I’m a big fan of using a spray gun when painting. I’ve been doing it for a really long time now and there are some tricks to getting it right!
You can get a wonderful finish in a short amount of time and it’s much quicker than brushing or rolling! It makes painting things like your vermiculite ceilings, cane furniture and trellis a whole lot easier.
There are several different spray guns available. Here’s a couple:
Conventional spray guns are used with an air compressor and are great for fine detailed work like doors, aluminium windows and wrought iron fences. You can adjust the fan size and the air flow which allows you to do more detailed work.
Airless spray guns are used on large jobs like ceilings and walls because a larger volume of paint can be put through it. Instead of using air to push the paint around, the paint is put under extremely high pressure through a spray tip. This reduces the amount of overspray if used correctly.
A couple of tips to remember when spraying:
First off, do yourself a favour and take a couple of practice runs on a spare bit of plywood or gyprock before you tackle the real job. You can create a lot of havoc with a spray gun and if things start to go wrong, they can go REALLY wrong REALLY quickly!
Always release the trigger at the end of each pass before you stop moving. This way you won’t get a heavy build- up of paint where you stop.
Overlap your spray pattern by 50 percent. This’ll ensure good coverage.
If the paint is coming out spotty, like an orange peel finish, you’ll need to either increase the pressure of the spray gun, increase the pressure of the air compressor or your paint may be too thick.
Don’t work outside on a windy day. Oil- based paint can take up to 6 hours to dry so if you’re spraying on a windy day that paint can travel a long way and damage lots of cars, bikes and homes along the way! I’ve actually seen it happen!
Use the spray trigger guard and safety shield. The spray of paint that comes out of an airless spray nozzle is at such high pressure, it can cut right through your skin so, as always, SAFETY FIRST! Never cross the spray over your skin or clothing and don’t forget all the safety gear including eye goggles, gloves, respirator and ear protection.
You’ll be spraying like a pro in no time!