Monday, May 3, 2010

Airless Paint Sprayers

Airless paint sprayers use a pumping action to force paint through a nozzle at the end of the gun. They produce a misty fog that settles fast when it comes into contact with air. These sprayers come in various designs and are made by different companies, examples would be the Graco paint sprayers, Wagner paint sprayers, Campbell Hausfeld and of course the Fuji sprayers. They are usually made for outdoor applications and a consumer usually has a choice for either using a large or a small pump.

The airless paint sprayers offer a good finish on wood siding, wood fences, sheds and garages, metal, stucco, lawn furniture, lattice among other outdoor surfaces. It would also be important to note here that these sprayers come in three types i.e. the diaphragm pump; which is very hardy for 'do it yourself' home enthusiasts, piston pump; for professional sprayers, and the Double stroke piston pumps for construction work.

These sprayers come with different price ranges and they can cost anywhere between $150 to $3,000 depending on the type of project to be undertaken and the amount of horse power required. All said and done, before settling for a particular spray gun one should check the air and fluid controls to make sure that they work perfectly.

You should also ensure that the gun is easy to clean. I would go for a gun that makes spraying a pleasure all the time. After you are done with the job of painting it is usually advisable to unplug the gun and release the pressure trapped inside. These is done to avoid accidents that might happen if it is unplugged by someone else. As a precaution it would also be advisable to keep it out of the reach of children all the time. The damage it can do to your child cannot be overlooked.
Peter Gitundu Creates Interesting And Thought Provoking Content on Painting. For More Information, Read More Of His Articles Here PAINTING TIPS If You Enjoyed This Article, Make Sure You SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS FEED!

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Airless paint sprayers are a great option for painting just about any surface of your home. Airless paint sprayers require much less labor than painting with brushes and rollers and have the added benefit of being the fastest way to paint your home. If you have rough, uneven surfaces such as popcorn ceilings or highly textured walls in your home an airless paint sprayer is the best option and will make your painting job much easier than if you tried to do it with brushes or rollers. Sprayers are also great for tight areas or difficult applications.

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.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Tips and Precautions Related to Airless Paint Sprayers

Airless paint sprayers are mainly used for surface preparation. With their help, you can expect to get the paint job done faster and easier. These is the reason why they have been well received by professional paint contractors.

These are some of the features that you should always look for when selecting the paint sprayers in order to have a successful paint job.

1.) How safe are the sprayers that you are using? Since these sprayers function in high temperatures, they can corrode or burn your skin if they come into contact with it.

2.) How is your masking and paint preparation? All items that are not supposed to be painted should always be covered, if you are painting walls you will have to cover light fixtures, doorknobs, light switches and even the floors. This is because the Airless paint sprayers produce such fine sprays that it forms a misty fog that can settle anywhere.

You should never forget to mask yourself also by putting on a safety cover which should include
synthetic overalls, spray hood, safety glasses and a respirator.

3.) The airless paint sprayer can be used to spray many different types of paints but not ones that have textures and grit in them. These sprayers can be used effectively for both spray oil and water based paints. One thing that you should remember is that they apply too much paint too quickly, making them only applicable on exterior surfaces like building walls, fences, billboards etc.

The actual operation of an airless paint sprayer involves pumping spray through a tiny hole at the end of the gun. The spraying should be done while keeping your hand moving horizontally back and forth.
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Choosing the Right Airless Paint Sprayer For the Job

When choosing an airless paint sprayer, make sure that you look at all of the options that are available to you before making your final decision. A number of things that need to be looked at can make a large difference in whether you are able to do a professional looking job, even if you are just painting a small item. You have choices to make, such as the type of sprayer that you are going to use. Many people choose a smaller sprayer, such as the Wagner Procoat for jobs around the house, well they may use a larger compressor from Campbell Hausfeld whenever they have a larger job to do. Regardless of which one they choose, however, making the right decision when it comes to the airless paint sprayer that you are going to use can make all the difference in the world.

One of the first decisions that you need to make when choosing a paint sprayer has to do with the size job that you are going to be doing. If you're just going to be doing smaller jobs around the house, you can generally pick up a smaller airless paint sprayer at one of the local hardware stores. The Wagner Procoat is one of the more popular of these, and they can certainly handle small to medium-size jobs around the home. For larger jobs, you may want to have a dedicated unit, such as a compressor that is available from Campbell Hausfeld. You can purchase these new or used, depending on your needs and budget.

Another thing that needs to be taken into consideration is the different tips shapes and sizes that are available. Some are going to be well-suited for spraying smaller items, but you may need to get a larger tip in order to spray a larger area. For example, spraying a wall will require that you get a larger tip than if you were just spraying a chair. There are reviews available for these various sizes tips on the Internet that can act as a guide to help you choose one that is going to work well for you.

If you have an extremely big job that needs to be done, you may want to consider renting one of these paint sprayers instead of purchasing one. For example, we may want to use a sprayer in order to paint our home but we don't want to have to go through the expense of purchasing a large unit. Renting them from a hardware store is often an economical solution to this problem.

Choosing airless paint sprayers does take a little bit of looking into, but generally speaking, they are interchangeable for the most part. For example, a smaller paint sprayer, such as the Wagner Procoat may be able to handle a larger job, provided you don't do it on a regular basis. If you do happen to have a larger compressor from Campbell Hausfeld, you can also use these to do smaller jobs if you simply change the text size. If you're unsure of which sprayer to use, check the reviews on the Internet. They will generally be able to give you an idea.
After a succesful life in trading, importing and exports, Rupert now spends his time writing freelance articles for many well-known publications, as well as various educational institutions. For more of Rupert's articles regarding airless paint sprayers, please visit http://www.paint-sprayer-reviews.com/

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Experience has taught me that just about any job can be made easier by using the proper tools. And the straightforward task of cleaning and repainting your wood siding or clapboard is no different.

To begin, let me dispel a myth. Painting does not have to be done in warm weather. True, most paints are designed to be applied in temperatures of around ten to fifteen degrees Celsius, but nowadays you can buy cold weather paint that can be safely applied right around the zero degree mark. So if you're brave enough to face the weather, it can be done. Just remember that if the temperature drops much below zero then you run the risk of your paint blistering as it dries.

Now, while it's true that painting can be done in cold weather, it doesn't come highly recommended by yours truly. The reason for this is that I would suggest cleaning your siding first with a pressure washer, and the likelihood of getting wet and cold and feeling miserable is just too high. So unless you're in dire need of a paint job at an inopportune time, it's best to wait for reasonably warm weather.

As I said, cleaning your siding is the first step. To do this I would recommend using a pressure washer. You don't absolutely need one, but as is the case with any job, using the proper tools makes life much easier. Besides, a pressure washer has many uses, such as cleaning your car, deck, etc. So it's a handy machine to have.

I personally prefer gasoline powered pressure washers. This way I don't have to run extension cords everywhere and I can get more PSI.

A decent gasoline powered pressure washer in the range of 2000 PSI, 2 GPM, and with a 5-6 HP motor, will cost you around $400-500 on average and is a good all around investment.

You want to apply your paint to a dry surface that's free from any debris. So the idea of going over your exterior walls with a pressure washer is that the high pressure stream will dislodge any loose debris or stuck on dirt. Pests such as spiders and the like will also be taken care of. And of course let's not forget the fact that using a pressure washer is far quicker and easier than going up and down a ladder with a pail and a scrub brush. Also, if you'd like to use a cleaning product, don't fret. Many pressure washers come with the ability to add some sort of detergent to the mix.

When you're done cleaning the siding you want to wait an hour or two for it to dry. Then it's time for the primer. It should be noted though, that as a general rule of thumb a primer is only used on unpainted or relatively soiled surfaces. If a surface has been painted in the last five years or so, you probably don't need a coat of primer.

Either way, the best way to apply it, as well as with your regular paint, is with a paint sprayer. Being a product that you will only use intermittently, I would recommend purchasing a handheld electric sprayer. You should be able to pick one up for around $100. It's been my experience that these little beauties are faster than rollers and if used properly, create very few runs in the paint. They also eliminate the need to brush the underside of each row of siding, although you should still keep a brush on hand to deal with any potential runs.

Oil based primers seem to be the most popular as they are generally understood to adhere better to most surfaces.

As a quick tip, the purpose of a primer is to provide a surface that paint itself will more easily adhere to. It also provides an even undercoat so that paint will not absorb at different rates and thus create spots where the original surface will show through.

I usually paint top to bottom so that any runs will drip down to areas that I have yet to cover. This way I can easily deal with the runs as I move down the wall.

One coat of primer should be sufficient. When you're done you need to clean out the sprayer. I simply rinse out the holding basin and then run water through the gun itself.

Next you must wait the recommended amount of time for the primer to dry. This varies depending on the product. But like the labels say, please follow instructions for best results!

You're next step is the actual painting. Typically you go with two coats. But if you can get away with one or if you want three, then that's perfectly fine. Keep in mind however that if you didn't use a primer it's entirely possible that you might end up applying more coats than should be necessary in order to get a finish that completely filled in. Just remember the general guidelines for applying primer and you should be fine.

Okay, so we've just painted your siding. But no job is complete without the trim. When using a paint sprayer it's advisable to leave the trim until last because you'll usually get an overspray that hits the trim and leaves it speckled.

At this point it's time to give the sprayer a final cleaning and to put it away. Your weapons at this stage of the game will be a roller and a brush. I prefer foam rollers over the other types as I find them less messy. Simply roll your trim, using primer first if necessary, and then do the hard to reach places with your brush. It's as simple as that.

SOURCES:

Pressure Washers & Accessories, Home Depot

Airless Paint Sprayers for Handyman - DIY, Melspray Equipment


Airless Paint Sprayers Times