Airless sprayer recommendations?

[dawilder1171]

Hi all:

I recently purchased a house that will need extensive paint work, both inside and out. The house is around 2700 sq.ft. It has 3 floors and a basement that I plan to repaint within the next year, including all ceilings, +/-20 doors, all trim and two flights of stair stiles, and eventually kitchen cabinets. On the outside there is very long fence, a wrap around metal roof that will eventually need repainting. I am considering buying an airless sprayer to tackle all this, and keep for whenever the exterior siding needs a full repaint.

Does anyone have recommendations for the best airless sprayer for the money that will last me for years and be versatile enough to tackle all this?

I am not a pro painter, so I do not want to over-invest in a tool that will be used moderately over the years, but I do want something that will be dependable and do a good job for years to come.

Would the Graco Magnum X5 (around $300 on Amazon) be a good choice, or should I spend more and get something of higher caliber? That one has good reviews, but the cynic in me tells me it may be a bit chintzy at that price point.

Thanks much.

 

[aNYCdb]

I'm a big fan of the cheapo airless that Harbor Freight sells for ~$140 with coupon (it's basically an X5 knockoff). I have painted two of my houses (inside and out) with it so far and it has functioned perfectly. The gun also accepts standard Graco Tips. Plus if it ever fails I can just throw it away.

 

[dawilder1171]

Thanks much for the reply!

 

[MrMiz]

I purchased a high dollar airless sprayer and I've used it probably 10 times. I hate the thing. In the time it takes me to tape off everything, cover myself and everything for over spray/drift. I can usually have the project done with a roller, brush, and one or 2 drop cloths. Then lets get to the clean up and storage. If you don't clean it spotless it's going to be wrecked for your next paint job, and if you don't load it up with the some kind of solvent for storage... same thing. If you get a dried chunk anywhere in the system you'll be spending your next couple hours pulling it apart and cleaning. I learned that the hard way. Then there is the paint "tails" in your spray. If you don't work them out they'll show. Things that can cause them again are cleaning, pressure, tip size, paint quality, paint viscosity, and even external temperature. Did I mention I hate the sprayers.
aNYCdb might have the right idea... buy the cheapo and huck it if doesn't preform for you. I think if you were going to be spraying houses for a living, and had some cheap labor to tape things off for you, they might be worth it. As a handyman for about 8 houses I should have just kept my money in my pocket.
I have a good friend that has had a side job painting all his life (I think he's 70+ now and still does it) and he rolls and brushes everything still. Before I bought mine I asked him about it and he told me he could do a better job in half the time. I didn't believe him. I thought I was smarter and there was no way a high tech sprayer couldn't beat the pants off an old guy...... well you know how that story goes. I'm the idiot.

 

[dawilder1171]

Thanks for that input. I have thought the same thing for the most part, but I'm very enticed to get one to do all the ceilings and the very long fence I have to paint. I also have another house that I'd like to repaint (exterior) at some point. I can't imagine how long and exhausting all that would be with rollers and brushes. I will keep you all updated once I finish my project next year. Thanks again for sharing experiences.

 

[Gary]

I agree with both sides to an extent. Roller/Brushes/Sprayers all have thier use for different jobs. I used a sprayer for interior painting when we bult. Now that there's trim and finished flooring to consider I brush & roll. I still use the sprayer at times for saw horse paint jobs outside. And I also agree, for most jobs the cheaper sprayer will deliver the paint just about as well as the expensive one for the most part. I've had both and I feel much less grief throwing the cheap one away.