Paint Spraying
A person skilled with a paint sprayer can rapidly paint interior or exterior surfaces. A sprayer can cover an average sized house with a double-thick coat in less than a day. (For single coat surfaces the paint must generally be thinned.) There are two types of sprayers. Compressed air is used to atomize paint and shoot it onto the surface. There are also airless sprayers that simply pump the paint through the nozzle at a fairly high pressure. Indeed the pressure is high enough to be dangerous if misdirected.
When using a paint sprayer, be sure to don the proper safety equipment, goggles and a respirator mask. You don't want to inhale the paint mist and overspray. If it coats the side of a house, imagine what it can do to your lungs. Perhaps one of the big disadvantages of a sprayer is the fact that everything must be thoroughly masked, windows, door knobs, railings, nearby plants, side-walks and anything else you don't want hit by overspray. Park your car down the street and let the neighbors know you will be spraying so they also can take proper precautions. Overspray can travel quite far and create damage. The extra time preparing to spray can often take up the time saved by spraying.
You may either rent a sprayer or buy one. Operation is fairly simple. As there are many models, you will need to read your manufacturer instructions for how to hook them up and plug them in. Spraying a uniform coat is your prime objective. If you have not spray-painted before, this will take a bit of practice. (When you practice do it on an inconspicuous area where errors will not be so noticeable, or can smooth it out with a brush.)
The proper way to hold a sprayer is perpendicular to the wall and 12 inches away. This means - do not fan the spray-gun, but move it back and forth in consistent smooth motions. Spray in a series of overlapping strips. If you paint a vertical strip on the corner of the house first, it will prevent over-spray every time you come to the edge of the wall. Before each pass with the sprayer, begin your motion before pulling the trigger, this avoids a blotch of paint forming at your starting point. Continue your motion until after you release the trigger.
Be sure to take proper safety precautions as listed in the manual of your paint sprayer. In general, be sure to engage your safety lock when not spraying. Never point the gun at a person or spray yourself with the gun, it could literally rip the skin from your hand. Do not try to disassemble any part, for cleaning or otherwise, while the sprayer is plugged in. Never leave the sprayer unattended and plugged in while children are present.
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