# Spraying interior walls without getting paint on ceiling



## PaintingArtist

Hello Everyone,
I decided to buy an airless sprayer after having renting them so often. Im spraying a interior reconstruction and the contractor wants the walls beige and the ceilings flat white. Does anyone have any tips on spaying the walls after the ceiling without causing over spray on the ceiling. I have used a 3' wide aluminum guard but they end up with a mess having to clean it up every so often. Can I cut and use a roller sideways across the top the simply spray from the cut in to bottom of the wall? Thanks for any tips!


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## Workaholic

I spray the ceiling with minimal overspray then I spray my trim and then sand the walls and cut in and roll the walls. 

If you are wanting to spray your walls afterwords I say mask it.


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## HSpencer

Workaholic said:


> I spray the ceiling with minimal overspray then I spray my trim and then sand the walls and cut in and roll the walls.
> 
> If you are wanting to spray your walls afterwords I say mask it.



Am agreeing on this method. Spraying a ceiling one color and the walls another is possible if you are into ceiling masking which I am not. I would also spray the ceilings all out well and let dry. If there is a crown will it be the ceiling or wall color or stain? That crown makes a big difference in how you approach it. Hopefully no crown. Or installed afterwards.
I have masked the ceiling and it is like a goat rope circus to make it happen and stay up there. The sprayer pressure will certainly loosen the ceiling masking somewhere and then your toast. Again if there is crown you might have more sticking capacity for your ceiling mask.
Or to do it the least troublesome way, go with Workaholic's method.
That method makes the best sense in the situation you describe.


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## Workaholic

RCP's company sprays most everything read through some of her posts. 

http://www.painttalk.com/f22/new-construction-painting-sequence-1165/

http://www.painttalk.com/f6/ceiling-lines-4817/

http://www.painttalk.com/f6/your-norm-4143/

http://www.painttalk.com/f2/how-spray-10174/


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## AbsolutePaint

Easiest way I have found is to spray and back roll walls first come back next day and drop down some of the cheap 72 in 3m plastic with some blue tape and spray ceilings. Lines come out super sharp. Or you could quickly cut in the top first and then come back next day and just use paper and blue tape to cover your cut in, spray ceilings then remove paper and roll walls.


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## wills fresh coat

i use one of these,we do a lot of comm work that has drop ceilings,we just cut in the grid as you would if you were rolling then we spray and back roll,you can angle the tip down and get a few inches from the grid...you have to spray horizontal close to ceiling, my one guy is short so i hook him up with a 12 " extension, this system is what we use for eggshell,if we are spraying flat we don't back roll. i use this system when spraying against painted ceilings also but i use a 4" whizz roller just below the cut line, my guys are really fast at using this system they have been using it for 10+ years, start out with a smaller tip then work your way up to a larger tip,we use 415-417 or 515-517
hope this helps


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## victmor

I do this a lot, but how I do it depends on the situation. If I was doing a small area, say a room or two and needed to get it all done in a day I do the ceilings first and let dry as much a possible usually 30-40min with fans running. Once it has tacked up enough I put my masking on one wall at a time and do just that wall. In this situation I would be using blue tape with at least 9" paper. The reason for only one wall at a time is because if I tried to mask off the whole room and then do everything at once the tape would surely begin to fail. Then when spraying the wall up against the ceiling I turn down the pressure to help ensure I don't blow the tape/paper off.

If I was doing a large area, say a whole house etc... Then I would spray all the ceilings one day, come in the next and mask everything with white masking and go to town. The white masking will hold all day long and the ceiling has set up enough so that paint won't be pulled off. By the way I only do this on orange peel/knockdown textures. These textures often times make cutting in slow and tedious and the rough texture minimizes surface contact with the tape which allows the paint to not be pulled away. If it was smooth texture I was doing, then for me I wouldn't do this, but in my area I mostly see orange peel/knockdown. :thumbsup:


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## RaleighPainter

victmor said:


> I do this a lot, but how I do it depends on the situation. If I was doing a small area, say a room or two and needed to get it all done in a day I do the ceilings first and let dry as much a possible usually 30-40min with fans running. Once it has tacked up enough I put my masking on one wall at a time and do just that wall. In this situation I would be using blue tape with at least 9" paper. The reason for only one wall at a time is because if I tried to mask off the whole room and then do everything at once the tape would surely begin to fail. Then when spraying the wall up against the ceiling I turn down the pressure to help ensure I don't blow the tape/paper off.
> 
> If I was doing a large area, say a whole house etc... Then I would spray all the ceilings one day, come in the next and mask everything with white masking and go to town. The white masking will hold all day long and the ceiling has set up enough so that paint won't be pulled off. By the way I only do this on orange peel/knockdown textures. These textures often times make cutting in slow and tedious and the rough texture minimizes surface contact with the tape which allows the paint to not be pulled away. If it was smooth texture I was doing, then for me I wouldn't do this, but in my area I mostly see orange peel/knockdown. :thumbsup:


Question, if doing only one or two rooms I can't imagine spraying being my best option.


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## victmor

It might not be the best option. The thing is you always have to take into account the variables of each job and figure out what will work best for you. Most of the time in my situation, masking off the ceiling and spraying the walls is faster and yields a better product nine times out of ten. But like I mentioned I mostly deal with orange peel and knockdown textures which when your going over flat builder grade paint can make cutting in a major pain. Also when doing rooms that are occupied I will often simply mask off and use the sprayer with low pressure and a small tip for "cutting in" and then roll out the room as usual. This way there is minimal or no overspray and thus no need to cover everything as you normally would when spraying.


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## victmor

wills fresh coat said:


> i use one of these,we do a lot of comm work that has drop ceilings,we just cut in the grid as you would if you were rolling then we spray and back roll,you can angle the tip down and get a few inches from the grid...you have to spray horizontal close to ceiling, my one guy is short so i hook him up with a 12 " extension, this system is what we use for eggshell,if we are spraying flat we don't back roll. i use this system when spraying against painted ceilings also but i use a 4" whizz roller just below the cut line, my guys are really fast at using this system they have been using it for 10+ years, start out with a smaller tip then work your way up to a larger tip,we use 415-417 or 515-517
> hope this helps


Does that clean shot really work well for minimizing spitting? I got one a while back for that purpose, but couldn't get it to work right. I didn't tinker with it too long and kind of just gave up on it. I'm guessing it must be working for you and your guys, any tips for using it?


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## Painting Dad

I've recently started spraying and rolling tinted primer and finish paint on walls and then wait a day... Go back and plastic the walls with blue tape and painters plastic shoot the ceilings flat white and its done . It's really fast, and sharp lines too. About half my crew walks on stilts so a couple of those guys can mask an average 3 br. in about two hrs. I only do this on new const. w/ no trim installed. Production /Spec homes only.


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## victmor

Painting Dad said:


> I've recently started spraying and rolling tinted primer and finish paint on walls and then wait a day... Go back and plastic the walls with blue tape and painters plastic shoot the ceilings flat white and its done . It's really fast, and sharp lines too. About half my crew walks on stilts so a couple of those guys can mask an average 3 br. in about two hrs. I only do this on new const. w/ no trim installed. Production /Spec homes only.


I've thought about doing that and have been very tempted to do so as it would making the taping process much easier. Taping over head is not fun. My hang up has been the amount of plastic you would have to use. That is a lot of plastic if doing a whole house or large area and it seems it could get quite expensive especially if you use the drop down that goes on the tape gun.


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## wills fresh coat

victmor said:


> Does that clean shot really work well for minimizing spitting? I got one a while back for that purpose, but couldn't get it to work right. I didn't tinker with it too long and kind of just gave up on it. I'm guessing it must be working for you and your guys, any tips for using it?


actually it doesn't spit, on the back of the tip there is a needle that you have to open and close when you clean the pump,its important that you follow the proper steps or it will start to spit after awhile. graco makes a different swivel that don't have this adjustment and it spits pretty bad,this may be the one you have...thats why i took a pic of a new one so you could get the part # 
hope this helps


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## wills fresh coat

victmor said:


> I do this a lot, but how I do it depends on the situation. If I was doing a small area, say a room or two and needed to get it all done in a day I do the ceilings first and let dry as much a possible usually 30-40min with fans running. Once it has tacked up enough I put my masking on one wall at a time and do just that wall. In this situation I would be using blue tape with at least 9" paper. The reason for only one wall at a time is because if I tried to mask off the whole room and then do everything at once the tape would surely begin to fail. Then when spraying the wall up against the ceiling I turn down the pressure to help ensure I don't blow the tape/paper off.
> 
> If I was doing a large area, say a whole house etc... Then I would spray all the ceilings one day, come in the next and mask everything with white masking and go to town. The white masking will hold all day long and the ceiling has set up enough so that paint won't be pulled off. By the way I only do this on orange peel/knockdown textures. These textures often times make cutting in slow and tedious and the rough texture minimizes surface contact with the tape which allows the paint to not be pulled away. If it was smooth texture I was doing, then for me I wouldn't do this, but in my area I mostly see orange peel/knockdown. :thumbsup:


i know everyone does things different and i know every room is different but if i just have two or three rooms I'm brushing and rolling them...i should preface that buy saying if these rooms were 20x30 i would spray them


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## wills fresh coat

victmor said:


> I've thought about doing that and have been very tempted to do so as it would making the taping process much easier. Taping over head is not fun. My hang up has been the amount of plastic you would have to use. That is a lot of plastic if doing a whole house or large area and it seems it could get quite expensive especially if you use the drop down that goes on the tape gun.


i agree...thats alot of tape plastic and labor to do that, we just use plastic for furniture


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## MonPeintre.ca

Take a look at this guy, no overspray, or fume in the room.





how can he do that? Paint or sprayer?


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## A+HomeWork

I used to think spraying was the only way to go, if there was much painting to do, but have found ways to do cleaner work with brush and roller.

Examples: -18 inch rollers, wider brushes (used to use 2 inch on cutting-in, who knows why)
-Much less covering of furniture and floors, except where I am painting.
-I can begin painting in 30 minutes instead of prepping so much to account for sprayer issues .

It's funny. I still consider spraying vs rolling on most every job. I have leaned more toward not spraying since the homes in which I most often paint are full of pricey furniture and decorations. I would rather take a little longer and not risk making a mess.
Also, if I am painting a whole house, the ceilings are always sprayed. If no crown, I can do the whole house in no time, then take time to roll walls, if another color.
If walls are same color, it's worth the prep to spray since you eliminate corner and ceiling cut-in.


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## wills fresh coat

MonPeintre.ca said:


> Take a look at this guy, no overspray, or fume in the room.
> Comment peindre les appartements sans brouillard au pistolet Airless pistolage devis gratuit IDF - YouTube
> 
> how can he do that? Paint or sprayer?


neither....tip and pressure


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## epretot

Are you finish coating? I use a perry rig, cock my wrist down and spray horizontally. When I get to a corner I spray down the corner (not through it as this will cast onto the ceiling). 

Note: I have never had an application where I spray the final coat on the wall. I personally would never do this unless I was back rolling. I probably wouldn't do it anyway. When doing new construction I spray the ceilings first, then the walls. I then cut in the walls at the ceiling. At a later date I cut and roll the finish coat.There has never been a house I couldn't prime in a day with this method. Not sure what your application is though.


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## stevesonsiteservices

If your just painting the walls from the way I do my work (Every single painter is different) I just use a brush and 18inch roller. I usually spray everything and love my sprayer. But if I'm painting the ceiling and walls I spray everything starting from trim to walls then mask off walls and spray the ceiling. By the time it takes me to clean my sprayer I would have been already home watching the new season of 90210.......just kidding :thumbup:








http://www.stevesonsiteservices.com


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## jack pauhl

MonPeintre.ca said:


> Take a look at this guy, no overspray, or fume in the room.
> Comment peindre les appartements sans brouillard au pistolet Airless pistolage devis gratuit IDF - YouTube
> 
> how can he do that? Paint or sprayer?


hmm. no overspray is more often paint related but you can often mimic the effect by reducing paint and/or air. Typically you'll get into a 16oz per gallon reduction and air down. You can tell his air is way down. His pattern is too sharp, too small. Looks like a 210FF if I had to guess.


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## Bender

MonPeintre.ca said:


> Take a look at this guy, no overspray, or fume in the room.
> Comment peindre les appartements sans brouillard au pistolet Airless pistolage devis gratuit IDF - YouTube
> 
> how can he do that? Paint or sprayer?


4 and a half minutes to spray 15 feet of wall?


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## Chrisjstrn94

IDK why hardly any other painters use this method however it's how I was taught And for me takes half the time. I DONT MASK ceilings or walls and spray both. In tricky areas i may use just a single strip of tape but I use metal Shields And if you get it down and learn proper technique it works wonders. A big mistake I see people do is wash the Shields when too much paint builds up.... Big no no. Wet shield and paint don't mix onky cause paint to run off much faster. Keep a work pot with a brush in it and wipe it off with the brush don't wash until your finished or changing paints. The first time I worked with a guy who masked everything I was dumb founded And so was he. Before then I always thought that that's was how everybody did it. To me it was the normal way but I quickly found out that I was taught a very fortunate way that very few people atleast that I've ever seen know how or can do without getting oversoray everywhere. I still get people that think I'm full of **** until they see it.


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## Zoomer

Chrisjstrn94 said:


> IDK why hardly any other painters use this method however it's how I was taught And for me takes half the time. I DONT MASK ceilings or walls and spray both. In tricky areas i may use just a single strip of tape but I use metal Shields And if you get it down and learn proper technique it works wonders. A big mistake I see people do is wash the Shields when too much paint builds up.... Big no no. Wet shield and paint don't mix onky cause paint to run off much faster. Keep a work pot with a brush in it and wipe it off with the brush don't wash until your finished or changing paints. The first time I worked with a guy who masked everything I was dumb founded And so was he. Before then I always thought that that's was how everybody did it. To me it was the normal way but I quickly found out that I was taught a very fortunate way that very few people atleast that I've ever seen know how or can do without getting oversoray everywhere. I still get people that think I'm full of **** until they see it.


I won't say you are full of it. Let's just say you don't work for people with a discerning eye. Try that technique white ceiling and dark red walls. Definitely a spot or two or one hundred on ceiling.
Plus you are in a house spraying walls. What happens when a customer trys touching up their walls with a brush or roller months later especially with flat or matte? You atomized the paint therefore the touch up will flash especially on smooth or light texture walls. When the customer calls you to complain about this, do you blow them off? Do you make up an excuse as to why it won't touch up? Or do you go back and roll out the entire wall?
See if you roll out the entire wall to begin with, chances are high that touch up later on will never flash because the method of applying the paint is the same as touch up. Just saying. 
I learned this from the old timers (father and grandfather).


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## Woodco

Chrisjstrn94 said:


> IDK why hardly any other painters use this method however it's how I was taught And for me takes half the time. I DONT MASK ceilings or walls and spray both. In tricky areas i may use just a single strip of tape but I use metal Shields And if you get it down and learn proper technique it works wonders. A big mistake I see people do is wash the Shields when too much paint builds up.... Big no no. Wet shield and paint don't mix onky cause paint to run off much faster. Keep a work pot with a brush in it and wipe it off with the brush don't wash until your finished or changing paints. The first time I worked with a guy who masked everything I was dumb founded And so was he. Before then I always thought that that's was how everybody did it. To me it was the normal way but I quickly found out that I was taught a very fortunate way that very few people atleast that I've ever seen know how or can do without getting oversoray everywhere. I still get people that think I'm full of **** until they see it.


Yeah, I did apartment repaints back in the day too. Different ballgame. For GOOD painting however, that method doesnt apply.


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## RH

You realize, don’t you, that this thread was originally started eight years ago? Just sayin’.


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## Lightningboy65

RH said:


> You realize, don’t you, that this thread was originally started eight years ago? Just sayin’.


And is currently one of the most active threads on PT.....:vs_worry:


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## Joe67

Some topics never get old...


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## finishesbykevyn

I don't always join paint forums, but when I do...


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