Paint Spray Guns – Types and Best Practices

Guns for spray painting are typically used to coat surfaces evenly and smoothly. Many DIY-ers think of paint spray guns as “magic wands.” They can either be handheld or automated, and come in various sizes. Most spray guns use compressed air to deploy and disperse paint particles. Painting using spraying technique takes considerably less time than conventional means (the use of paintbrushes and rollers), which is why many professionals, contractors and DIY enthusiasts prefer them.

Types of Spray Guns for painting

There are many types of spray guns. Let’s look at three of the most common paint spray guns in the market today.
• HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) – With this type, a higher volume of gas is used to disperse and then propel the paint particles at low pressure. Most industrial paint spray machines are HVLPs, and often make use of regulators.
• LVLP (Low Volume Low Pressure) – By using a lower volume of gas to aerosolize paint, transfer efficiency is increased. Transfer efficiency refers to the amount of coating or paint that ends up on the surface after spraying.
• Airless Spray Guns – Instead of using compressed air, airless spray guns use small hydraulic pumps to disperse and propagate paint. Paint is delivered directly through a pressurized hose; hence, it produces smooth and even layers. This, in turn, reduces the number of coatings required to cover any surface.
Best Practices for Using Paint Spray Guns
Generally, good spray guns are two-stage guns. What this means is that when you pull the trigger halfway, it will still spray air (but no paint). Why is this useful? In the first few seconds after you start spraying, the gun “spits” paint. When you paint spray a large area, you move back and forth. Often, when you get to the end of a pass, you tend to release the trigger. As soon as you start spraying again, the nozzle will spit paint, and you have to wait for a couple of seconds for it to start spraying paint steadily.
When moving spray guns over a surface, many people think that it’s all in the wrist. To get the best results, let your shoulders and arms do the moving — not your wrist. This way you don’t get tired easily, and your sprays are consistent.
Clean your spray gun immediately after using it. This prevents dried paint from clogging the nozzle. Remember, it’s harder to remove dried paint that it is to remove fresh paint.