The Best Way for a Decorator to Learn how to Spray

The best way to get into spraying is to attend a demo day or intro course to start, then get out there and practice.

I started with a load of mist coating and spraying new woodwork. I learned by making lots of mistakes — and I’m still learning every time I spray. Taking advice from forums and watching YouTube clips is useful. I invested in a Graco GXFF, which is a good all-round unit to start with. It’s suitable for a bit of everything, including ceilings, walls, and woodwork. The initial cost of my Graco sprayer was about £1,000, including some extra tips, an extension, and pump armour. I’ve been spraying for over a year now and will probably get booked onto an advanced airless course to push me a bit further.

I’ve been spraying for about 12 years now. I mostly stick to airless spraying and never really got on with HVLP. I learned to spray the hard way — I bought a Titan 360e, got a short demo from the rep, then practiced on a cheap rental.

Thinking back, it was horrible when I didn’t know what I was doing — so much overspray and too many cockups. It’s different now. The Dulux Academy runs short and affordable courses. For the sake of a day and a couple of hundred quid, you’re better off learning in a classroom environment. They teach you the theory, then you get to practice under supervision.

Once you’ve completed a spraying course, you’re good to go and can hone your skills on the job.

I bought an airless spray unit and some paint, and I’m still learning today — but being self-taught is the best way. Everything might seem fine in a classroom, but it never compares to the real-life experiences you’ll have on the job.

Buy your first sprayer from an established company who has customer service. If you’re a decorator, buy your kit from wherever you buy your paint from. Don’t just go on the internet and find the cheapest price because you won’t get the support you need while you’re learning.

I did the Dulux course, which I found very useful as I was a complete novice. I would buy the GX21, as it’s pretty much bulletproof, with 310 FF and 517 FF tips so you can use it for ceilings, walls, and woodwork. I’d also invest in two hand maskers — one for plastic and the other for paper — plus a clean shot valve and an extension lance for high ceilings. A good-quality mask is a must too. I’d allow about £1,400 to get set up, but you can pay in instalments.

I went to a Graco demo day and bought a GXFF sprayer — I was already leaning towards it anyway. I’m self-taught, and I enjoy the learning experience. The masking technique is probably the most crucial aspect of the job. My biggest tip is to commit to spraying and spray as many jobs as you can, even where it might not be ideal — you’ll improve much more quickly.

I’d had enough of brushing and rolling, to be honest, and I thought it would be easier to learn how to spray. I bought a second-hand sprayer and off I went — I’m self-taught. I may be doing it all wrong, so I’ve booked a spray course at Dulux on Wednesday in Walsall.

Learning to spray has been a mixture of everything; A bit of trail and error and doing a course, also the forum help a lot.

bought a Graco GX21 sprayer and had a play with it. I’ve had it for 18 months and so far, I’ve used it six times, mainly on exterior decorating work. I don’t really use it in people’s homes.

The best thing you can do is get on a spraying course. I don’t understand why you’d want to skip proper training after spending big money on a shiny new sprayer. The Dulux Academy charges about £170 for each of their courses, and they’re great. You come away with all the basic knowledge you need to start spraying in clients’ houses.

I was very lucky, as I grew up with a company that did loads of every type of spraying. So, here’s my first tip: spend a couple of days with a company that does spraying if you can. Offer your services for free, and just watch and learn.

There are lots of good-quality videos online from proven spray tradesmen. I use that term because it’s a trade in itself, and I’ve yet to hear anyone tell me different.

Invest wisely and save a little longer, because you won’t stick with it if you go for an entry-level spray machine.

Go on a course — it won’t do any harm at all. You’ll learn the basics, then you can go and practice.

YouTube will only get you so far I’m afraid.

I started on new builds mist coating, with a cheap sprayer from screwfix

It’s a bit like rolling a wall in that with a bit of practice anyone can spray.

It’s getting over problems

Blockages, tails, spitting, overspray etc which is the challenge.

I was held up many hours trying to work out how to get over the above problems.

You should do a course, there are many to choose from.

Lear about tips, pressures, what products are best, and most important getting over those problems and having confidence to take on jobs and push to Spray.

I bought a used 490 sprayer and went for it. I started on mist coats, then upgraded to a new 495 sc Pro, still learning, but I’ll get there.

I want on a course to learn how to spray. They don’t turn you into a spraying God but it takes away the fear.

I literally didn’t have a clue how to spray.

I went to Screwfix and bought a 49.99 Erbauer sprayer and started to learn, still have 2 of them I use for Zinsser BIN.

Anyway, then bought the Wagner 229.99 from screwy learnt on site to mist coat. I believe I even sprayed Farrow and Ball through it. The results weren’t the best, but the paint was on the walls and ceilings none the less. Then it blew up twice, so I bought an ultra and a gx21 and I was off. Learnt and taught myself the rights and wrongs.

Trialled many different tapes and sundries to get my stock 100% correct.

Upgraded again with airless and xvlp. I knew I was pretty good without sounding to full of it and started spraying everything. Charging as much as I could and now, we specialise in the spraying of kitchens.

I thought more about the paints to be applied and then went on the manufacturers courses for liquid plastics, portaflek and vehicle refinishing. I also knew that devilbyss & graco were world class so booked their hvlp and airless spray courses which were excellant. My advice would be to get the proper instructions and knowledge/practice from dedicated suppliers and manufacturers. Alot of these are certificated which is good to add to your cv

Our trade is about preparation before you paint’. So, before I purchased a sprayer, I went on a number of courses to gain confidence and awareness of the technical side of things. From masking up correctly, to breaking down a machines and what tips did what ..

If you want to do something well, you need to start from the beginning.

Don’t run before you can walk.

It doesn’t matter how you learn to spray, as long as you do. I see decorators dragging their heels all the time, saying stuff like “I can roll quicker”, or “by the time you’ve masked”. It’s funny, but it’s always decorators who haven’t got a clue about spraying who come out with this sort of nonsense.

The fact of the matter is, decorators who spray, earn more money. You can’t spray every job, but the ones you can, will be quicker and you’ll get a much better finish.

Get an entry level spray machine like a GX21 or GXFF, which are great simple-to-use units. Graco will also send a rep to show you how to set it up and use.

Then I’d book a course at the Dulux Academy and after that you will be ready to go on your spraying journey.

I wasn’t taught about airless spraying in college. About ten years ago, I had a price accepted to paint three large new builds, and I figured if I was going to make the leap into spraying, then that was the perfect time. I paid about £1,800 for a Titan sprayer from Crown Decorating Centre, found an empty rental to practice spraying in, and off I went!

I made loads of mistakes the first few times I used my airless, and thinking back, I was a bit stupid. There was no real training back then. Decorators are lucky now — there are courses available all over the place from the Dulux Academy, Paint Tech, and several others. A course is cheap and only takes a day. I think you’d be able to complete a course and then go on to confidently spray on your professional decorating jobs.