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Suggestions for prepping before using paint sprayer

17 years ago

The drywallers just finished last week. Tomorrow I start with the dust clean-up and prepping for paint. We will be using a paint sprayer for at least applying the primer. Looking for suggestion on prepping for the paint spraying.

I'm guessing that I should be covering the tubs/showers and windows/doors with plastic to protect from overspray. Is it enough to stuff rolled-up newspaper in the recessed lights and outlet boxes to protect them from paint?

Any other suggestions?

Comments (4)

  • 17 years ago

    Make sure you cover the good stuff really, really well - especially edges and make sure there are no gaping seams - that spray'll get everywhere. Mostly if it's not too direct, it'll be mostly paint dust rather than stuck-on paint, but it's still hard to clean up - I've been pre-painting trim in my garage this week with my airless sprayer, and my brand-new sliding compound mitre saw now looks decidedly second-hand!

    Provided you fill the outlet boxes well you should be fine (the original painters of my house never covered them at all, so while I've been replacing switches and sockets, I've been seeing all-white wires in most of them - not good - you don't want paint getting into the marettes (the wire twist connectors) - you could consider a baggie or glad wrap over the wires, and the newspaper as well.

    The other thing to watch out for, when using plastic to mask, is that the paint won't really stick to the plastic masking and will flake off very easily and will stick to stuff - shoes etc and can get tracked around, and will stick like overspray to surfaces like flooring if you're not careful.

    Having said all that, I love my airless sprayer and wish we'd started painting our house when it was empty so I could have done more spraying and less rolling, the finish is hard to beat.

    Once you've undercoated, I'd recommend you start with spraying the ceilings, then probably plan to switch to rollers (my wagner airless comes with a roller attachment, they do take some of the work out of things but are clumsy in tight places)

    You can pre-paint your trim while you have the sprayer if you have the room and can store it carefully under cover til it's needed (and mind it doesn't stick together) - then after installing just touch up over the filled nail holes etc....

    I'm not a professional by any means but these methods etc have worked well for me...

  • 17 years ago

    There's a guy named Rollie who posts on our forum who has been building for a while, and he always puts down felt as soon as they put the first floor deck on, then it comes up after drywall. Leaves a perfectly clean, nearly undamaged floor. I tried that on the last two houses I built, and it worked great!

    I generally cover the windows/doors, registers, make sure the floor is VERY clean. I generally don't cover my light/outlet boxes, just spray over them. Paint doesn't stick too well to the plastic, but our primer does, so it generally isn't an issue.

    Once the walls are done, we bring the trim in, lay it on the floor, and spray all of it.

    Our tubs are coated with a protective coating during all of construction, so that's not an issue.

    We turn off the furnace if it's on; don't want to suck in paint dust.

    Biggest thing is making sure you don't kick up dust that might be hiding somewhere (particularly in places like outlet boxes or in corners under the edge of the drywall where it meets the floor.), which will then embed in the walls. Bad enough during primer stage, but disastorous during final coats.

    Sorry if this seems disjointed.

  • 17 years ago

    One other thing - make sure you wear a REAL mask, not one of those stupid paper "ER" things - the people who say "I can't wear masks, they're so uncomfortable" have probably only ever worn that sort, which makes you very hot and uncomfortable - a real respirator with the filters and the outlet will be much better and is a very good investment, there are lots of dusty situations that should be avoided, and that mask'll be good for most of them.

    Wear safety glasses too, because it's not difficult to accidentally spray yourself, which leads me to one last point -

    Sprayers, especially airless ones, are very very dangerous. The paint comes out under enormous pressure which will easily penetrate skin, which will make your body go into a toxic sort of reaction - it's quite easily lethal if not treated promptly and correctly. Make sure you read the instructions carefully, twice at least, and follow all safety guidelines. There should be a safety on the spray gun, make sure it's on at all times unless you're actually painting.

    Jason, true the paint doesn't stick super-well to plastic (in the junction boxes) but it sticks enough...and if some connections are made and they're just awaiting power sockets/switches, you run the risk of paint entering the marettes. Well worth masking over, I've even been cursing we didn't protect the screws on the switches and sockets when we painted (we took the covers off) because the paint's glued everything down and it's been a real nuisance.

  • 17 years ago

    Thanks everyone for suggestions. I'm a little late replying as went from cleaning/prepping to Christmas (enjoyed the break!).

    I have most of the prep done and will finish tomorrow covering the tubs/showers with plastic/tape and a final vacuuming. Plan to begin with primer this week. Suggested to DH that we start by spraying inside the closets to get the feel and make sure all is working well. May be back with more questions once we start.

    Again thanks for responses!