Paint Spray Gun vs Roller/Brush: To Spray or Not to Spray, that is the question

Paint spray gun vs roller/brush is always a debate, indeed that is the question. I have been eagerly awaiting the perfect day to paint my garage doors, and it appears I have only nine days left to wait:

Yes, I realize most Americans are still in parkas, but let’s chat during my scorching summer heat… I think I have the color and type of paint I want, now the question is to spray or to roll? Have you ever painted with a spray gun before? I have once and admittedly the result was lackluster at best. There are benefits with each option, I’m just not sure if my skills are up to a spray gun challenge.

Pros and Cons of a Spray Gun:

• If you are painting inside EVERYTHING needs to be taped and masked off or you will have a big ole painty mess. Prep time for a small project makes spray guns not worth it.
• Unless you paint a lot, the good paint guns are expensive and don’t justify most DIY projects (you might be able to rent one though)
• There is an art to it. If you don’t know what you’re doing you’ll get drips and splotches on your project. Professional painters make it look easy, but I don’t think it is.
• If the prep time (and clean up) justifies it, the actual painting time is minimal. Once a project is ready to go you can zip right through. New homes and large projects most often use sprayers. The prep and clean up with spray guns is often more (or close to) the paint time.
• The spraying gets every nook and cranny, it reaches all the irritating corners and holes.
• You will use less paint over all, one coat can do the trick
• If done correctly, spraying leaves an even, beautiful coat of paint!

Pros and Cons of Rollers/Brushes:

• Any old shmo can pull it off (yes I’m talking about myself here)
• Startup cost is minimal
• Prep time is minimal (yeah)
• Painting can be long and several coats are often required to get the finished look you want
• Brush marks or darker roller lines take more effort to eliminate

My amateur opinion of spray vs roller depends on how you answer these questions:

1. Is your project large? At least more than a couple of rooms?
2. (Probably the most important) Do you have the skills to use the spray gun correctly?

If you answer yes to both, spray… if you answer no, use a roller!

So, for this garage door project?

I am debating, with a laundry list of things to paint, the new shutters (same color as the garage doors), Adirondack chairs by the pool, a dresser, and more. It’s tempting to rent a sprayer, practice on all my more insignificant projects and if I feel confident enough then I’d spray the big daddies above. The clean up would be a beast, but I am dancing a little at my computer just thinking of how fun a day of painting would be. Maybe I’ll make it my very own painting day marathon. Spray guns kick out a lot and your arms and body get speckled with paint, so I could even paint on a Saturday so I look awesome when I show up for church on Sunday! Hmm, it’s all fun and games around here. What do you think, paint spray gun vs roller/brush?

Happy Creating!