Monday, September 16, 2013

Use An Airless Spray Paint Gun

Airless spray paint guns are the easiest type of paint gun to use. Their method of spraying makes it unnecessary to thin most paints. They can be used for virtually any type of paint except paint that contains particles for texture.The primary thing to remember when using an airless spray gun is to keep the gun moving and to keep it an equal distance from the wall at all times.


Instructions


1. Mask everything that you do not want spattered with spray. Cover floor with drop cloths and mask all hinges, door knobs, windows, light switches and anything else that you do not want touched by paint. Expect fine droplets of paint to waft upon random air currents and settle on virtually everything in the vicinity of the gun.


2. Run your paint through a nylon stocking or a paint filter to remove any foreign objects that might clog the spray head.


3. Plug in the gun. Place the paint intake tube into the bottom of a 1 or 5 gallon bucket of filtered paint and follow the gun manufacturer's instructions for priming the gun.


4. Spray a swath of paint on a piece of cardboard to confirm that the gun is working properly. Do not move the gun in a sweeping motion as this results in the gun being further from the wall either end of the sweep. Instead, keep the gun a steady distance from the wall--approximately 1 foot-- as you move the gun back and forth.


5. Start at the top of a wall. Spray a 3-foot long swath at a time. Keep the gun approximately 1 foot from the wall at all times and keep the gun in constant motion. Begin your arm movement BEFORE pulling the spray trigger and release the trigger BEFORE ending your arm movement. Paint your next swath just below the first, overlapping each swath by approximately 50 percent. Continue in this fashion until you reach the bottom of the wall.This will result in a column of paint on the wall approximately 3 feet wide.


6. Return to the top of the wall and paint another 3-foot long swath, overlapping the column you just made. Continue down the wall until you reach the bottom. You will now have a solid column of painted area that is approximately 6-feet wide. Return to the top of the wall and continue in this fashion until the entire wall is covered.


7. Follow the gun manufacturer's instructions for cleaning the gun after each use. This may involve running paint thinner through the system to flush out any paint.