Professional Painters - Roll or Spray? (painting, ceiling, vs, building)

[charlygal]

Does anyone have a preference for painters that use paint sprayers vs old school rollers & brushes? I know that professional painters can get the job done either way. I wonder why some painters haven't gone with the new technology and upgraded to using sprayers. I actually prefer a painter that uses sprayers. It's much faster.

I know some people will talk about the prep work with using a sprayer, but there's prep work with using rollers.

All of these new tools can be great time savers.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OU0TqsHpzM

[greglovesoldtrucks]

I am a spray fan. As a good spray job really stands out when it is done right on the doors and woodwork. No brush marks left on them.

[Rickcin]

Paint rollers, old school, I don’t see it that way. Home builders spray mostly due to the cost, it’s usually less expensive from a labor standpoint, not because it’s any better.

The down side to spray is that it’s much more difficult to touch up and blend any repairs or areas that need to be repainted. I’d be willing to pay more not to have a sprayed finish.

Also, when spraying, you really need to know what your doing to apply it evenly and it’s difficult at best. Adhesion with spaying is can also be a problem that you usually never have with rolling.

[geebabe]

Rickcin - I agree with you. And I see you're a Construction Superintendent.

[Bungalove]

I'm getting several quotes for painting the interior of my house this week. One is from a painter that I've used in the past and know does great work; he uses a roller. The other is someone new, but if he mentions using a sprayer I won't be using him for sure. Now, for the exterior of the house (aluminum siding), that may be an entirely different scenario when I get quotes from the same people. I suppose spraying would work a lot better in that situation.

[rational1]

I wouldn't pay someone for interior painting, since it's easy to do it myself.

Spraying wouldn't save me much time since most of the time and effort is preparation. Cleanup would probably be worse.

[turkeydance]

"...most of the time and effort is preparation."

agree. the actual painting is the easier part.
then there is the cleanup aftermath.
i like to paint...not prepare to paint.

back to the question: roll or spray?
roll for the inside, spray outside.

[bagster]

Most of the painting I used to do was with a brush. That was years back, though.

[greglovesoldtrucks]

Any PROFESSIONAL painter wanting to have a higher profit margin at the end of the year, while working the same amount of employees as a roller/brush crew, will be spraying.

Because a roll/brush crew with the same number of workers, cannot paint the same amount of square footage of ceiling/wall /wood surfaces per year, that sprayers can.

And IMO, I have yet to see a pro spray job done in a home or commercial building, that was not better than a roll/brush job.

And when using a good paint and a fine nap roller, sprayed surfaces while "back rolling" well, can be blended right in with sprayed surfaces IF the age of the new and old paint are not too far apart. At least with spray jobs, I have yet to look and see a big long "ridge" of built up paint, where the painter rolling on the paint, did not back roll their overlaps.

[charlygal]

Originally Posted by Bungalove

I'm getting several quotes for painting the interior of my house this week. One is from a painter that I've used in the past and know does great work; he uses a roller. The other is someone new, but if he mentions using a sprayer I won't be using him for sure. Now, for the exterior of the house (aluminum siding), that may be an entirely different scenario when I get quotes from the same people. I suppose spraying would work a lot better in that situation.

Spraying works well for interiors.