Use a Paint Sprayer to Paint External Walls & Useful Maintenance Tips
Paint sprayers are considered as more efficient than brushes for painting large surfaces. Paint sprayers are little tricky to use as compared to brushes but are quite helpful in spreading paint onto unwanted work surfaces.
If you are planning to paint exterior walls using paint sprayers, then you need to follow specific steps to make sure the walls and its surrounding area do not get damaged during the painting process. The steps mentioned below will help you to learn proper technique for painting exterior walls using a paint sprayer.
Cover the surfaces around the wall
First of all, you should cover all the surfaces around the wall such as plants, railings, and others with a cloth. Once, you have covered all the surface use stones or weights to secure the fabric. Coating the surfaces around the walls will make sure they are not damaged during the painting process.
Use sheeting for covering windows and doors
The next step is to use sheeting for hiding windows and doors. If you do not cover windows and doors with sheeting or tarps, then the paint will spread inside the building, which might damage the floor and other sensitive surfaces. So, cover all the windows and doors with sheeting and secure it using tape to make sure no gap is left between the sheeting and the surface.
Remove the elements
There are individual elements such as switches, outlets, protruding grates and many more that cannot be covered easily with tarp or cloth. So, it would be better to remove such elements from the surfaces to ensure no damage is caused during the painting process.
Use a disposable surface for practice
If you haven’t used a paint sprayer before, then you should first use a disposable cover for practice. The best way to practice is first to paint a plank of wood using a paint sprayer. If you can control the rate of spray and use different trigger moves with ease, then only you should proceed to paint exterior walls.
Plan a path
Before starting the painting process, you should plan a route and strictly follow it to paint the walls. For a smooth finish, you should start with the corners and then move to other areas. Moreover, you should start from the top of the wall as it would be easy to walk down rather than moving up because if you start from the bottom, then you need to adjust the ladder frequently for painting the top area.
Start the painting process
Once you have mastered your painting skills and planned a path, you can start the painting process. However, while painting the wall makes sure the sprayer is at least one foot away from the wall. Moreover, make sure the sprayer is at 90-degree angle while painting the wall.
Avoid taking a pause
Once you have started the painting process, it would be better to maintain a constant motion as it will result in a smooth finish. So, you should avoid taking a pause and make sure you do not let your finger off the trigger because if you do take a break, then you might over paint specific area, which will spoil the whole look.
Pay special attention to corners
Usually, painters using paint sprayers suing a paint sprayer add the new paint to the edges because the sprayer passes through it regularly. So, while painting the walls using a paint sprayer, you need to be extremely careful while painting the corners or other sensitive areas where sprayer passes through regularly.
Keep the paint sprayer above the ground level
Rather than keeping the paint sprayer tip towards the foundation, you should follow the paint sprayer few inches above the ground while finishing the coat of paint especially at the bottom of the wall.
Double the coat of paint
If you are satisfied with the single layer of paint, then it is well and good. If you are looking for more in-depth color, then you should double the coat of paint by repeating the same painting process. Repeating the coat of paint will result in deeper color and more durable paint job.
The steps mentioned above will help you to paint exterior walls using a paint sprayer correctly. If you do not follow the steps mentioned above, then you might damage the walls and other sensitive surfaces while painting the walls. Moreover, the chances of obtaining a perfect finish are also meager, if proper technique is not used.
Once you have finished painting the walls, you should clean the spray gun immediately. Cleaning the spray gun after every use will not affect its working, which will allow you to use the same spray gun in the future. Let’s have a look at the seven steps which must be followed in the same manner to clean the spray gun:
Empty the pot
The first step is to empty the cup of paint or colored finish; you have been using for painting surfaces.
Select the right product
You should always use the right product for cleaning the spray gun because every finish has a different solvent. You should use water-based cleaner for water-based paints, lacquer thinner for lacquer and the right solution for a different finish. If you are not able to decide which solvent is best for the finish, then you should check the label of the product used for spraying.
Spin your solvent
The next step is to take a little bit of the cleaner and spin it in a container. It is done because the next time you will be cleaning your spray gun, it will spray solvent instead of any finish. Now, use another container for dumping out the solvent.
Fill the pot with the right cleaner
Now, you should fill the pot or container with the right filter and attach it to the spray system.
Thoroughly clean the spray gun
For thoroughly cleaning the spray gun, you should run the solvent for a minute or two. Now, take a large container for catching all the spray.
Disassemble the pieces
Take help of the manual for disassembling all the parts of the spray gun. Put all the pieces in a container and make there is enough solvent in the tank to cover them. Now, spin the tank and use a toothbrush to clean the nooks and crannies.
Dry
The last step is to safely store all the pieces of the spray gun, once they are thoroughly dried.
Paint sprayers are often used for painting walls and other surfaces. So, you should follow the seven steps mentioned above to clean the spray gun, to make sure the paint sprayer works appropriately in the future.
Useful tips for painting exterior walls and cleaning sprayer gun
For adequately maintaining the spray gun and keeping it in the tip-top position, you must follow the tips mentioned below.
- There is a lot of similarity in painting interior and exterior walls using a paint sprayer. If you want to paint interior as well as exterior walls, then you should begin with the interior walls as it will help you to become familiar with the use of a paint sprayer. It will also help you to cover significant surfaces, which you do not want to paint outside.
- If you are not able to control the stream of the spray, then you should shift to a narrower spray tip. Using a smaller spray tip will not only help you in managing the flow of the spray but will also make sure the paint is not spreading untidily.
- In case of a leakage, you should remove the nut spacer. If the leakage is still not stopped, then you should slightly tighten the nut.
- In case of engine trouble, you should first check the gas tank. Secondly, you should check the spark cable, and if it is disconnected or damaged, you should connect or replace it respectively.
- As soon as you have finished with the spray, you should clean the spray gun. If you postpone the cleaning process for an hour or more, then the sprayer will become harder, which will make things difficult for you as you need to put more efforts in cleaning the spray gun.
- You should replace the individual parts only when they show signs of tear. Moreover, you should replace the strainers when they start showing signs of build up.
- As mentioned above, you should clean the spray gun after every use. You should see mineral spirits or recommended cleaner by the manufacturer for cleaning the spray gun. Moreover, before the winter arrives, you should remove all the paint and finish from the sprayer and then proceed to clean the pump for preventing suction and cracking.
These are some of the useful tips which will help you to paint large surfaces with ease and perfection. So, follow these tips for painting exterior walls with a quality finish and adequately maintaining the sprayer gun.
Peter Levick
ArchitectI am a licensed architect who is passionate about all things home improvement industries, I have been doing DIY painting projects and have developed lots of experience around home improvement over the 10 years.
