Spray Painting near you

The right method depends on the surface, the finish you want and how much has to be masked. Many painters combine methods, for example spraying a wall and then rolling it right away so the paint is worked into the surface.

Overspray is the fine mist that misses the target or drifts away from it, and it travels farther than most people expect. It settles as a dusty speckle on floors, glass, counters, light fixtures, cars and plants, and dried paint on a window or a vehicle's finish is tedious to remove. That's why a spray job often spends more hours on masking than on spraying.

Spraying pays off where a surface has lots of detail, lots of area, or both. It's far less useful where masking would take longer than painting by hand.

Not every product sprays the same way. Painters choose coatings whose technical data sheets allow spray application, then match the tip size, pressure and any thinning to the manufacturer's directions. Thick elastomeric and textured coatings need larger tips and stronger pumps, while fine enamels for doors and trim go on best through smaller tips or an HVLP gun.

Spraying doesn't make paint more forgiving of dirt, gloss or bare wood, so cleaning, sanding and primer still come first. Fast-drying primers can be sprayed and sanded smooth between coats for a fine finish. Ask the painter which products and how many coats the quote includes, and whether the final coat will be sprayed, back-rolled or both.

Wind is the main risk when spraying outside. Even a light breeze can carry mist onto a neighbour's car, siding or laundry, and it drifts farther from a ladder or a second-storey wall. Experienced exterior crews watch the wind through the day, hang drop sheets or shields as barriers, switch to a brush and roller near property lines, and stop when gusts pick up.

Talk to neighbours before a spray day, especially with semis, townhouses and narrow lots where houses sit close together, and ask them to move cars and cover patio furniture. The usual weather rules still apply: a dry surface, temperatures within the product's range, and no rain or dew before the coating sets. Spraying is often planned for calm mornings or evenings, with the sunny, windy afternoons left for prep or rolling.

Spraying turns paint into a mist that can be breathed in. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety notes that spray painting generates mists and vapours that can affect health, lists fires and explosions among its hazards, and advises approved respirators, coveralls, gloves and eye and face protection. It also warns that polyurethane paints often contain highly toxic isocyanates, and that some paints call for special ventilation, respirators or a supplied-air system.

In a home, that means the crew wears respirators suited to the product, the work area is ventilated to the outdoors, flames and sparks are kept well away from solvent-based coatings, and children, pets and anyone with breathing problems stay out until the fumes have cleared.

Lead paint changes the plan. Health Canada says a home built before 1960 probably contains lead-based paint and warns against using sanders, heat guns or blowlamps to remove it. The new coat isn't the problem; getting old, flaking lead paint ready for it is. Blasting it off with a pressure washer or sanding it smooth for a sprayed finish would scatter contaminated chips and dust, so have older paint tested first and hire a contractor who follows lead-safe practices.