Refinishing furniture with paint sprayer

[jasonandpamela]

I have a number of wood items that I plan to sand down and paint with a new paint sprayer I bought. My question is this, can I do the painting outside (rather than in the garage) so I don't have to worry about paint getting on everything? If so, do I have to worry about the dust from outdoors getting on whatever I paint? Finally, how far will the paint mist carry? I wouldn't want it to end up on my house, fence, etc.

Thanks,

Jason

[David]

The rule is: the paint will carry twice as far as you expect it to. Hopefully your insurance will cover any lawsuits.

Sounds like you are already "worried", so I'd say, "yes, you have to worry about dust".

Dave

[e-mail] wrote:

[Michael White]

[e-mail] ( [e-mail]) wrote on Monday 13 June

2005 03:27 pm:

Jason,

It depends on what type of sprayer you're talking about. If you have a cheap sprayer, or an air sprayer, then it'll probably end up everywhere. But if you get a decent airless sprayer (~2800-3000 PSI), the paint dries a very short distance from the sprayer (~10-15 feet). At that point, it's just a fine dust that shouldn't stick to anything.

As far as dust outside, that depends on your environment. You might want to set up a test piece and see what sticks. I wouldn't do it near dusk, though, due to the bugs you'll attract.

[BobS]

Jason,

Make up a temporary paint booth in your garage. A simple frame wrapped in some plastic sheeting (drop cloth) or hang it from the ceiling - you can get real creative here. Make it large enough so you can either walk around the item being sprayed or place it on a lazy-susan type work surface where you can easily spin the item around. Place some plastic on the floor, wear old clothes, a proper face mask and a hat.

Yes - you need to worry about dust and bugs landing smack in the middle of the wet paint. If they do, let them be and fix the problem after the paint dries. Avoid the temptation to pick a bug off wet paint - you'll only mess it up more than the bug will...

Bob S.

[jasonandpamela]

Thanks to Bob and Michael for the helpful replies.

- Jason