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The Reverend Natural Light
 
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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?

Greetings!

I'm about to paint a newly finished basement. I have zero experience
painting interior surfaces and am not sure what the ideal method would
be:

1. Automotive sprayer and compressor. I have these already and know
how to use them. It is not an HVLP set up. The paint would have to be
thinned.

2. Homeowner grade paint sprayer: I picked up one of those Wagner
"Power Painter Pro" paint guns from HD last weekend. From looking
around news archives, it doesn't seem like too many users are happy
with these.

3. Roller and brush: Even most professional jobs I've seen show brush
and roller marks, which I don't like. And then there's no excuse to
buy a new tool.

All the rooms are empty, there's no flooring yet, and masking shouldn't
be too difficult. I'll have to paint ceilings and several doors. I'm
in no hurry, just want nice results.

Any opinions or advice?

Thanks!


-rev

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louie
 
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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?

I'm actually a fan of rolling the paint. I usually go with an eggshell
or flat finish to hide any irregularities in the wall, the roller and
brush lines are much less obvious this way. I also have used a Wagner
once. I can't say it was horrible, but I don't know that I'd buy
another one. It worked well for painting the smooth metal surface of a
door where brush and roller marks WOULD have shown up very badly. It's
a royal pain to clean, and in order to clean it properly the unit has
to be almost completely disassembled. Spraying works well if you're in
a hurry and don't care about wasting paint with overspray.

Consider this, how many homes do you walk into and immediately think:
"WOW, what a crapload of roller marks! And just look at those brush
marks on the trim!"

A VERY bad paintjob might be noticeable, but most of the time people
don't see it beyond "oh, what a nice color".

  #3   Report Post  
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Banty
 
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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?

In article .com, The Reverend
Natural Light says...

Greetings!

I'm about to paint a newly finished basement. I have zero experience
painting interior surfaces and am not sure what the ideal method would
be:

1. Automotive sprayer and compressor. I have these already and know
how to use them. It is not an HVLP set up. The paint would have to be
thinned.

2. Homeowner grade paint sprayer: I picked up one of those Wagner
"Power Painter Pro" paint guns from HD last weekend. From looking
around news archives, it doesn't seem like too many users are happy
with these.

3. Roller and brush: Even most professional jobs I've seen show brush
and roller marks, which I don't like. And then there's no excuse to
buy a new tool.

All the rooms are empty, there's no flooring yet, and masking shouldn't
be too difficult. I'll have to paint ceilings and several doors. I'm
in no hurry, just want nice results.

Any opinions or advice?


Like the others I'm a fan of cutting in with a brush and rolling the rest.
Assuming your basement is finished with drywall or something like that. A good
job with good paint does *not* show roller marks.

Don't forget to prime first.

If you're dealing with a surface other than drywall (concrete block?) post a
description.

Banty

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Joseph Meehan
 
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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?

The Reverend Natural Light wrote:
Greetings!

I'm about to paint a newly finished basement. I have zero experience
painting interior surfaces and am not sure what the ideal method would
be:

1. Automotive sprayer and compressor. I have these already and know
how to use them. It is not an HVLP set up. The paint would have to
be thinned.


Good for auto bad for apartments.


2. Homeowner grade paint sprayer: I picked up one of those Wagner
"Power Painter Pro" paint guns from HD last weekend. From looking
around news archives, it doesn't seem like too many users are happy
with these.


Good for the manufacturers bad for the users. Generally junk.


3. Roller and brush: Even most professional jobs I've seen show
brush and roller marks, which I don't like. And then there's no
excuse to buy a new tool.


Works well. There is a good reason most professionals and homeowners go
this way.



All the rooms are empty, there's no flooring yet, and masking
shouldn't be too difficult. I'll have to paint ceilings and several
doors. I'm in no hurry, just want nice results.

Any opinions or advice?

Thanks!


-rev


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit


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Steve B
 
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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?


"The Reverend Natural Light" wrote in message
oups.com...
Greetings!

I'm about to paint a newly finished basement. I have zero experience
painting interior surfaces and am not sure what the ideal method would
be:

1. Automotive sprayer and compressor. I have these already and know
how to use them. It is not an HVLP set up. The paint would have to be
thinned.

2. Homeowner grade paint sprayer: I picked up one of those Wagner
"Power Painter Pro" paint guns from HD last weekend. From looking
around news archives, it doesn't seem like too many users are happy
with these.

3. Roller and brush: Even most professional jobs I've seen show brush
and roller marks, which I don't like. And then there's no excuse to
buy a new tool.

All the rooms are empty, there's no flooring yet, and masking shouldn't
be too difficult. I'll have to paint ceilings and several doors. I'm
in no hurry, just want nice results.

Any opinions or advice?

Thanks!


-rev


Well, you did the hard part. Getting everything out of there and getting
ready to paint.

Don't waste your money on one of the small airless sprayers. They don't
work or don't last.

I bought a Graco XR7 airless. I have used it to paint a couple of houses,
and a lot of block wall. Airless has its advantages, but no need to go
spend a lot for one project. Perhaps you should rent. If it was me, I
would use an airless to spray the walls and ceiling, and have someone with a
sheepskin roller backroll right behind the guy spraying. Don't do too wide
a swath at a time, and don't spray too heavily. When the sheepskin starts
to load up, put on a fresh one. Wash out the full one and have it ready to
put back on. Backrolling eliminates almost all roller marks if you have the
right amount of paint on the surface.

I like the airless because it puts more paint on faster/easier, particularly
on ceilings. And doubly especially on popcorn ceilings. Dolls them right
up.
And by masking, you can have the walls and ceilings different colors, a nice
touch.

Finish after airless spraying with rollers and brushes to get the small
areas that need to be exact.

The other alternative is to roll and brush it all. Both will be terribly
messy doing the ceilings. If you do spray, mask everything, have air flow,
and wear painters socks over your heads to keep from breathing in liquid
paint. Keep a wet edge to avoid roller marks, something I have never been
able to do. Use high pile rollers that will load up more paint, and that
lessens roller marks.

Ain't no easy/bestest way to do it. Either way is work. I'd do it half and
half, but then I own an airless, and have used them enough to know the ins
and outs.

Steve




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dadiOH
 
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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?

The Reverend Natural Light wrote:
Greetings!

I'm about to paint a newly finished basement. I have zero experience
painting interior surfaces and am not sure what the ideal method would
be:

1. Automotive sprayer and compressor. I have these already and know
how to use them. It is not an HVLP set up. The paint would have to
be thinned.

2. Homeowner grade paint sprayer: I picked up one of those Wagner
"Power Painter Pro" paint guns from HD last weekend. From looking
around news archives, it doesn't seem like too many users are happy
with these.

3. Roller and brush: Even most professional jobs I've seen show
brush and roller marks, which I don't like. And then there's no
excuse to buy a new tool.

All the rooms are empty, there's no flooring yet, and masking
shouldn't be too difficult. I'll have to paint ceilings and several
doors. I'm in no hurry, just want nice results.

Any opinions or advice?


1. Never used one

2. I have one...use it mostly for louvered doors. Or if I have a lot to
do of whatever and can lay them flat. Doesn't get a lot of use but it
has lasted for 20+ years,

You didn't mention them but an airless sprayer will spit out lots of
paint in a hurry. I used one when I painted the interior of my house -
20 gallons an hour. Overspray everywhere but fast.

3. You didn't mention the sheen of your paint...if it is flat, it is
next to impossible to get roller marks. Ditto on other sheens if you
apply it properly...load up the proper roller for the wall/ceiling
texture and paint a "W" maybe 30" square, then cross roll that in every
direction. IMO, most bad roller jobs are due to uneven coverage, not
roller marks.

My opinion - cut in with a brush and use a roller for the rest.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico


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Frank Boettcher
 
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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?

On 21 Feb 2006 10:59:27 -0800, "The Reverend Natural Light"
wrote:

Greetings!

I'm about to paint a newly finished basement. I have zero experience
painting interior surfaces and am not sure what the ideal method would
be:

1. Automotive sprayer and compressor. I have these already and know
how to use them. It is not an HVLP set up. The paint would have to be
thinned.

2. Homeowner grade paint sprayer: I picked up one of those Wagner
"Power Painter Pro" paint guns from HD last weekend. From looking
around news archives, it doesn't seem like too many users are happy
with these.

3. Roller and brush: Even most professional jobs I've seen show brush
and roller marks, which I don't like. And then there's no excuse to
buy a new tool.

All the rooms are empty, there's no flooring yet, and masking shouldn't
be too difficult. I'll have to paint ceilings and several doors. I'm
in no hurry, just want nice results.

Any opinions or advice?

Thanks!


-rev



I've used all of the above and then some. No for the air atomized
spray equipment or HVLP. No for the consumer grade airless.

Yes for the roller and brush. Buy very good roller covers and trim
brushes (read Purdy or Wooster's best) clean them up and the brushes
while expensive can be used for many years.

Frank


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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?

Like anything, painting is a skill you will learn with practice. I
would suggest learning to use a roller and brush. Do some research on
proper technique to avoid many of the basic pitfalls. Roller and brush
marks are definitely avoidable with proper technique and tools. Buy
yourself quality paint, rollers and brushes and you won't be sorry.
You mentioned in your post that you have seen professional paint jobs
with brush and roller marks. I would say that either the painter was
not experienced enough because an experienced painter does not leave
marks or the marks were already on the wall and the painter did not
prep properly to get rid of them before the new paint went on. Either
way, a professional would not do that. Don't judge the high quality
work that a good roller, brush and technique can do because you have
seen what you though was professional results.

I learned how to paint many moons ago from a real professional and I
remember my first day. I didn't know a brush from a roller. My boss
had me spending my first several months painting insides of closets. I
would suggest the same for you.

After you do some reading and learn the basics, start with the insides
of closets and other non visible areas. You'll need this to learn
how much paint to put on the rollers and brushers, how to properly roll
paint on the wall and how and when to use the brush.

Don' be afraid of painting, there's not much to it.

One last bit of advice. 90% of a good paint job is prep. The
remaining 10% is actually getting the paint on the wall. Every little
imperfection on the wall is transmitted thru paint and can make or
break a paint job. As you do some reading you will learn how and what
prepping is all about. Too many people skip preping and go right to
painting and then wonder why the paint doesn't look good when their
done. They blame everything from the paint to the roller but not their
technique.

Have fun and lots of luck.

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Banty
 
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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?

In article . com,
says...

Like anything, painting is a skill you will learn with practice. I
would suggest learning to use a roller and brush. Do some research on
proper technique to avoid many of the basic pitfalls. Roller and brush
marks are definitely avoidable with proper technique and tools. Buy
yourself quality paint, rollers and brushes and you won't be sorry.
You mentioned in your post that you have seen professional paint jobs
with brush and roller marks. I would say that either the painter was
not experienced enough because an experienced painter does not leave
marks or the marks were already on the wall and the painter did not
prep properly to get rid of them before the new paint went on. Either
way, a professional would not do that. Don't judge the high quality
work that a good roller, brush and technique can do because you have
seen what you though was professional results.

I learned how to paint many moons ago from a real professional and I
remember my first day. I didn't know a brush from a roller. My boss
had me spending my first several months painting insides of closets. I
would suggest the same for you.

After you do some reading and learn the basics, start with the insides
of closets and other non visible areas. You'll need this to learn
how much paint to put on the rollers and brushers, how to properly roll
paint on the wall and how and when to use the brush.

Don' be afraid of painting, there's not much to it.

One last bit of advice. 90% of a good paint job is prep. The
remaining 10% is actually getting the paint on the wall. Every little
imperfection on the wall is transmitted thru paint and can make or
break a paint job. As you do some reading you will learn how and what
prepping is all about. Too many people skip preping and go right to
painting and then wonder why the paint doesn't look good when their
done. They blame everything from the paint to the roller but not their
technique.

Have fun and lots of luck.


Prep and patience, prep and patience. The better the job, the uglier the
surface looked just before painting it (from prep). OK - that's not *strictly*
true, but that's the jist of it.

Banty

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HeyBub
 
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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?

The Reverend Natural Light wrote:
Greetings!

I'm about to paint a newly finished basement. I have zero experience
painting interior surfaces and am not sure what the ideal method would
be:

All the rooms are empty, there's no flooring yet, and masking
shouldn't be too difficult. I'll have to paint ceilings and several
doors. I'm in no hurry, just want nice results.

Any opinions or advice?


If a brush was good enough for Michelangelo...

Bear in mind we're STILL admiring his stuff.




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Steve B
 
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"HeyBub" wrote

If a brush was good enough for Michelangelo...

Bear in mind we're STILL admiring his stuff.


Yeah, but it took him years to finish a job.

Steve


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Oren
 
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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?

On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 15:38:21 -0800, "Steve B"
wrote:


"HeyBub" wrote

If a brush was good enough for Michelangelo...

Bear in mind we're STILL admiring his stuff.


Yeah, but it took him years to finish a job.


On his back...

Oren
"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland
and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore
excused from saving Universes."
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Posted to alt.home.repair
 
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Oren wrote:
On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 15:38:21 -0800, "Steve B"
wrote:


"HeyBub" wrote

If a brush was good enough for Michelangelo...

Bear in mind we're STILL admiring his stuff.


Yeah, but it took him years to finish a job.


On his back...

Reminds me of a joke. A starving artist is at a party with his
ticked-off wife. A guy comes up and says "I hear you're a painter,
will you paint the inside of my house for $600?
"Sir, you don't understand. I'm a painter like Michelangelo and the
Sistine Chapel"
Guy (confused): "What exactly does that mean?"
Wife: "That means for an even $1000, he'll do your ceilings too!"

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Lawrence
 
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Default Paint: Roll or Spray?

The Reverend Natural Light wrote:
Greetings!

I'm about to paint a newly finished basement. I have zero experience
painting interior surfaces and am not sure what the ideal method would
be:

1. Automotive sprayer and compressor. I have these already and know
how to use them. It is not an HVLP set up. The paint would have to be
thinned.

2. Homeowner grade paint sprayer: I picked up one of those Wagner
"Power Painter Pro" paint guns from HD last weekend. From looking
around news archives, it doesn't seem like too many users are happy
with these.

3. Roller and brush: Even most professional jobs I've seen show brush
and roller marks, which I don't like. And then there's no excuse to
buy a new tool.

All the rooms are empty, there's no flooring yet, and masking shouldn't
be too difficult. I'll have to paint ceilings and several doors. I'm
in no hurry, just want nice results.

Any opinions or advice?


I agree with the comments made by others especially Steve B. Auomotive
spayers (cup gun) and low-end airless spayers are innapropriate. It
will be hard to do a nice job if you are really inexperienced
regardless of technique but you might learn from the mistakes and
advice of others. Roller and brush are the way to go if you are short
on money and long on time. It is a time honored way to get the job
done. Brush and roller marks may be hard to avoid though. I have come
to hate rolling and brushing because of my arthritis. If the room is
big it can be a lot of work and it is quite repetetive.

I also have a contractor grade airless sprayer (Graco) and these can be
rented from a real paint store. These get the job done faster,
obviously. They also can potentially produce a super nice finish that
is free of any brush or roller marks. There is less room for error
with a sprayer though. You can easily screw it up. A beginner might
make the common mistake of applying too much paint, which can really
suck. The trick is to move really fast with the gun and apply several
thin coats which will dry quickly. A sprayer can also leave lines on
the walls and you may still need a brush and roller to even out the
lines and high spots. This type of gun sprays upside down by the way
making it great for ceilings!

Always protect your eyes and face when painting especially when
spraying. A dust mask will keep the big drops out of your mouth,
nose, and lungs but a respirator is reccomended to keep out the fine
particles. Eye protection is a must especially when painting the
ceiling. You will find that painting is a common job that you will
encounter again in the future. Keep this in mind when choosing tools
and techniques. It is far more efficient to make the extra effort to
do a nice job than it is to do the job over sooner than necessary.What
makes the most difference is prep.

I use a primer on new walls. It is best to get the entire room really
clean before painting especially the walls. Your surfaces need to be
clean. I like to lightly sand the surfaces with sandpaper between
coats. After sanding, i use a whisk broom to brush any particles off
of the walls and then sweep the floor and shop vac the corners. Use a
strong work light. This gives yu the chance to find and correct any
imperfections. Clean the room again before each coat if you can.
Then yu are truly ready to paint. Prep can be really time consuming
but, if you are into it, can make for a truly superior finish. Few
contractors will go to this much trouble but it is worth it on your own
place.

Lawrence



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Ajax
 
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On 21 Feb 2006 10:59:27 -0800, "The Reverend Natural Light"
wrote:

Greetings!

I'm about to paint a newly finished basement. I have zero experience
painting interior surfaces and am not sure what the ideal method would
be:

1. Automotive sprayer and compressor. I have these already and know
how to use them. It is not an HVLP set up. The paint would have to be
thinned.

2. Homeowner grade paint sprayer: I picked up one of those Wagner
"Power Painter Pro" paint guns from HD last weekend. From looking
around news archives, it doesn't seem like too many users are happy
with these.

3. Roller and brush: Even most professional jobs I've seen show brush
and roller marks, which I don't like. And then there's no excuse to
buy a new tool.

All the rooms are empty, there's no flooring yet, and masking shouldn't
be too difficult. I'll have to paint ceilings and several doors. I'm
in no hurry, just want nice results.

Any opinions or advice?

Thanks!


-rev


Airless sprayers are great for new construction, but even there they
leave a mess if you aren't carefully and it is a good idea to back
roll the walls and ceilings so that you can touch them up with a
roller once the finished floor and fixtures are in.

My painters generally spray wall primers and the ceilings using an
airless. They spray the trim with an HVLP which puts out very little
overspray. But the walls are always rolled.

We follow a meticulous paint schedule that greatly reduces any need
for touch up. Save the airless gun for the next time you want to paint
your fence.


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