Painting a new coat of paint is a stylish way to either make a statement with a new pop of color or to simply freshen up an existing wall. But which is the right way to go?
To be completely honest, it depends on your preferences and the situation you’re in. Meaning, it’ll depend on how you like the job done as well as the tools and space you’re working with.
Read on to learn the difference between spray versus roll paint on walls. By the end, you’ll be able to finally make up your mind.
Preparation Time
Prep time refers to the amount of time spent prepping your materials and the space where you’re going to work such as a shed, backyard, or garage. This also includes covering areas that you don’t want to get any paint on.
When using a roller, you don’t have to worry too much about the assembly or masking surfaces. The assembly process is pretty straightforward- you just need your roller and paint.
Since you have more control over the brush and where the paint goes, it’s easy to avoid areas that you don’t want to get paint on. Hence, minimal masking is needed.
Sprayers, on the other hand, have a learning curve. Meaning, you’re going to need to practice first to be able to master the proper technique and application.
Because sprayers aerate the paint, they have wide coverage. If the area that you’re painting isn’t bare (doesn’t have any furniture, lights, etc.) then you’re good to go.
Otherwise, you’re going to have to mask quite everything that you don’t want getting painted on. You’d be surprised at how many splatters of paint you’ll clean up if you don’t.
Application Time
Here, we can’t deny that spraying an entire wall will definitely take a shorter amount of time. This is because, as we mentioned earlier, the coverage is pretty wide.
However, there are longer rollers that you can purchase. The standard length is about 7 to 12 inches while longer ones go for about 18 inches.
Even so, sprayers typically have a longer nozzle and a powerful spray with a far reach. Once you’ve mastered its technique, they’re also great for textured surfaces and reaching little nooks and crannies.
Using a roller or an ordinary paintbrush on non-flat surfaces can be tricky. This is especially true for newbies since paintbrushes pick up quite a lot of paint which can make it difficult to control.
Coat of Paint
They both do quite a good job at distributing paint evenly. However, since the sprayer aerates the paint, there will be fewer streaks and lap marks.
Because rollers pick up more paint, you’ll have to work harder at evening it out on the wall yourself. Even so, you won’t have to apply as many layers since each coat is quite thick already.
However, it may take longer to dry especially if you want to ensure that each layer is completely dry before starting a new one.
Clean Up and Maintenance
Here, they’re both at the same level-they’re both tedious to clean up after each use and maintain. It all boils down to which you’d prefer.
For roller brushes, all you need to do is wash the roller thoroughly with soapy water to get rid of all the paint. Afterwards, dry upright to retain its shape.
On the other hand, sprayers are much more of a pain to clean. This is because you’ll have to clean and wipe down each nozzle, accessory, and extension to prevent clogs.
That ends our take on the difference between spray and roll paint on walls. At the end of the day, both are great tools and it all boils down to preference and project specifications.
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