Use a Paint Sprayer to Paint External Walls

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 difficult 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 certain steps in order 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 cloth. Covering 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 covering 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 a tape to make sure no gap is left between the sheeting and the surface.

Remove the elements

There are certain 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 surface for practice. The best way to practice is to fist paint a plank of wood using a paint sprayer. If you are able to 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 path and strictly follow it to paint the walls. For 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 move 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 plan 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 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 pause, then you might over paint certain area, which will spoil the whole look.

Pay special attention to corners

Usually, painters using paint sprayers suing a paint sprayer add the additional paint to the corners because the sprayer passes through it constantly. 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 constantly.

Keep the paint sprayer above the ground level

Rather than keeping the paint sprayer tip towards the foundation, you should keep 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 coat of paint, then it is well and good. If you are looking for deeper colour, then you should double the coat of paint by repeating the same painting process. Repeating the coat of paint will result in deeper colour and more durable paint job.

The steps mentioned above will help you to properly paint exterior walls using a paint sprayer. 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 very low, 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 pot of paint or coloured 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 solvent 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 cleaner and attach it with 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 pieces of the spray gun. Put all the pieces in a container and make there is enough solvent in the container to cover them. Now, spin the container and use a toothbrush to clean the nooks and crannies.

Dry

The last step is to safely store all the pieces of spray gun, once they are fully 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 properly in the future.

Useful tips for painting exterior walls and cleaning sprayer gun

For properly 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 important 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 narrower spray tip will not only help you in controlling the stream 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 an 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 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 cleaning 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 quality finish and properly maintaining the sprayer gun.