We achieved good coverage and finish results with water-based interior latex paint that had been thinned by about 25 percent and a medium air setting. The Wagner Spraytech sprayer offers excellent performance for the price, making it the top pick on our list for home usage. At the same time, the sprayer’s variable air pressure control, ranging from 1.50 to 2.63 psi (pounds per square inch), reduces the risk of overspray. With a simple twist of the air cap, you can spray your chosen finish in a vertical, horizontal, or round spray pattern. The sprayer’s 1.5-quart capacity hopper and two-stage turbine enable you to spray virtually any finish, be it as viscous as latex paint or as thin as wood stain. The airless models worked significantly faster with more overspray, while the HVLPs were slower and more accurate.īoasting a 20-foot-long flexible hose, this 11.2-pound, 110-volt, air-driven electric sprayer unleashes a high volume of paint or stain at low pressure. With the oil-based stain, coverage was comparable between HVLP and airless. The airless sprayers, on the other hand, did a great job with single coats since they use unthinned paint. Two or three coats were necessary for complete coverage. Then we cleaned each sprayer and then applied oil-based stain in new areas of the fence.Īs expected, the four HVLP sprayers struggled to cover the imperfections with thinned paint.

Following the manufacturer’s instructions for paint and stain preparation, we used each sprayer to apply water-based paint. The surface was rough and grainy, with dried pine knots and knot holes that would make paint coverage challenging. Our test surface was an old wooden privacy fence. Most homeowners don’t have room for two or three different sprayers, so we wanted to perform tests that would show sprayer capability with both thick and thin products. Paint sprayers are tasked with applying a variety of fluids, from thick, viscous exterior latex paints to solvent-based stains that are almost watery in texture. Photo:: Mark Wolfe for Bob Vila How We Tested the Best Paint Sprayers ALSO CONSIDER: Titan ControlMax 1700 Paint Sprayer.BEST PORTABLE: Graco Ultra Cordless Airless Handheld Paint Sprayer.BEST UPGRADE: Fuji Semi-PRO 2 – Gravity HVLP Spray System.BEST FOR HEAVY DUTY: Graco Magnum ProX19 Cart Paint Sprayer.BEST FOR LIGHT DUTY: HomeRight Quick Finish HVLP Paint Sprayer.BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Scuddles Paint Sprayer, 1200 Watt HVLP Paint Gun.RUNNER-UP: Graco TrueCoat 360 DS Paint Sprayer.

BEST OVERALL: Wagner Control Spray Max Sprayer.Keep reading for our tips-and don’t miss our top picks! The selected paint sprayers underwent thorough product vetting to create the list below. Ahead, you can read our reviews and find out which may be the right choice for your painting or staining projects.īut first, we’ve outlined the key considerations for selecting the best paint sprayer for your needs. Want to speed up your paint job? Equip yourself with a paint sprayer! We field-tested some of the most capable, popular, and affordable paint sprayers available.

Best pro paint sprayer