# solid color wood stain through an airless paint sprayer



## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

I have a Wagner airless sprayer that works for stain too. Some of them are good to go, some aren't. Just gotta check whether it's rated for it.


----------



## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

I can't imagine a latex solid stain ruining an airless sprayer, packings. We spray solid stains all the time using graco airless paint sprayers with no problems. Packings where over time, but not from just spraying a solid stain.


----------



## cdaniels (Dec 27, 2012)

I've sprayed dozens of gallons of stain through my sprayers without a problem. I've actually never heard of this before.


----------



## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

su casa said:


> The rental employee told me that I should not use a paint sprayer to spray any stain because it ruins the "o" rings and somehow ruins the sprayer.



In general terms I would say that is a false statement. That is not to say that someone did not return a sprayer to him with shredded o-rings from a single use. Some coatings do contain abrasives that will wear o-rings and seals rapidly. 
Latex coatings also add a corrosion factor to the spray equipment, that requires all SS, alum, or other non-corrosive components. This would be my biggest concern with a low-end unit.

Most coating companies have a 800 tech service line. They can answer whether their product is ok to put thru your sprayer

This pg from Cabot may also add some insight on spraying stain.
http://www.cabotstain.com/pdf/TchBul05.pdf


----------



## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

Sounds to me like the rental guy just didn't want you returning the pump full of nasty oil stain or paint thinner. 

Thin, oil based semi transparent stains don't do that great with airless. They atomize too much and make a huge cloud of overspray even at low pressure. Still though, they won't damage the pump. They're just messy. 

Acrylic solid stain is no different than paint as far as spraying.


----------



## klaatu (Mar 9, 2015)

The statement from the rental guy kinda struck me as funny. What else would you use a PAINT sprayer for? There's not any difference between a paint and a stain that would cause that kind of problem with a decent airless sprayer. I've been selling stains AND airless sprayers for going on thirty years and have never heard of such a thing.

He probably just didn't want to rent it to a non-professional out of fear he might actually have to clean it when you turned it in. Which from my experience is bass ackwards. DIY'ers are much more likely to clean a rental sprayer then a Pro!


----------



## The Friz (Jul 13, 2021)

Could be that the rental guy had someone return it after spraying stain with an anti-slip additive in it. I think the grit additive would be a problem for the seals.


----------



## Half-fast eddie (Sep 19, 2020)

Isn’t that why you rent equipment … put the wear on somebody else’s equipment. And the rental rates are supposed to cover maintenance and repair costs.


----------



## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

The Friz said:


> Could be that the rental guy had someone return it after spraying stain with an anti-slip additive in it. I think the grit additive would be a problem for the seals.


 That would be a major problem for a lot more than the seals....


----------

