Airless Paint Sprayers

[softailgarage]

Anybody own one? I'm thinking about buying this to paint the house with...http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/tld/4154727841.html

Are they difficult to use?, what else can be painted with these, a roll cab perhaps? any advise/knowledge would be helpful (as always)

 

[Garage Coffee Roaster]

They are not difficult to use. If you are painting a whole house and do not want to make it a long term project, I recommend one. It is very easy to get overspray, so caution is wise (especially with a breeze).

They can paint cabinets etc. but they are a pain to clean and will waste some paint in the process. They are best for larger projects (more than one gallon at a time). For smaller projects and when you need a fine finish use a sprayer that has the cup attached to the top or bottom. like this-
http://www.spraygunworld.com/products/Sharpe/Sharpe Finex 3000 Master Kit Full Size.html

The sprayer that you linked to is no deal. You need to be very carefully buying used airless sprayers because the pump can be ruined very quickly if it is not cleaned properly.

I bought my airless sprayer from CJ Spray online.
They sell new and remanufactured sprayers with full warranty's.

I bought this one and painted a 1800 SF house with Sherwin Williams oil primer and two coats of latex. Great for occasional use.
http://www.cjspray.com/homeowner-sprayers/products/reconditioned/graco-magnum-x5-sprayer-262800.html

If I was to buy another one and had a little more money, I would buy this one because it is a professional model at a great price. Everything is rebuildable on this one.
http://www.cjspray.com/homeowner-sp...prayers/graco-190es-paint-sprayer-233815.html

 

[Krodad]

I used to sell and rebuild airless sprayers, and that Milwaukee one you are considering is not the type to effectively spray heavy latex house paint. Too small for the job and you will likely be sorry with it.

The second response has the links to the Graco units, and those are the best to get. The X5 might be pushing it for house paint, but it will work if you stick to a smaller tip size and don't expect to absolutely fly. The next step up would be a Magnum pro x7 or x9...great homeowner pumps and they will do nicely for you. The 190ES in the second link in the above post is even better yet, and HIGHLY regarded. These have a slightly better motor, and a manifold filter as well.

I have bought a few graco pumps reconditioned also, and have had nothing but great luck. Just google "refurbished" or "reconditioned" graco airless sprayers and you'll find a few options.

As mentioned, cleaning is VERY important, and don't go half-a$$ed when doing this. Even the most expensive pumps are finicky and need to be completely flushed. Also, some pumps use a bent tube that wants to straighten out under pressure, and this is how they regulate pressure and how you adjust it...if these pumps are left in freezing weather with waterborne coating or water in the tube, they will freeze and distort the tube forever, which will then require some $$ to fix.


I think all the graco machines mentioned usually come with a gun that also has a filter in the handle. Trust me, you ONLY want a gun that has a filter because no filter means constant clogged tips.

Good luck!

 

[Krodad]

Oh, you are in Cali...guess freezing is not a problem

 

[Ign]

I got the Ryobi when it came up in Hot Deals last year for $99 shipped. It's sprayed a dozen gallons of Rustoleum fine and had good reviews on the website. So while I'm no professional painter I'd say buy cheap new and sell when done. I just ran a bunch of mineral spirits thru it put it away; maybe it won't work next time I go to use it, who knows

 

[Krodad]

a solvent based enamel like rustoleum, if that's what you were using, is a different animal from a heavy bodied exterior latex. You really need 3000psi to do that effectively with a tip size that is going to make sense.

I will say though that at least one of the new handheld airless sprayers are really really nice for small projects...the graco handheld is pretty sweet if you need to do interior trim, doors, etc.

 

[James_B]

We've got a Titan-XT 250.

We were doing a complete interior refresh and update of the house before we put it on the market. Did all the skirting boards, window and door architraves, about 80 linear feet of wainscotting and chair rail, and something like 31 new doors (every door in the house was replaced, including about 19 bifolds for the closets).

We tried a HVLP spray system but the latex paint needed so much thinning, that it took lots of coats to get any sort of coverage. The Titan would spray the same latex paint straight from the can.

Saved us a lot of time, but cleaning up or changing colours, wasted a lot of paint. The 1/4" x 25' paint line that connects the pump to the gun, holds half a pint of paint.

 

[ddawg16]

Depends on what your wanting to do....

I have the Ryobi....does a great job....but I spend almost as much time setting it up and then cleaning vs the actual painting. It's quick...but clean up is a good 20 min job. So...you only want to use it when you have a lot of area to cover.

For smaller jobs..consider an HVLP. The one from HF is cheap enough that you can almost throw it away after use.

 

[Krodad]

Just don't want to confuse the OP....

If you are talking about painting the EXTERIOR, you really need one of the larger pumps already linked. These suggested pumps aren't even really all that big or expensive compared to a "pro" model, but they are, in my opinion, pretty much the minimum for exterior painting. This is based on the fact that the paint is very heavy bodied and needs a lot of "oomph" behind it to properly atomize and create a correct spray pattern out of a tip for use with that type of coating. You can't use a x12 size tip since it will constantly plug...even with filters. You need to use a 515 tip to get the job done, and that heavy coating needs some power to keep up with things...and push it through 50' or more of hose. It's not worth your time to try painting with a 25' hose on a house because you'll be moving the pump all the time and most likely pulling it over, etc.

Now, the smaller airless pumps do better with interior latex paints, and great with the new fast dry acrylic latex enamels being used on doors and trim nowadays...but you use a much smaller tip orifice and can do an entire room most of the time with a 25' hose.

Never even try to use a latex with an HVLP or air gun for most normal type coatings....never works well.

Also, if you can avoid it, don't use solvent based paints in an airless after using latex. Pro's do it, but they are accustomed to using large amounts of solvents to clean it, and use the pumps every day which keeps things from getting all gooey from switching between coating types.

 

[NUTTSGT]

My step dad has an airless sprayer. He has used it a few times and seems to like it. They used it to paint the sanctuary of there church during a remodel. It was great since the wall were textured.

 

[turnpikecrusier]

I have graco and Titan sprayers. I use oil base paint, have good service from both. Cleaning is the life of an airless, if you think it's clean, clean it once more. Then lube the pump with pump lube,it will last you a long time.

 

[Chesterinflorida]

I purchased the harbor freight model...

http://www.harborfreight.com/58-horsepower-airless-paint-sprayer-kit-60600.html

It normally sells for $200, but often goes on sale for $169 (which is what I paid for it).

I painted my 24 x 36 barn in about 1.5 hours. Did a fine job. Also did a finejob on my tack room shed 12 x 16 in about a half hour. I spent more time prepping for paint and way more time painting trim than I did on the siding. The siding on both the barn and shed are T11 and are a royal pain to paint by a brush or roller, so this saved considerable time. I think it is plenty good for a homeowner. I am sure the Graco and Titan models are better, but this unit worked plenty well for me. Seemed to have plenty of power. The spray head will take standard Graco and Titan tips to boot, although for what I painted, I used the included tip and it seemed fine. The paint I used was a Sherwin Williams latex, (super paint I believe) which worked well.

I am more than happy with this Harbor Freight purchase and in my book it already paid for itself. House will be next summers paint project.

 

[Xicaque]

I had a graco. great unit. traded it for an acrylic fish tank.

 

[xyster101]

I am not an expert, but that model looks great for what you want to do and more. I picked up a simple Titan 345 that is 7/8hp and 0.021" tip nozzle and have shot a ton of paint with it. I don't know the nozzle size of the one you listed, but the .021" nozzle will shoot 5 gallons of paint in about 20 min. Last time I used it I put 13 gallons of white barn paint up in 2 hours of spraying, my hand hurt and I needed breaks. I have painted 2 exterior buildings, stucco ceilings, and an attic white, about 150 gallons of paint through this unit. The tips wear out and are pricey, $30 each, and the inside of the gun is expensive, $80, after about 100 gallons, but they work great.

Things I learned:
Prep is key. You will spend more time masking and taping off things then painting.
Clean up is important, you can leave the gun wrapped in a damp rag in a bag for up to 16 hours, but you need to clean it for the long term, plan 45 min to clean it.
I had to dilute my exterior paint by adding about 1/2 gallon of water per 5 gallon paint so it would **** better
It takes about a 1/2 gallon of paint to get the hose full and unit primed. Not worth using unless you are painting more then about 2 gallons.
Think of it as spray paint, anything you don't want painted needs to be taped off. Windows, doors, trim, railings, bushes, foundations, grass, soffets, gutters, etc.
Mine did not have wheels, wheels will help.
Get more paint then you think, siding will use more paint, more surface area then flat wood.
Is it primed? Bare wood soaks up paint
About 20% gets lost in the air
At minimum wear a resporator and goggles. I would suggest gloves, hat, long sleeve, long pants, ugly shoes and even a tyvek suit. It gets everywhere
Have cars 100' away if you can
Once you run out of paint, put a 5 gallon bucket of water on the hose, you will get another gallon of shooting as the paint is used up in the hose. Then you will get watery paint, which is a sign to stop
To prime to start, spray the gun into a contractor bag, it will not spray all over while priming the unit.
When cleaning, turn off unit, pull the trigger to release pressure before diassembling (I did not the first time, paint everywhere)
Have two 5 gallon buckets for cleaning, toothbrush, warm water. Just keep cleaning it.
Make sure to oil the unit when you start and after, I just use 3 in 1, but it is probably a bad idea
Have a heavy duty extension cord, they pull upwards of 10amps.

These paint wonderfully, fast, and great finish. Set up, masking and clean up will take 3 x longer then paint. I spent 2 hours setting up, 2.5 hours shooting 17 gallons of paint, then another 1.5 hours cleaning everything and putting things away.