How To Prep For Painting With A Spray Gun

28 November 2016
 Categories: , Blog


Painting with a spray gun is a great way to speed up the job. Of course, a spray gun is not the most practical solution for all paint jobs, but it is ideal for new construction, exterior surfaces, and areas where you don't need to worry about overspray. The tools and techniques that you use to paint with a spray gun are very different from what you for paintbrushes and rollers. This article explains the best tools and techniques for prepping before painting with a spray gun.

For the easiest and quickest masking, you want to invest in painter's plastic. A thinner plastic (less than 0.4mm) and a thicker product (over .8mm) will make your job much easier.

Thin painter's plastic

The thinner product is best for covering your vertical surface and draping over things. For example, it is perfect for covering all of your window and door fixtures. It can be stretched across the frames and taped to the casing. If you use painter's tape to secure the edges, you can create perfectly masked off fixtures that are fully ready for the spraying. The thin plastic is also great for draping over furniture. The key to using painter's plastic is to tape it down and be very thorough. Since the plastic is so lightweight, it can get blown off of things if it is not securely taped down.

Thick painter's plastic

The thicker painter's tape is better for covering floors. The floor that you walk on while painting is likely to get beat up during the job. It can even get punctured if you are not careful. A thicker plastic will have less risk of getting punctured and feel more secure under your feet. Once again, it is very important that you tape down the edges securely. In fact, you should probably tape the entire edge (not just sections) to create a secure temporary walkway. You should even tape the plastic down if it is over carpet. Painter's tape is more expensive than normal masking tape, so you can save some money by using masking tape. You will go through a lot of tape when masking off, so by a bunch of rolls. It is better to have extra rolls that you can return after the job is done, rather than having to stop your work in order to go pick up more tape.

The key to masking off before spraying is definitely using the right type of painter's plastic.

For more information and assistance, talk with a professional painting service, like Paintworks  Unlimited.


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