Protect flooring and other surfaces when spraying paint.
From a professional painter's perspective, electric paint sprayers are one of the most useful and versatile tools on the truck. From small electric hand-held sprayers that are handy for crafts and small projects to big contractor-grade machines that can pump almost 2 gallons of paint per minute through two guns, electric sprayers make short work of painting a myriad of surfaces and materials. There's a bit of art in learning to use an electric paint sprayer, but the learning curve is short and even a novice can get professional results.
Instructions
1. Protect adjacent surfaces from overspray. Use drop cloths to cover the ground or flooring in the work area. Mask windows, trim and anything else you don't want to get paint on; sprayers can be messy and overspray can drift for quite a distance.
2. Plug in the electric paint sprayer and turn the pressure control valve (if so equipped) to the lowest setting. Flush it with clean water if you are going to use water-based paint, or the appropriate solvent for solvent-based materials.
3. Strain the paint through a paint strainer into a clean bucket, and mix it well. Refer to both label directions and the electric sprayer manual for instructions on thinning the paint.
4. Dip the intake tube into your paint bucket, or fill the hopper if the sprayer is a smaller model. Turn it on and allow the paint to run through the system. Turn up the pressure. Thread the spray tip onto the gun, and you're ready to go.
5. Practice your spray technique on scrap boards, or a hidden area like inside a closet. Keep the gun perpendicular to the surface and 12 to 18 inches away from it. Start moving your hand just before you pull the trigger, and release it before reaching the end of the stroke.
6. Paint from top to bottom when painting the interior and exterior of a house. Inside, paint the ceiling first, then the corners, and finally the walls. On exteriors paint the highest points first, and work your way down the siding so you are not scuffing fresh paint with the ladder.
7. Apply two or more thin, even coats rather than attempting to paint a single, heavy coat.
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