Spray Painting - Can You DIY Or Do You Get The Professionals In?

For years spray painting has been considered a specialist job for a decorator, but as the price of hiring specialist professional machines drops it’s time to reconsider which jobs you can do yourself and which require the assistance of a spraying company.

The advantage of spray painting is the sheer speed at which you can do it. A room that would usually take a weekend to paint can be done in less than half the time with a spray painting machine. The same goes for garden fences and exterior walls. Whilst some jobs will always require the work of a specialist (wood spraying, cladding spraying and others) these simple jobs can be easily achieved by anyone with a little bit knowledge and this article intends to give you that knowledge.

So what will you need?

1. You are going to need a whole load of dust sheets and protective paper and plastic sheets – along with a couple of rolls of masking tape.
2. You will have to get yourself down to the local hire store and hire a professional standard machine
3. Go to the local DIY store and get the protective clothing – it can get a little messy.

What’s the plan?

1. Familiarise yourself with the machine. How does it turn on and off? How powerful is it? How to I clean it? How do I remove the nozzle?
2. Cover up everything – and I mean everything.
3. Practice – don’t just jump in, have a practice with the spray gun first on some old wood. It is important to work out how far from the wall or fence you will need to be to avoid drips in the finish.
4. Hire a friend – they can help keep the pain topped up for you.
5. Tell the family to go out for the day so they don’t get inadvertently covered with spray when trying to offer you a drink!

What do I need to remember?

1. Start in the same position all the time, this help you get continuity and not forget where you have been. It will also avoid having heavier areas of paint.
2. Use even movements at all times for the best finish.
3. Don’t rush.
4. Always stand the same distance from the wall for an even finish.
5. Apply several thin coats rather than one thick one.

Is that it?

Well, that’s the basics and if you follow those rules you won’t go far wrong – and remember practice makes perfect!