Learn How to Paint With an Air Spray Gun!

Hubs is a professional paint sprayer so you better believe he has tips and tricks on how to paint using an air spray gun! In this Instructable, he shows us some cool paint jigs and even teaches me how to use a paint gun. So whether you’re a beginner or have a few spray gun painting techniques under your belt, there’s something for everyone!

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• DeVillbis Spray Gun
• Porter Cable Air Compressor
• Sand paper
• Pegboard or small paint project

You can buy airless paint sprayers, electric paint sprayers, HVLP sprayers and even go cordless. The sprayers we use are HVLP which uses air. HVLP stands for high volume, low pressure. The way it works is to convert the high pressure from an air compressor to a lower pressure which controls the volume of paint spray. An HVLP sprayer is ideal for spraying furniture, cabinets and anything else you would normally paint by hand.

Although Hubs uses this professional Devilbiss paint gun with a 1.8 tip, he bought me my very own reasonably priced Vaper gun from Princess Auto. And you know what? I'll get the same professional looking finish with this cheaper paint gun. So you don't have to break the bank! When spraying water based paint, the tip on the Vaper gun is 2.3 mm which is a nice big opening for the paint to come through.

For this particular project, I'm learning how to paint using Hub’s Devilbiss spray gun. A paint sprayer makes quick work of painting any project! To get used to spraying paint, there are four things to keep in mind:

1. Position the nozzle perpendicular to the work. If you angle the paint gun, you’ll only get a bit of paint onto the surface. So be sure you’re holding the gun straight up and down.
2. Position the nozzle 6″-8″ above the surface of your work.
3. When you lightly press the trigger, air comes out; and
4. When you fully press the trigger, paint comes out.We’ll go into more written detail in the step-by-steps below, but watch this video on how to spray using a paint gun to see these principles in action:

Pegboard sometimes comes pre-finished on one side. But the one we’re using below is as plain as it gets. It has a shiny, almost waxy surface on one side. So we always do a light scuff, then remove the dust with a damp rag.

Tip: Sanding can cause static to build up, which will attract dust onto your paint surface after spraying with a paint gun. So be sure to remove sanding dust with an ever so slightly damp rag – or recycle an old sock like us (last pic)!

A Bit About Primer

If your project needs primer, go ahead and add it (either with a roller or after you learn how to use the paint sprayer).

When you progress to spraying mahogany furniture, for example, tends to bleed through the paint with red streaks so you have to prime first. In that instance, we recommend a shellac primer like Zinsser B-I-N.

In our case, we’re using a PPG paint called BreakThrough and we often use it without a primer when the surface already has a painted or clear base. However, on bare wood, it’s always advisable to prime first. Again, you can either roll or spray the primer. When dry, also give it a light scuff and remove all sanding dust as described in the previous step.

Tip: Use a paint jig to spray on. Hubs makes various sizes of jigs for different paint spraying projects but they all have one thing in common: pre-drilled holes with dowels.

The first jig you see above is totally configurable. Hubs drilled holes with a drill press every inch. Because project sizes vary, he has the option to install the dowels anywhere he wants to accommodate the size of the project.

The second jig (2nd pic) is for larger projects. It only has holes in the 4 corners. The advantage of have your work suspended on dowels is that you won’t get spray-back of paint on the underside of your work.

I’m starting on a small project using a piece of pegboard scrap, so we’re using the smaller paint jig (4th pic).

As you’ll see when you watch the video, Hub covers the actual base of the jig with kraft paper to keep the overspray off of the empty holes for future use. Position your dowels onto the jig where it will best fit the size of your project by pushing them through the paper. He also covers the top of the dowels with masking tape to keep paint off them. That will extend the life of your dowels; with paint buildup over time, they’ll no longer fit into the holes!

Tip: Always use a paint strainer to prevent paint gun clogs.

When putting your paint into the paint gun, strain it first through a paint strainer. It only takes a little bit of debris or dried paint to clog a paint gun. We’re actually straining the paint before we put it in the gun. That's because the paint in the can is old and the can is rusty, so we’ll strain it twice (into a new container and then into the paint sprayer).

Putting the paint through the strainer is also a good indication of whether the paint is thin enough to spray. If it streams through the filter too slowly, you’ll need to thin your paint out with some water.

Unless you have a filtering system on your air compressor, every time you use it, you should open the valve at the bottom to release water build up in the tank. As you see on the video, and above, we didn’t heed our own advice and were a bit overdue for this maintenance step. Despite that, the resulting rusty water will likely happen no matter what; manufacturers don’t protect the inside of the tanks and they eventually rust.

Plug in the compressor and let it come up to full pressure. Set the pressure and connect the paint gun. Consult the manual for your particular gun to set the pressure on the compressor. Some paint guns also have a pressure on them so you can set the pressure at the cup gun instead. Adjust the width of the paint spray by opening or closing the nozzle; see this explained on the video. Test the paint spray fan width on a scrap first to ensure the paint sprayer is in working order before proceeding to spray your project.

If painting in a confined space, it’s a good idea to wear a mask so you don’t inhale paint fumes.

Our Devilbiss cup gun has two adjustment knobs. The bottom knob can adjust the trigger to manage the amount of paint that comes out of the gun. The upper knob adjusts how big the fan width is. It can be tiny or as big as 6". Typically if you take the width of your hand, at roughly 6" away, you want the width of a 6" paint brush. Therefore, 6" out, you want a 6" fan of spray. In the second and third pics, my husband is testing the spray on a scrap piece of board before I start painting our actual (pegboard) project.

Paint Gun Technique

Start with air coming out of the gun – off the project – by lightly pressing the trigger. With the paint gun 6″ above the surface, ensure that it is perpendicular to the work – straight up and down, not at an angle.

Then as you move toward the edge, fully press down the trigger to release paint. As you come off the other edge, lessen the pressure so once again only air is coming out of the paint sprayer. Then repeat, spraying back in the opposite direction, overlapping the last pass by 50% to get even coverage.

Turn Yourself or Your Work

The best way to get great paint coverage is to spray first in one direction. Then turn yourself, or the project, 90 degrees and paint your project again in the other direction as described above. A turntable is helpful for this so you don't have to reposition yourself.

Be sure to watch the video at the beginning of this Instructable to see all these principles explained and shown in real time :).

The last three pictures show the scrap of pegboard before and during painting that will become my very first paint gun project.

Once finished painting, clean the paint from the gun with plenty of fresh water. Then run some clear water through the sprayer with the air compressor attached.

We generally find that when using a high quality paint, such as PPG BreakThrough, we don't need another coat. However, depending on the paint you use, you may want to spray another coat after it dries. Refer to your paint can for re-coat times.

If my very first paint sprayer project is any indication, a beginner can master painting with a spray gun using all the tips we shared! We’ll have the full tutorial for this jewelry display stand in an upcoming Instructable.

Do you feel ready to try your hand at how to paint using a spray gun? If you like to learn new skills, get your DIY mojo on at Birdz of a Feather and subscribe! You can also follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

More Paint Sprayer Projects

This may be my first paint sprayer project but it's not the first at Birdz of a Feather! Check out this Hudson's Bay Point Blanket Inspired Upcycle. We show you how to get perfectly spray painted stripes! We also use a paint gun for this Singer Sewing Table Makeover, the base of this coffee table makeover and even for this milk can decor project. Of course a spray gun is also great for spray painting on a clear finish too, like we did for this tiered plant stand DIY!