Spray Painting: Painting Your Wall Like Your Car - Osaz' ENOBAKHARE

Over the years, brushes and rollers have been largely used for applying paints on walls but there’s been a gradual departure from this trend to a faster, easier and better technique which is known as spray painting for buildings. Although the concept of spray painting is not new, it was largely limited to the manufacturing industry. 

Now with the advent of wall paint sprayers for all kinds of walls including block-walls common to us here, painters can now spend more productive time on something else rather than stick to the walls like geckos; moving their hands up and down almost endlessly.

The spray technology for wall painting comes in various forms; each new entrant is an improvement on previous ones. The electrically-powered types are in common use across the world. There are some that are designed for simple interior applications; flexible enough for use by amateurs while others are best handled by expert painters often due to their speed of flow configurations and control mechanisms.

The whole idea is to save the stress and time-lag associated with the traditional method. In terms of time, it saves up to 60% or more especially when applied to non-lattice surfaces and in fact a chunk of this short time is not even lost in the actual painting exercise but in the pre-painting (i.e. in setting up the spray equipment) and post-painting (i.e. in cleaning up the equipment after use) processes. It has been adjourned less stressful and more exciting by users and although the equipment for applying the paint may differ, it’s the same paint. 

Manufacturers of paint sprayers often give instructions and technical details on how-to and when best to use their products; covering aspects of surface conditions, power specs and weather. It is instructive to note that a study of some of these specifications show that these products are very suitable for use in this part of the world; the question then is –Why do our painters still opt for the slower and more stressful ‘roller-and-brush’ system? Most of them complain that the sprayers aren’t readily available, other say they are mindful of the ‘wastage factor’ often ascribed to art of spraying.  

Just imagine what your car would look like if it were painted with a roller or brush. Now you have an idea of what this is about. Here is how it works;

-  Go buy or rent an original wall-paint sprayer. Be careful to select one that is easier for you to use. If it’s not available in the market, place order for importation –It is worthwhile especially for continuous use. Also buy the paints whether emulsion or texcote you want to apply.

-  Once you have them and you are ready to go, make the area safe for work by removing any hazardous object especially those that can make you trip, slip or injure while working or things that can harm the equipment especially its hose.

-  Cover all surfaces you don’t want to paint like windows, doors, floors, fittings, fixtures etc with thick paper, drop clothes or any polythene material and prepare punctured or uneven surfaces with fillers.

-  Set the equipment according to the manufacturer’s instruction.

-  Mix the paint to produce your desired colour or texture. Also strain and stir it thoroughly to avoid clogging by adding a suitable solvent like water (for water-based paints) and petroleum motor spirit (for oil-based paints).

-  Then pour it into the equipment’s tank and power the equipment.

-  Point the nozzle of the sprayer gun directly at the surface and maintain a close and nearly even distance from the surface of the wall throughout (say about 12 Inches or 300mm).

-  Start with the corners and protrusions first before facing the other regular surface area.

-  Start moving the gun or nozzle before you shoot or spray and keep the gun moving in long, straight strokes in either direction. Avoid staying too long on one spot, keep moving as you ensure that your paint overlap correctly.  Don’t fidget unnecessarily so as not to create stripes. Once you are fatigued, close the nozzle tap and relax.

-  Occasionally you may have to wipe the nozzle tip with a soft cloth to make it clear because some paints may have clogged around it and you may also use small brushes to correct some defects that may arise from spray errors.

-  The outcome is a brightly finished wall.

The same process applies to ceiling or under-slab painting.