If it has been awhile since you painted a home, you may be wondering if spraying is just as good as brushing, or if spray painting is just a way to cut corners.
If you spray your home, will the paint job last as long as a brushed job would last? Can you use a sprayer on the eves and siding of your home? These are great questions, but don't be surprised if the answers are not what you expect.
I have been a professional painter for over 30 years, and the experience has exposed me to houses painted with both methods.
I witnessed both methods in various stages of wear from the outside elements, so I can answer all questions related to these methods of painting.
Unfortunately, there are no simply answers.
Which method you should use depends.
To start, consider some critical facts regarding the advantages of spraying: 1.
One big advantage of spray is the ability to apply the paint as it is in the can without changing it through thinning.
Some circumstances may require you to thin paint for brush painting, but modern sprayer equipment allow you to convert the paint from the can into a mist without thinning.
2.
A sprayer can lay twice as much coating on siding and eves as a standard paint brush.
What you would accomplish with two coats of brushing can be accomplished with just one coat from a sprayer as long as you adjust the settings on the spray equipment for heavier spray.
Not all contractors or painters know how to use their spray machines to full potential, but those who do know how to adjust the settings appropriately can save time by laying a thicker coat with one spray.
3.
I have yet to see a brushed house outlast a sprayed house in terms of eves and siding.
This is likely due to the thicker layer of paint that is created by the spray painter.
That thicker layer of paint allows a home sprayed to outlast the paint job on a home that's brushed by hand.
4.
You also save time and money when you have your home spray painted.
Imagine the cost of paying someone to hand brush your home.
Prices in the house painting market have not skyrocketed over the years like most other industries because of sprayer technology.
It takes much less time to spray, so the cost of labor is kept down.
It doesn't make much sense to spend more time on brushing when spraying is faster and lasts longer.
Here are a few disadvantages with spraying: 1.
The biggest disadvantage to spraying is the skill required to do it properly.
You have to select the best tip, adjust the pressure and other settings appropriately, and then handle the sprayer correctly.
If any of these elements are off, then the job will not come out as you want it to come out.
This makes it difficult for homeowners to spray their own homes, but there is no guarantee that a contractor has the experience to do it perfectly either.
This is why I recommend contractors with at least 10 years of experience with a sprayer.
2.
There is also the potential of over spray landing on landscape features and the roof when spray painting.
It is important to cover these areas so you are not left with a big mess in the end.
Some advantages of using a brush are: 1.
You are less likely to have a horrific paint job in the end when you use a brush.
Spray painters can make a devastating mess when they are used inappropriately, but there is less of a mess to clean up in the end when things go wrong with a paint brush.
Limiting the risks of damage in the case things go wrong is the biggest advantage to sticking with brush painting.
2.
Winds are a major concern when spraying, but is not a factor at all with brushing.
Spraying can be held up by windy conditions, or wind can turn a spray paint job into a tragic mess when ignored.
The best way to go today is to hire a painting contractor with lots of experience in using a sprayer, and ask them to use lifetime warranted paint.
If you have a larger budget and are uneasy with the concept of spraying your siding and eves, you can hire a contractor to brush your home.
This will take more time and you will pay a lot more, but your risk of a total mess-up is lower.
Of course, in the hands of an experience spray painter those risks are lower anyway, and spray painting is more economical.