Brushes are so last year. It’s all about spraying

Updated Oct 6, 2024 | Posted Feb 14, 2021 | Business, Tool Insight | 2 comments

Brushes are so last year!! All decorators should be spraying a lot more.

This is a wet coat of Tikkurila Everal 40, gxff and a Tritech airless sprayer with a 208 gold spray tip and in a couple of hours they will be lovely and dry.

The Everal Aqua flows out to a smooth flawless finish coat.

There is nothing worse these days than trying not get white water-based woodwork paint to cover well with a brush. Even then it leaves a stringy finish. This is so much better. It doesn’t matter which water-based product you decide to use. The finish via brush and roller will never come close to what you can achieve with an airless sprayer. Not to mention the time you save by spraying. The modern decorator should spray most of their jobs.

Everal 40 applied over otex akva which was done yesterday. Even that from finish is beautiful, the joiner asked if that was the finish.

spray finish on woodwork

I know a lot of decorators are stuck in their ways when it comes to spraying, but the point still stands, ‘brushes are so last year’. I’m not taking about spraying e very job. Sometimes it isn’t worth all the masking up. But a lot of the time, it is.

People who spray will achieve a better finish than those who don’t. Nobody can dispute that fact, especially with water-based paints. Spraying is also a lot faster than using a brush, so if you’re a decorator, you will earn more money.

When Should you Brush, and When Should you Spray

 

I’m a decorator who loves to use a paint sprayer for the reasons outlined above. It’s faster, but more importantly, the finish is much better, especially when using water-based woodwork paint.

That said, you can’t always spray every job. If I’m painting a clear room with plenty of space, I’ll cover the floors, do my prep, then spray most of the surfaces. If I’m working in a small room and the middle is piled high with furniture, then it’s a different story. I could still spray, but in this instance, it’s easier to brush and roll.

Don’t get me wrong; I spray most jobs. Even if that means just spraying the ceiling and the woodwork. But it isn’t always worthwhile.

Advertisement

Why Don’t Painters use Sprayers?

 

I saw a poll on Decorators Forum UK a few months ago, and it looks like around half of decorators don’t spray. Some others do spray, but not very often. This is such a shame! I think it’s because decorating is an aging trade and the older guys weren’t taught to spray at collage. They just get stuck in their ways.

I see misconceptions about overspray all the time, or the length of time it takes to clean a sprayer out. Most of it is nonsense! It takes less time to clean a sprayer as it does a brush and roller.

I think if we fast-forward 20 years, almost every decorator will have the skillset needed to spray.

 

Do you Waste More Paint with a Sprayer?

 

One of the only negative points about spray painting is the amount of paint you use, especially if you’re not very good at it. Some of the paint goes into the atmosphere, so gets wasted.

As you get more experienced, you learn to control the sprayer more. You can have the pressure down and you start getting more of the paint onto the surface you intend to.

 

Learning to Spray, so you can Ditch that Brush!

 

I’m quite lucky in that I’ve been spraying several years, but it really isn’t that difficult to get into. The Dulux Academy run a series of very cheap courses which will help you take the step. I’d recommend the Airless for Beginners course as a starting point. Go and spend a day learning the basics and having some time on the gun under supervision. You’ll come out feeling confident. What’s stopping you?

Updated Oct 6, 2024 | Posted Feb 14, 2021 | 2 comments

About the Author

About the Author

Mike Cupit has been in the decorating industry since 2002 and has mostly worked as a Trade Decorator in the domestic sector (peoples’ homes). Self-proclaimed “product geek”, Mike has a passion for paint and decorating tools. Mike now spends most of his time testing paint products and tools, comparing them to similar products on the market, and blogging about the industry in general.

Related articles

2 Comments

  1. Andy Smith

    Spraying is all very well but not always possible in an occupied and furnished house – especially with oil based.

    The majority of my customers prefer water based and I wouldn’t use anything else. I don’t have problems with brush marks at all.

    Reply
  2. chris murray

    Hi there. The white used in this post ? is it everal aqua 40 white or brilliant white ?|

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *