Should you buy a paint sprayer? Decision Guide

Whether you are looking around on YouTube or you just have a large painting project coming up or want to paint something that needs that smooth paint finish (a chair, a desk, or cabinets). Either way, investing in a paint sprayer could cost anywhere from $100 or much more depending on the type of sprayer you go for. For advice on choosing a paint sprayer, kindly check out our free course so you can choose the right paint equipment. Before you make a choice on a specific equipment, let’s discuss how a paint sprayer will make sense for you to buy and a few things to consider so you can determine if buying a paint sprayer is right for you.

Why Would You Buy a Paint Sprayer

To start with, we will go over the reasons you may want to consider before buying a paint sprayer. This will help you decide if the benefits of a paint sprayer are going to outweigh the drawbacks of paint sprayers.

1.) Smooth finishes – If you’re looking for a perfectly smooth paint finish that you see when you buy a new cabinet or car, then paint sprayers will be the secret to achieving that kind of paint finish. While you can get a pretty smooth finish with a microfiber roller, nothing beats a true paint sprayer to get a smooth paint finish (assuming you choose the right sprayer and use it correctly).

2.) Fast Painting of Large Spaces – looking to paint all the ceilings in a new construction, or looking to finish a basement ceiling quickly and efficiently? Paint sprayers, specifically airless paint sprayers allow you to paint large areas quickly and efficiently. For painting entire interiors or exteriors quickly, a paint sprayer (especially an airless paint sprayer) will save you lots of time.

Why You Wouldn’t want to Buy a Paint Sprayer

While you can get more painting done in less time with the potential for a smoother finish with a paint sprayer, however, a paint sprayer won’t make sense for all painting projects. The following drawbacks of paint sprayers should be considered before you buy a paint sprayer so you understand the downsides as well.

1.) Overspray – overspray is simply paint that bounces off the intended surface you’re painting. Regardless if you use an HVLP sprayer or an airless paint sprayer you will have overspray and if you’re painting in a building that has other finished parts to it, you have to contain the overspray to ensure it doesn’t travel into other areas of the building. Additionally, you need to ensure the space you are working in has nothing in it or anything that you don’t want paint on is covered so that you don’t get overspray on it. This can result in a lot of prep time to have a space ready to be able to spray.

2.) Learning Curve – Compared to a brush and roller, spraying can take a bit of patience to learn. While an airless paint sprayer is pretty easy to use, if you want the smoothest finish like you see on top of the line professional cabinets. You will want an HVLP paint sprayer, which will require you to learn how to dial in the HVLP sprayer, select the right spray tip, and properly prepare your paint. While this can take a bit of getting used to, our free course can help you get comfortable spraying.

3.) Clean Up – Compared to using a brush and roller, clean up can require a bit more effort as well because you have to properly flush your paint sprayer. Additionally, you usually will want to wear a Tyvek suit or something equivalent and may want to wear goggles (especially if you’re spraying overhead). You will also have a variety of sheeting to clean up as you will usually use sheeting to cover the floor as well as create a spray enclosure.

4.) Setup – Compared to brush and rolling, you will want to prepare the area quite a bit before spraying. Covering things you don’t want overspray on, creating tarp enclosures, all this will add additional time to getting things ready to spray. 5.) Cost – Compared to a brush and roller, a paint sprayer will cost at least $100 or so. For professional grade equipment, you can easily spend 2 or 3 thousand dollars. Obviously, the additional expense is something to consider before buying a paint sprayer.

Common Reasons a Paint Sprayer Purchase Makes Sense

1.) You are painting a brand new space – if you have a new building and you need to paint it, whether priming all the walls before your final paint is applied or painting an exterior, an airless paint sprayer will save significant time and provide a great finish.

2.) You want a perfect smooth finish – whether it’s for cabinets or furniture, a HVLP sprayer or an airless sprayer with a fine finish tip will give you the smoothest looking finish, brushes and roller tend to leave some visible streaks in the finish

3.) You have a large space to paint – If you’re painting a warehouse or an exterior of a home, you can choose a paint product that turns to powder quickly after it is sprayed. This lets you quickly spray large areas like warehouses or house exteriors. Even with interiors large areas may make sense to go through the extra effort of creating containment so that you can efficiently complete the painting.

Overall, by understanding the benefits as well as drawbacks of using paint sprayers, as well as understanding common reasons you would want to use a paint sprayer, you can better decide if a paint sprayer will make sense for you to buy.