When it comes to airless spraying, I’ve been making content on the best practices and methods to using airless sprayers for a decade now, and every day I still get more people asking questions and needing some help getting set up. If you’re interested in watching some of this content, and getting more information than this blog post, check out this playlist of videos on YouTube! But, here I’ll dive into some tips that you should know about airless spraying - but not about airless sprayer tips - check out those videos for more information on those! 

First, I’m going to cover some safety hazards when it comes to using an airless sprayer. This is a machine that can be spraying out atomized paint at anywhere from 400 to 3000 PSI - pounds per square inch. If you aren’t operating an airless sprayer with caution, then you could end up getting hurt very badly. 

The biggest risk when it comes to using an airless sprayer is the danger of paint injection. If any part of your body gets in front of the spray gun and the trigger is pulled, the speed at which the paint is coming out of the gun could cause you to get injected by the paint. It most commonly happens to people’s hands and index finger specifically. 

Every airless sprayer, when purchased, comes with a small card, something to keep on your person or in your wallet when spraying, that in the event of a paint injection injury, is meant to be passed onto someone in the emergency room or a doctor. Since it’s a less common injury, this card is for medical professionals to read and be able to easily determine the best course for treatment without the need for any additional treatment. If you or an employee is operating an airless sprayer, there should be a paint injection card available and on the job site with you.

If you are injected with paint, you have to go to the hospital immediately, even if you feel fine. Do not go home and try to treat it yourself -  basic treatments like putting pressure on the wound and applying ice are both going to make the injury worse. Any time that you are adjusting anything near the front of the gun, like the tip, keep your hands to the side, and engage the safety on the airless spray gun. 

You can also be running into safety concerns if you’re spraying with flammable coatings, like lacquers. There is an extremely high flammability and explosion risk when using lacquers, which is why I no longer choose to spray with them - too many horror stories! If you are choosing to use lacquers, read up on the safety protocols, and ensure you have proper ventilation in the area you are painting. But for me, I think water-based products are the way to go nowadays. 

These other two safety tips pertain to PPE - the personal protective equipment that you should be wearing on the job. When it comes to airless spraying, one of the most obvious pieces of PPE that you should have with you is a respirator. Airless sprayers break up paint into small droplets, and also produces overspray, and as the person operating the airless sprayer, you’re going to be caught in the center of that. Chemicals, floating in the air all around you! 

When spraying outside, I’m always going to have a P95 dust particulate mask on me. A lot of times in videos, if you don’t see me wearing one, it’s because I’m making content and teaching while I’m working. If I’m working inside, in a smaller enclosed area, I’m going to have charcoal filters in my mask, while using either a silicone or cloth mask, like an RZ mask. 

Additionally, you should also be wearing safety glasses, especially if you’re working outside. On exteriors, you have no idea what you could be kicking up when you’re spraying a surface. There’s always the potential for dirt and debris to fly back your direction, and if it does, you’ll be glad that you’re wearing safety glasses! You could also be spraying soffits overhead and have fallout coming back down on your face. You don’t want anything to get in your eyes! 

Now that you’ve got a good understanding of how to keep safe and what to wear to do so when using an airless sprayer, we’ll dive into some talking about a few tools that will help make the process a little bit easier. I use all three of these products every single time I’m hooking up my airless sprayer to spray! But, if you’re looking for more information on how to set up and operate and airless sprayer, or even information on what tips to use, check out some of the content on my YouTube channel, like this video on airless tip sizing. I also talk a lot about airless spraying home exteriors in my online Exterior Painting Systems & Processes Course, so if you need more help with painting exteriors, check that course out! 

Now, when you purchase an airless sprayer, it usually comes with a 50-ft hose. The end that connects to the spray gun is banded for safety reasons as this is a weak spot on the hose. But, when you attach your gun, that area is pretty stiff and doesn’t allow for the best maneuverability while spraying. So, I usually attach a hose whip that puts a 3’ or 5 buffer between that hose and the spray gun. 

These hose whips are usually a smaller diameter, but are much softer and flexible than the original hose. If you attach a hose whip, you have more maneuverability and you won’t have to fight with the hose. Once you start using a hose whip, you’re going to be wondering why you haven’t used one before! A hose whip is going to give you overall less fatigue in your hands, wrists, and arms! You might see me using this green one or this yellow Exitflex one. The difference between the two is in the diameter and the flexibility. Read more here. 

Another great tool that will also make your life easier when spraying is a gun extension. This lengthens your reach with your airless spray gun, so that there’s no need for you to bend down super low or reach up super high. Maybe you can even avoid getting on a ladder! This is just inevitability going to save you from straining your body more than necessary, and will help you reach places that might be difficult. 

Gun extensions come in a variety of sizes - I’ll use anything from 6” to 30” - you’ll never see my spray gun without an extension on the end! The size that you’re using just depends on your needs for the job. One of the only times recently that I’ve taken off my gun extension was to paint in a super narrow area behind some flowerbeds. It’s even possible to connect multiple extensions together - which I’ve done to paint really tall ceilings, plus I’ve also done it just for the fun of seeing how many I could connect together and still spray paint out of. 

Gun extensions just makes airless spraying so much easier, plus the cleanup process is also easier when you’re got to run the paint out of the line, rather than bending over and holding the spray gun over your bucket and having paint and water splash everywhere! Just another tool that’ll help your body not strain as much while working, meaning you can work harder and longer. 

One of my favorite tools is one that I’ve saved for last - it’s the Kraft cardboard shield holder. Such a small tool, but it truly does change the way that you spray. This is used primarily to control overspray, and you can hold it in your other hand while you’re operating an airless sprayer. The holder itself has slots for a 30” cardboard shield, which if you buy a box of, they can last forever, since once they are dry, they are ready for another round! These are truly versatile in their ability to control and manipulate overspray. 

The shield holder itself is easily bent so that you can change the position and angle of your cardboard shield. There are no wingnuts or screws to tighten, just pressing it against the ground can be enough to help you fix it. You can use these to stop overspray from getting on the footings, going around corners, getting on fences, etc! Shield the gutters, soffits - there are no limits. The shield holder is also super light, so your hand won’t feel weighed down with it if you’re spraying all day. You can also purchase a longer handle for the shield holders to have a longer reach and be unstoppable at controlling overspray. This might take you some practice to get it right, but I promise it’ll be a lifesaver, and may even save you some money when it comes to masking materials, if you get good enough!