.


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## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

bokeh said:


> Thanks for the input everyone.
> 
> I bought the Ultra 395 today, and will practice a little with it on the garage walls(since I will be painting them in a few weeks) before I use it indoors.
> 
> ...


The graco 395 is a great unit. It will spray anything that you will need to spray with ease. However if it was more efficent to use a sprayer for interior re paints then professional painters would choose that method. It can be done, its just going to be very time consuminig for you, all of the masking off that's involved and remember you still have to backroll and backbrush.


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## bokeh (Nov 1, 2010)

Just wanted to put in a reply that I am glad I bought this sprayer.

Yes, there is more prep involved, and I come out of a room with paint on my face. but the paint is easily washed off, and the prep wasn't a whole lot more than the prep I was already doing.

The time saved on spraying the Glidden Gripper primer alone makes the sprayer worth it to me. cutting days off my cutting in the corners, rolling, brushing, etc..

I do have a bit of wasted product that ends up on the plastic covering the floor, 

I havent had to backroll. in fact the first room I backrolled with a 1/2" nap wool roller when applying the primer, and that area looks worse off than the areas I sprayed without backrolling.

I will admit that there was one wall I put a coat of final color on with a roller, I was too cramped in to get a full range of motion with my arm while spraying and I would see the edges of the spray pattern after it dried.

I'm going to pick up a 40" extension for the sprayer tip to get the ceilings more evenly while walking on the floor instead of using the ladder. right now, standing on the floor with a 12" tip extension I am about 2' from the ceiling fully stretched out.

I cant speed up the dry time though. :laughing:


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## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

bokeh said:


> Just wanted to put in a reply that I am glad I bought this sprayer.
> 
> Yes, there is more prep involved, and I come out of a room with paint on my face. but the paint is easily washed off, and the prep wasn't a whole lot more than the prep I was already doing.
> 
> ...


Back rolling is required when spraying primer and/or paint on drywall. It works the paint into the drywall. If it wasn't needed then none of us pros would do it when spraying. We don't backroll because we don't know how to spray evenly, we backroll because it serves a purpose, if you had a problem backrolling maybee you are appling the primer/paint to thick or try using a smaller nap roller sleeve, but it is required for proper application when using a sprayer.


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