Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/05/02/review-graco-truecoat-360-air.html
Jobs done, quickly and messily
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If you really want to save time, just hire a pro.
Roger That!
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I used similar devices and I only get that first job done. Maybe I bought cheap guns or I didnāt clean it as well as I should of I donāt know. Still compared to the price pros charge itās probably a good deal if you donāt mind the work.
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With most household paint jobs the majority of the work is the prep. Rafters with brushes and rollers would cut down some prep, but the time spent actually painting would take days compared to hours with a sprayer.
Make sure your spray tip is installed correctly and close your mouth before pulling the trigger!!! It was like a paint bomb going off in the movies, every surface in the small laundry room was covered and I was standing there dazed with a face full of paint for a long few seconds before I realized what happened.
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I think most or all of the problems you described would be solved by renting a proper professional sprayer. All of the home improvement places and most paint stores rent them. You just stick the uptake nozzle into your five gallon (or smaller) bucket, obviating the need to change so often. Even if you do need to change, you just flip the switch to āprimeā and it gets all the air out. Mask the ever-loving Spaghetti Monster out of everything you donāt want painted. Practice with the gun and nozzle so you get the spray pattern you want, keep the right distance, and overlap without overdoing it. Itās quite a bit easier when you just have the spray gun in your hand and donāt have to lug the jar of paint around attached to it. It does take some practice, but you can get really good results if you let yourself.
No!!! Wear a proper respirator mask with appropriate cartridges that will keep atomized nastiness out of you breathing passages and lungs. Whoever you buy paint from can help you out with that.
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āBreakback tedium of rollers and brushes?ā @beschizza that is prime old album/audiobook listening right there!
I had just completed the machine setup for the first time, and before donning the rest of my gear I wanted to confirm the sprayer was readyā¦ just a quick tap of the trigger and BLAM!
I have paint in my ears, nose, and mouth, my glasses are covered, now i need to change before I can even put on the spray suit, and oh yeahā¦ tic toc I got paint drying in the machine and I havenāt even resolved the tip issue yet.
Basement turned out nice though. It was indeed a pain getting everything taped and tarped, but piece by piece it gone done and I would happily do it again for the right job.
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Paint sprayers FTW!
Iāve owned a Graco sprayer for almost 20 years, and borrowed my father-in-lawās long before I bought one. Itās the wheeled cart kind that I can park over a 5 gallon pail. Itās incredible for painting the house, fence, deck, and everything else outdoors. I can literally paint the house almost as fast as I can climb up and down the ladder.
Prep is critical. I have to tape the windows, doors, and other openings by covering them entirely in plastic masking film, and sealing the edges so thereās no blowback to leak in. It takes nearly a day to tape.
While painting, I use a dropcloth over the grass, and hold a screet to keep from spraying the shingles and foundation; that saves time and tape.
Before painting, I suit up - goggles, a cotton balaclava, gloves, long sleeves, and a mask. Itās definitely clothing that will overheat you quickly - so getting it done before noon is important. But all that prep pays off. I can paint the whole house and garage (14 gallons) in about 6 hours, and start cleanup by about lunchtime. (Hidden time-suck: cleanup takes hours of flushing and cleaning the hose, gun, and pump. But I do that in the yard under the shaded comfort of a tree.)
As far as I can tell, the handheld sprayers have little utility - as you noted, a quart or litre of paint is gone almost instantly, and it would be maddening as hell stopping every five minutes to refill while trying to paint any area of consequence. And all sprayers are worthless indoors, except for new construction. But those little airless pumps are the bomb when it comes to exterior paint jobs. For less than the cost of hiring a painter one time, Iāve painted my house three times (we re-sided a few years after the first time) and painted other family membersā structures, too.
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I was out most of the afternoon. This was done to the basement in the house I grew up in. Rollers will make quick enough work for the walls and floors but sadly the only easy method for the ceiling/rafters is the paint sprayer and oh jeez does that stuff get every where.
Amazing what a little light reflection can do to make a place feel less cave like.
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Came to see that. Leaving satisfied.
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