While the name is very self-explanatory, you may have still wondered what exactly is a paint sprayer? Is it really as simple as a device that sprays paint?
The truth is that it is.
However, knowing that doesn’t always help when you are looking for the best airless paint sprayers in the UK or the best emulsion paint sprayer on the market.
Because while it may be a simple concept to understand, choosing between one model or another although not complicated, is not so simple for beginners especially if you are new to the different types that are available. After all, there are airless sprayers and HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) sprayers, which one do you need and what spray tip do you need to use.
For those of you that are beginners, the team here at Paint Sprayer Guide has done some of the hard work for you by offering a wide range of paint sprayer reviews for different applications.
If you’re in a rush, here are our top 3 picks:
- Adjustble Paint Flow
- Perfect for DIYers
- 9 Metre Air Hose
- 1600+ Amazon Reviews
- Reduces 55% Overspray
- Interior & Exterior
- Highly Durable
- 0.55 Horsepower Pump
- 3000 PSI Pressure
- Up To 75 FT Hose
- 0.015-Inch Spray Tip
- Amazon Choice Product
In the following guide, you will find what we believe are the best professional sprayers for the keen DIYers that are suitable for use with emulsion paint.
Both airless and HVLP spray guns have become incredibly popular over the last couple of decades, thanks to the efficiency and speed spraying offers you for any painting jobs you may have, whether it be painting furniture, walls, or small projects.
Best Emulsion Paint Sprayers UK
A sprayer can achieve a very smooth, even coverage and fine finish that a brush or roller could not achieve, and as most interior paints are non-toxic it is the better choice if you are trying to lead a greener more eco-friendly life.
Above all else, it dries very quickly, compared to other options, which is ideal when you need to complete jobs in a short amount of time or need to cover twice. So, which is the best spray gun for emulsion paint?
Best Overall: Graco Magnum 257025 Project Painter Plus
As paint sprayers go Graco has a great reputation for designing and manufacturing professional quality airless paint sprayers and other devices that are suitable for more intensive jobs making this one of the options in our emulsion paint sprayers reviews.
The Graco Project Painter Plus is an entry-level airless sprayer that sits at a low price point, whilst being versatile around the home. Whether it is for emulsion or masonry paint, this small, compact electric airless machine will see you right.
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This sprayer features an adjustable flow by using the pressure control dial with the ability to increase/decrease paint delivery and the spray width by using interchangeable spray tips.
One of the biggest advantages to airless sprayers is the ability to suck paint straight from the paint tub on the floor (up to a 5-gallon tub will fit below the suction tube). As standard, the project paint plus comes with a 25ft airless hose which is enough for interior rooms but can be extended to 50ft if you need a longer hose for painting an exterior.
The Graco patented airless spray gun comes with a 515 reversible tip as standard, which will give you a 10″ spray fan with an orifice size of 0.015 thou, which is best suited to emulsion paint. If you need to change it, you can simply buy new tips/nozzles online or in your local B&Q.
Overall, for the price this little machine is cost-effective, 10x faster than brushes, and 4x faster than rollers, saving you a considerable amount of time when doing home improvements.
Best for Regular Users: Wagner Airless ControlPro 250 R Emulsion Sprayer
The Wagner ControlPro series includes some of the best emulsion airless paint sprayers available on the market for DIYers. The ControlPro 250 R is one of the most popular since it is compact and perfect for most reasonably sized DIY projects (ie, a few rooms a year).
Complete with Wagners own HEA (High Efficiency Airless) technology, Wagner promises up to 55% less overspray than comparable airless models, meaning more paint on the walls and fewer particles in the air.
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As with the Graco above, this electric airless sucks straight from up to a 5-gallon paint can come with a 9m airless hose and metal airless spray gun.
This kit comes with 2 spray tips/nozzles in the box a 311 as well as a 517 tip. The 311 provides a 6-inch spray fan and 0.011 thou orifice suitable for gloss paint and trim work, whilst the 517 is similar to that supplied with the Painter Pro above is a good fit for most emulsion and masonry paints.
The 9-metre airless hose is the perfect length for most household projects but it can support up to 15 metres when working on outdoor projects, however, you will need to buy the hose extension separately.
Cleaning this emulsion sprayer is extremely easy thanks to its modern design, so whether you’re working with water-based or solvent-based paints, you won’t need to set much time aside for cleaning at the end of the day.
Overall this machine is ideal for experienced DIYers and with its 1.25l paint delivery abilities, it will get jobs that would normally take days completed in just a few hours.
On a Cart: Graco X7 HiBoy Cart Airless Sprayer
When you are painting house exteriors you don’t want an airless paint sprayer that will slow you down in getting the job done. You need a sprayer that either, has the capability of taking an extremely long hose or, like this Graco Magnum 262805 x7 a cart-style paint sprayer, easily moved as you move around the house.
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The X7 paint sprayer has all the features that you expect from the Graco Magnum series including the stainless steel piston pump that delivers high pressure to enable you to spray unthinned paints.
It features a flexible suction tube so you can spray directly from a 1-gallon or 5-gallon paint container, comes with 25 feet of hose but will support up to 100 feet plenty to get the job done on very large project size.
The RAC IV switch tip allows you to reverse the tip should it get clogged so no need to stop working and it also has the Power Flush adapter to attach the garden hose for extremely easy and fast cleaning.
You can easily adjust the pressure to control the paint flow to ensure you achieve a uniform finish and this model has a larger maximum nozzle options size along with a higher performance rating. In practice, this means that more paint comes out at a faster rate which is perfect for when you need thicker paint layers and larger painting area such as your house exterior.
You will appreciate the power behind the 5/8 horsepower electrical motor in this Graco Magnum 262805 X7 airless paint sprayer model when handling bigger projects.
Best Mid Range Airless: Wagner Control Pro 350 M Electric Airless Sprayer
Most experts recommend using an airless paint sprayer indoors because it’s the fastest way of paint spraying walls.
Airless technology does require more preparation and does limit the versatility of an airless sprayer for more detailed work, but the advantages of speed outweigh any disadvantages when primarily spraying walls.
More advanced spraying technology has brought us High Efficiency Airless (HEA) paint sprayers, these are still airless paint sprayers, but with much greater precision and so much less overspray and better results, as with all paint sprayers ensure that everything is covered and that you are wearing the appropriate safety equipment before starting a project.
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A HEA electric sprayer boasts to create up to 55% less overspray and create a softer spray pattern and finish this is ideal for spraying emulsion paint, painting exterior walls, fences, decks, and other outdoor projects. We recommend the Wagner Control Pro 350 M airless sprayer as one of the best emulsion paint sprayers and HEA models.
Versatility is key when you want to stay within a certain budget and the Wagner Control Pro 350 M definitely offers that. It is compatible with 3 different spray tips already including the 515 which is the best size for most interior or indoor paints and comes standard with a 15-metre hose.
Although it is a stationary design it is still highly portable making it great for all kinds of DIY projects and DIY jobs. It also has a 25-foot suction tube to pull your materials directly from a 5-gallon paint bucket which you can place on the unit itself.
This unit also has a highly durable pump with a lifespan that is up to 3 times longer than its competition, with this being partially due to the rebuildable fluid section. It has a maximum flow rate of 1.5 litres per minute (adjustable) and a 0.55 horsepower motor
Best On a Budget: Tacklike 400w Handheld Electric Paint Sprayer
If you have a painting project to complete but don’t want to spend a fortune, then this Tacklike handheld paint sprayer might just be the model for you, another great paint sprayer for emulsion paint. It provides a great balance between sheer power and smooth professional results.
The smooth finish possible with this unit is thanks to its 400-watt power supply. What we really like is is the 900ml capacity container that enables you to do a whole lot of painting before you need to refill, so if you are tackling larger jobs like paint spraying your walls this is a good feature.
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In terms of the versatility it offers, it features three different styles of spray tip, two for the thinner materials and a 3.0mm spray tip that allows you to spray thicker materials and features the usual different spray patterns of circular, vertical, and horizontal.
Like many others, you can easily regulate the paint flow with the adjustable pressure control knob so that you can control where and to what extent your materials coat the surfaces for the finish you expect.
With a 6.6-foot power cord and extremely lightweight and compact design. This has been designed for ease of use and cleaning and actually comes with cleaning accessories, ideal for the novice sprayer.
Best Emulsion Spray Guns Buyer’s Guide
When looking for a suitable spraying setup, you may be shocked at just how many there are out there. Even with our top 10, we’re sure it may still be a bit of a headache for some reading this.
That’s why we’ve put together a buyer’s guide. In this, we wanted to home in on some of the key features you should look for when deciding which is the best paint sprayer for emulsion paint.
Garden Hose Connection
Admittedly, we are surprised that not all sprayers across the board offer this cleaning feature, as it’s extremely useful. Okay, so it’s not really anything other than a means for making the whole cleaning process easier and quicker.
Emulsion, by default, is incredibly easy to clean as it is water-based, but if you use your sprayer for oil-based paint this takes minutes off the time you might spend washing the sprayer, as it is really important to ensure there is no residue left in paint sprayers after use.
Settings that Can Be Adjusted
One of the most crucial features you need to look for when choosing a paint sprayer is the adjustable settings. The most common are adjustable paint flow, pressure, and spray patterns available from the spray tips.
This helps to give you a lot more control over what the sprayer does and how it does it ensuring a smooth even finish. If you are planning on using the paint sprayer indoors be aware of the overspray of paint that you will inevitably get, as some are better than others for this.
Weight and Size
Equally as important is the size and weight of the machine. Remember, depending on the style you are using, you may have to hold the paint gun for a long time.
While bigger machines will have faster paint flow rates with a high-pressure range, and cover greater areas faster, they will also be more awkward and may be uncomfortable to handle for numerous hours at a time. Look for one that is a happy balance between being robust and durable enough with a big enough capacity, but without being too cumbersome.
Which spray system is right for you will be a very personal choice. Here we have tried to inform you of the features of each paint sprayer and what you need to consider when you thinking of investing in a spray gun. As you have seen airless sprayers or an HVLP paint spray gun, do not vary in the job they do, but mainly the materials and paint spraying jobs they are better for.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Just to finish off here are some of the questions that we are asked most here at Paint Sprayer Guide.
Is an airless paint sprayer or HVLP sprayer best for emulsion paint?
Both the airless paint sprayers and the HVLP paint sprayers can be used as both will spray emulsion paint. However, there are models of both HVLP paint spray guns and airless sprayers that will let you spray paint unthinned, so if you are planning on using it regularly, choose a more powerful model.
Thinning emulsion paint to the right viscosity (consistency, some manufacturers do provide a viscosity cup for this purpose), can sometimes mean that you will require a second coat and obviously that will make the job more time-consuming.
How to spray emulsion paint?
To spray emulsion paint it is extremely important to set the pressure control correctly, make sure you practice on a scrap piece until you get this right and you will achieve a smooth finish with no paint spits or lines. You will find details on the spray tip and pressure control in the manufacturers’ details.
High pressure or Low pressure either way if set wrong the paint sprayer will not give you the finish you would expect for your project, whether that be a deck or a piece of furniture.
Can you use emulsion paint in HVLP spray?
You can use emulsion paint in an HVLP spray gun, but in some models, you will need to thin the materials first to get the right viscosity (consistency). The HVLP sprayer will give a smooth finish if you get this right though.
Some say it will give you a better finish quality compared to an airless sprayer, but this is open for debate.
Happy painting!
