Choosing a paint sprayer


  #1  
Old 06-28-17, 02:12 PM
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Exclamation Choosing a paint sprayer

I'm looking at buying a Graco paint sprayer to paint interior walls/ceilings, interior doors, my shed, and hopefully some furniture my wife wants to refinish.

They're on-sale until midnight today, but I don't know anything about them. Some quick answers would be really appreciated:
  1. The models vary by tip size, like maximum tip size of .017 in or .021. For my needs, what size do I need? Why?
  2. How good are these big box store models like Graco Model # 17G180?
  3. Stand or cart - what matters?
  4. Are these appropriate for spraying furniture (which will be antiqued)?
  5. How hard are they to clean?

Thanks guys!
 
  #2  
Old 06-28-17, 02:35 PM
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The larger the tip the pump can handle means the more it can handle thicker coatings. A .017 tip would be about bare minimum for spraying walls.

I've never used an airless that small [.38 gpm] It would * definitely be a homeowner type unit as it's not big enough for any real commercial work. Because it's a Graco I would assume repair parts are readily available.

Personal choice. Many units come either way, only the frame is different.

Not my first choice for spraying furniture but with practice and a smaller tip it could be done.

IMO an airless isn't that hard to clean. Most have 3 filters, a trash filter at the end of the pickup tube/hose, manifold filter and one in the handle of the gun. I usually run a little thinner thru the pump, remove and clean the filters and then run thinner thru until it comes out clear. Takes 3-4 gallons with 150' of spray line. A shorter line would take less.
 

Last edited by marksr; 06-29-17 at 03:20 AM. Reason: fix typo
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Old 06-28-17, 05:46 PM
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Thanks marksr - good info.

There is a .021 tip model. Which I see on eBay for $575.00. Going up towards the tip size you suggested, does the price jump considerably?
 
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Old 06-28-17, 07:23 PM
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Don't know about the prices but I do know tips can be changed so I would go with the bigger unit and use smaller tips as needed.
 
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Old 06-29-17, 03:23 AM
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The tip size mentioned in the specs is the largest tip that particular pump can support. As Ron said, you can always use a smaller tip. If you use a tip larger than the pump can support the spray pattern will be splotchy. Usually the larger the tip the unit will support the higher the price tag is.

I wouldn't think you'd need a big airless for painting furniture but if you intend to spray other things [siding, fence, walls, etc] it may make sense to get a bigger unit.
 
  #6  
Old 07-01-17, 08:23 AM
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I've been looking at "bigger" machines w/o going off the deep end and even $1000 sprayers seem to have max tip sizes of .019 or .021. How monstrous are the sprayers with .038 tips? Is that really neccessary for painting walls and ceilings in my home?

Thanks guys.
 
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Old 07-01-17, 08:40 AM
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The biggest unit I've used is a Graco 733, not sure what the max tip size is but it will pump up to 3 gallons a minute. It's intended for heavy duty production or multiple guns. A gun that will support an .021 tip is big enough for most commercial work [won't spray block fill or elastomeric] A .019 is probably big enough for homeowners - so much is dependent on what you intend to spray.
 
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Old 07-02-17, 07:42 AM
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so much is dependent on what you intend to spray.
Do you mean material?

Material will be water based latex for interiors. I do have a first-coat finish I use on bare drywall, but I imagine that can't go though a gun (has mica or similar in it).
 
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Old 07-02-17, 09:09 AM
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Most airless pumps can't spray USG 1st Coat. A 733 can but they aren't cheap. 1st coat and hi build primers do tend to be hard on the pump [extra wear]
 
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Old 07-02-17, 09:31 AM
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So .019 or .021 for latex interior I'm good?
 
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Old 07-02-17, 09:33 AM
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Yes, a 5/19 or 5/21 for the ceilings and a 5/19 r 5/17 for the walls should work well for you.
 
 

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