Should I Spray or Roll the Interior of my House?

sf340dvr · Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 57 Location: Appleton, WI

I have a whole house to paint, and I was woundering if it is worth the $70+ per day to rent an airless sprayer to spray the interior of my home, or should I just stick to rolling it? I hate the thought of rolling my whole house, priming and finish coats, this seems like a lot of work!!! Shocked

I know you have to backroll the sprayed paint anyway, but this doesn't seem to take much effort.

How much time and effort do you really save? Is it worth it?

goddess girl · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 29

Spray the primer and roll the finish coats. Tag team with someone when priming the whole house (spraying and back-rolling), and just roll and brush the finish coats.

Spraying:
This can save you loads of time, but it depends on how much prep work you need to do. The spraying part doesn't take any time at all. For an average room it will only take about 5-10 minutes, and another 15-20 to backroll with a 18" roller (use Purdy rollers). Though all the time is prep and cleanup, but if your just priming a whole house (walls and ceiling) and there is nothing in the room, it's worth it! Especially if it's new construction, and you don't have to be too conserned about protecting floors and fixtures. You need a sprayer that supports a 621 spray tip size, for latex primer, but most rental stores won't have a tip this large for the sprayers they carry. The typical size is 517, and it will work OK. Especially if you aren't conserned about finish because your back rolling. However, you can get better sprayers from paint stores, such as Hallman Lindsay, that can support a 621 tip.

Using airless sprayers can be a first-time DIY task, but here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

There is a lot of overspray, because the nozzle pressure is very high (several thousand PSI). So much so, that it can get to the point where it can be hard to see, if your painting inside.
Because of the above, you need to use a resperator and other personal protection. I would wear full disposable painting coveralls!
Keep the pump as far away from your spraying as possible, even in a different room. Get at least a 50' hose. This can aid in your cleanup.
Follow the directions that come with the sprayer, and get some tips from the place you rent it! It may be the same stuff you get here, it may not.

Rolling:
The key to reducing fatique while rolling is to use an extension pole of some type. Even a broom handle screwed into the roller handle is better than nothing. The extension is not just for reaching high places, but to use leverage to put more pressure on the roller without much effort on your part.

For the finish coats, an 18" roller will reduce fatique, but it may not save time, and you may never use this large a roller ever again! Though you may! Depending on your situation, you could just use a standard 9" roller. this will come in handy when doing the finish coats, because you can dump several gallons of the same color into a 5 gallon bucket with a painting screen, and go to town. The painting is quick because you never have to refill a roller tray, and the odds of color consistancy are better because your mixing several individual gallons of paint together.

BTW, if you want to keep the sprayer for a significant amount of time, you can buy a used one on eBay, and then sell it when your done! If you keep it clean, you will probably only be out the cost of shipping. I've seen entry level Wagner airless sprayers (which Iv'e used with pretty good success) with 50' hose and power roller attachment go for only $220.

Hope all this helps! Cool

	Handyman xChange Forum Index -> Painting & Wall Coverings	All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1