Blew $60 on a cheap paint sprayer from Harbor Freight last month

Cleaned it for three hours after one use and it still clogged up on me halfway through my kitchen cabinets. Anyone else just stick with brushes and rollers for small rooms?

3 comments

3 Comments

tylerpark15d ago

Yeah @nora_park nailed it with that cleanup time thing, that's what gets me too. I spent two hours breaking down my HF sprayer after one coat and the next morning it still wouldn't spray right. Did you try running paint thinner through it like logan_ellis mentioned? I used water and that was probably my mistake. But honestly even if I had thinned it properly, I don't know if it's worth the hassle for a small kitchen. For big jobs like fencing or exterior walls, sure, but for cabinets I'd rather just buy a really good brush and take my time. The prep work alone for spraying is brutal, taping off everything and covering floors takes longer than painting with a roller. I learned that lesson the hard way.

nora_park15d ago

Used to be on team "sprayer or die" for everything including small jobs, but after I borrowed my buddy's cheap HVLP and it clogged mid-spray on a bathroom vanity I totally changed my mind. Brushes and rollers are way more forgiving for cabinets and trim in my experience, plus you don't have to tape off half the room. That cleanup time killed it for me too, I spent an hour picking dried paint out of the nozzle with a toothpick and still had to toss the thing. Now I only bust out a sprayer for big fence jobs or full room ceilings, not worth the headache for kitchen cabinets.

logan_ellis15d ago

Did you try running mineral spirits or paint thinner through it before you broke it down, or did you just use water? I've found some cheap sprayers need a full solvent flush between coats to keep from gumming up. Was the paint you were using thinned out properly or did you just dump it straight in?