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Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

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Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby will1983 » 20 Feb 2019, 16:58

Recommendations please!

I've got a few jobs coming up that need painting. A number of these are "well funded" so I'm thinking of using the proceeds from these to invest in an electric paint spraying system.

I've been watching Peter Millards "playing at spraying" series and the issues he's had with the Graco Ultra have put me off the airless systems so I'm set on the electric HVLP route. I also don't really want to go down the compressor + gun option as I want the portability and less workshop space it consumes.

I've seen this in Toolstation
https://www.toolstation.com/wagner-w890 ... q0QAvD_BwE
The option of swapping guns appeals as I could swap over when wanting to spray primer and top coats in the same day. Spare parts should be easy to come by and the unit packs up into itself.

Then there's this at Axminster
https://www.axminster.co.uk/fuji-mini-m ... nit-951679
The single review isn't great but that is three years old and I believe the model has been changed since that was posted. Also Axminster after sales service is always good.

and this from Air Supplies
https://www.airsupplies.co.uk/apollo-pr ... ray-system
I don't know anything about Apollo or Air Supplies but that doesn't mean they aren't good.

Have any of our community members got any sprayers they would recommend?

My budget runs to £3-400 but if good results and reliable operation can be had for £200 I wont complain!
FYI I only use water-based paints and will probably be using it for 4 hours a week.

TIA
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby will1983 » 20 Feb 2019, 17:05

Apologies, this is in the wrong section.

Mods please move it accordingly.
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby RogerS » 20 Feb 2019, 19:09

I've not looked at Peter's spraying videos. What sort of problems did he have as the Graco is a top model ? A lot of professional decorators use airless sprayers and if they were that bad then they would never catch on IMO.

I bought a Wagner airless sprayer to do my workshop and it was the dogs danglies. I'll be selling it as I've not got any need for one any more.
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby Woodster » 20 Feb 2019, 20:10

I know a guy who amongst other things does decorating at a school. He though an airless sprayer would be a great idea for doing classrooms. He couldn’t get on with it at all and got rid of it. He found it just as quick to do it with a roller. I know a couple of other decorators and they don’t use them either. I’ll ask one of them why next time I see him, he’s decorating one of our bedrooms in a couple of weeks.
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby will1983 » 22 Feb 2019, 10:28

RogerS, he had a lot of issues with the amount of overspray. This was eventually tracked to a fault with the tip which Graco sorted out but I think if you are paying the sort of money they are charging then those sorts of faults shouldn't be happening.
He then had a problem with the machine getting gummed up inside which again needed repairing at the factory. These problems are what are putting me off the whole airless thing.
I know Graco repaired them under warranty but waiting for the repairs to be done would seriously interfere with my business output.

Woodster, I would be interested to know the opinion of a professional decorator as the use of these machines is steadily growing in that industry are so please let me know what he says.
I would imagine that if a decorator is doing a single room then the efficiency gains over the traditional roller/brush method would be minimal due to the amount of masking involved but when doing the whole interior of a new build property I think efficiency would be much improved but it would be good to hear the thoughts of someone who does that type of work daily.
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby RogerS » 22 Feb 2019, 13:34

will1983 wrote:RogerS, he had a lot of issues with the amount of overspray. This was eventually tracked to a fault with the tip which Graco sorted out but I think if you are paying the sort of money they are charging then those sorts of faults shouldn't be happening.


But faults happen with everything regardless of price, manufacturer, car, woodworking machine and so I would never let that put me off.

will1983 wrote:He then had a problem with the machine getting gummed up inside which again needed repairing at the factory.


That could be equally down to him not cleaning it properly.

will1983 wrote:Woodster, I would be interested to know the opinion of a professional decorator as the use of these machines is steadily growing in that industry are so please let me know what he says.
I would imagine that if a decorator is doing a single room then the efficiency gains over the traditional roller/brush method would be minimal due to the amount of masking involved but when doing the whole interior of a new build property I think efficiency would be much improved but it would be good to hear the thoughts of someone who does that type of work daily.


You've hit the nail on the head there. It does depend on how much masking needs to be done but in an empty or near-empty room, boy...it beats rollering and rollering and rollering and rollering hands down.
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby will1983 » 22 Feb 2019, 13:58

RogerS wrote:
will1983 wrote:RogerS, he had a lot of issues with the amount of overspray. This was eventually tracked to a fault with the tip which Graco sorted out but I think if you are paying the sort of money they are charging then those sorts of faults shouldn't be happening.


But faults happen with everything regardless of price, manufacturer, car, woodworking machine and so I would never let that put me off.


Very true but for a £5-600 tool I would expect better QA than that.

RogerS wrote:
will1983 wrote:He then had a problem with the machine getting gummed up inside which again needed repairing at the factory.


That could be equally down to him not cleaning it properly.


Quite possibly, or maybe not cleaning it often enough, Peter didn't share details of why the problem arose.

RogerS wrote:
will1983 wrote:Woodster, I would be interested to know the opinion of a professional decorator as the use of these machines is steadily growing in that industry are so please let me know what he says.
I would imagine that if a decorator is doing a single room then the efficiency gains over the traditional roller/brush method would be minimal due to the amount of masking involved but when doing the whole interior of a new build property I think efficiency would be much improved but it would be good to hear the thoughts of someone who does that type of work daily.


You've hit the nail on the head there. It does depend on how much masking needs to be done but in an empty or near-empty room, boy...it beats rollering and rollering and rollering and rollering hands down.


I don't mind masking but I'm certainly faster at cutting in with a brush. For my application there will be minimal masking though.
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby HappyHacker » 23 Feb 2019, 00:01

I bought the Aldi airless sprayer as I have a few empty rooms to paint along with some rough surfaces. Having done one large room, ceiling and walls, I have the following comments. Bear in mind this is the first time I have used an airless sprayer so there was a learning curve. I have used HP sprayers many years ago on cars and boats and a cheap HVLP sprayer for spraying preservative stain on stables.

Airless sprayers are quite straightforward to use but there is a sequence to using them which is not intuitive, to me anyway. Being able to spray straight from the paint can is handy but the depth of the pickup makes it hard to use up the last inch or so from the can.

Spraying is straightforward but it is easy to put it on to thick or thin, this is part of the learning curve to determine the correct speed and overlap. It is easy to use and gives good coverage and finish, far smoother than I normally get with a roller.

I did minimal masking and used a plastic board to act as a shield, this works well but I did cut in using a brush and small roller for the colour change between the walls and coving having got to within less than an inch with the spray and masking board. The skirting board and architrave was off so I did not have to mask these. There is some overspray and when I had finished there was some very small particles visible floating in the air but these were dry as was most of the overspray that fell on the floor (with dust sheets on) even when working at the bottom the wall. From reading reviews I was expecting to be fighting my way through a fog of overspray.

Cleaning the equipment properly when finished probably took about 1/2 hour but will be quicker when I get more practice. I did not think I wasted a lot of paint with priming/cleaning.

I did not need to clean the equipment during breaks, the instructions recommend putting the gun in a plastic bag for breaks.

The time to do the room was probably about the same as doing with a roller when all things are considered, but I was very slow and well out of practice with my spraying technique. I would expect it to be faster in the future and did find my speed improving with practice.

The finish was excellent, I was using Dulux super matt paint and while I could feel a very slight roughness it appeared completely smooth.

I am happy with my purchase and will use it again but for a room that is not empty I may well go back to a roller.

Good luck making the best choice for you.
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby Malc2098 » 23 Feb 2019, 09:44

Kevin,

Did you thin the paint at all for spraying? I note on Dulux's website, they recommend 1:3 for priming bare surfaces and then 1:5 for finishing top coats.
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby HappyHacker » 23 Feb 2019, 13:41

Yes I thinned it as per the Dulux recommendations and the first coat was a mist coat at 1:3. I did feel it could have done with being a little thinner at the 1:5 for the final coats as the spray pattern was just a little uneven and the pressure was at maximum but it looked OK on the wall. I probably need to experiment more but I needed to get the room painted so just got on with it.

I was very aware while doing it that my spraying technique was very poor despite knowing what I should be doing, I put it down to old age :( but it still worked OK and I was getting better at the end of the room. Painting now paused while I sort out the floor.

My daughters house is next.
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby will1983 » 26 Feb 2019, 15:08

Thank you for a very comprehensive reply HappyHacker.
What brand/model of airless machine did you use?

I'm looking to use water based eggshell paint maybe from Tikkurila if i can find a local supplier. Nice to hear that the overspray wasn't as bad as other users have reported.

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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby HappyHacker » 26 Feb 2019, 18:50

It was the Aldi high pressure sprayer they had on one of their offer days. No idea of model numbers.
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby will1983 » 27 Feb 2019, 12:22

HappyHacker wrote:It was the Aldi high pressure sprayer they had on one of their offer days. No idea of model numbers.


Thank you
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby RogerS » 27 Feb 2019, 12:29

Nearly forgot...if you do go down the airless sprayer route then make sure ALL the connections are tightened before you fire it up. DAMHIKT !
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby will1983 » 28 Feb 2019, 12:11

RogerS wrote:Nearly forgot...if you do go down the airless sprayer route then make sure ALL the connections are tightened before you fire it up. DAMHIKT !


:lol: I'll bear that in mind!!!
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby diffuseandrews » 04 Mar 2019, 17:31

Rutlands have 2 hvlp sprayers on their site. The smaller unit is often on special for £30. Don't know if that's of any use to you.
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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby will1983 » 05 Mar 2019, 10:02

diffuseandrews wrote:Rutlands have 2 hvlp sprayers on their site. The smaller unit is often on special for £30. Don't know if that's of any use to you.


Thank you.

I think I've decided to go for the Wagner FC3500 XVLP. It seems to be the machine of choice for the professional decorators.

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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby techauthorbob » 09 Apr 2019, 17:00

I have used Wagner gear in the past when I worked for a disaster recovery firm.

They did a very good job both with normal and high opacity paint, not much "fog" to put up with and good finishes generally. Very easy to clean

Can't remember model numbers, it's too many years ago.

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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby will1983 » 10 Apr 2019, 10:29

Hi Bob, thank you for your reply.

It's actually all change on the sprayer front now. I had a good long chat with an expert at Paintman UK and have changed from the XVLP machine to the Graco Ultra, ordering it today actually.

My reasoning was;
1. The Graco allows me to spray at any angle including upside down.
2. I can use paint straight from the tin with less thinning or paint conditioner.
3. The airless machines pump out paint a lot quicker than the XVLP so I can paint the flat panels that make up fitted furniture much faster.

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Re: Talk to me about electric paint sprayers

Postby RogerS » 10 Apr 2019, 10:52

will1983 wrote:..... so I can paint the flat panels that make up fitted furniture much faster.

Will


I'm afraid that I very much doubt that. As far as I can see, the only paint reservoir is what' fitted to the spray gun. You will be forever filling it up and will end up tearing your hair out. You get into a nice spraying rhythm..back and forth..back and...oh dear, need to fill up again.
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