Paint Sprayer - Purchase and Use questions/tips

[Max T.]

I'm closing on my next project in a week. A small 2-bed/1 bath ~850 sq ft house we are gutting to the studs. I will be subbing out most of the work but also putting in ~2 months of my own labor. While I have done my fair share of DIY - more than most but less than others - I've never used a paint sprayer before. If I buy one and use it to paint the interior, parts of the exterior, and possibly new unfinished cabinets I'm thinking it should pay for itself.

So - what to look for when purchasing? I want to save money but I also want to buy something that will work well with minimal usage/operating headaches. So I'm thinking it will be something priced middle-low. It will probably be a long time before I use it again (if ever) but it will get a lot of use on this renovation.

And what to keep in mind for operation? What are the tricks and tips? Anything I should know about keeping it clean? Back in the day I used to paint all of my rentals but I hated it. Painting was one of the first things I started hiring out.

[Chris B.]

I just got my second airless paint sprayer as the old one would not start after 5 years of inactivity and sprayed the interior of a 2200 sq ft home with a 3 color scheme scenario. This time a Graco Magnum X-7. It worked really well for a noob. Came with everything I needed, but I also bought two more tips. One for the ceiling and one for trim plus the included general purpose tip. I also bought a 18" spray extension. I found 75% + of the job is actually masking and taping to prevent overspray, protect the carpets and wall hardware, and create clean transition lines between trim, ceiling, and walls. I highly recommend remove anything that will be removed like cabinets. Then paint. Then add anything that will be added like cabinets, flooring and so on. This will reduce masking and save time.

Be sure to spend the time necessary to thuroughly clean the sprayer equipment and then put the anti-freeze like liquid in at the end to protect it.

I learned a lot from watching "The Idaho Painter" on YouTube also.