On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 21:21:25 -0500, tmac scribbled
this interesting note:

We've been getting bids to have the trim on our house repainted. Two
of the bids were, we assume, for traditional brush-and-roller
application of two coats (along with all the extras - pressure
washing, etc.).

A third came in a lot lower, because the guy thinks he can do it in
one coat. He uses a sprayer instead of rollering it on.

Will a sprayer give us good enough one-coat coverage that we could
feel comfortable going with this bid? This painter was recommended to
us by someone who observed that the houses he painted in a certain
neighborhood stayed looking good much longer.

If it matters, we're going from a pale yellow color to an almond.

Thanks,

tmac

You've had several responses, but I'll chime in as well.

Airless sprayers are excellent for getting paint onto a wall. If the
surface to be painted is smooth and has no irregularities (something
like hardiboard or similar smooth surface) then spraying with an
airless is all that is required for the large areas.

You encounter problems wen using an airless to paint irregular
surfaces, something like wood siding that has been painted and has
peeled and been scraped and repainted many times. In this instance,
the airless is still a good, time saving tool, but not the only tool
you need for the job. Use the airless for the same reason you use the
roller-to get the paint on the wall. Then use the brush to insure even
and complete coverage.

As for painting trim, the airless is not a good tool for that. After
using the airless to prime the entire surface and paint the large
areas, it is time to put it away and break out the good paint brushes
and spend a little time.

Done this way, the house can get sufficient coverage such that one
coat will work fine. Two would be better and make certain you get the
best results. Of course it also takes more time.

How long a paint job lasts has nothing to do with the method of
application and everything to do with proper preparation of the
surface to be painted and the quality of the paints used. So long as
comparable paints are used with similar coverage and the surface is
prepped correctly each method should last just as long as the others.

As for over spray, drop cloths in the right areas and the knowledge of
how to use painting shields, contains most of the over spray you will
encounter.
--
John Willis

(Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)