I am considering purchasing an air compressor for several tasks. I would like to get some information on their abilities and input on how well they work. All opinions welcome.
I will only be using it for small, sporadic jobs, such as nail/brad work for small wood or other projects, vehicle tires, and painting. What I need to know is what are the differences between the sizes of compressors I have seen and what is required for these types of jobs.
I know a 1-3gallon 1.5hp will inflate tires and do nail/brad work, but how is it on painting? Can I use one of these to paint a room in a house and not just woodworking projects? I don't expect to paint the whole house at once, but would prefer to spray and have one tool to do the job. I know the unit will remain running with longer jobs, but is a 12x10 bedroom too large for such a unit? What about the sprayers? Do they only come in pint or quart? Can they handle indoor latex paints?
I am very limited on space/storage, so I prefer a small unit. I suffer from health problems, so heavy objects can be a problem to move around and do not often have anyone around for assistance.
Any and all information will be greatly appreciated. I have already gleaned a good deal of info from the experienced people here and would like to thank you for all that you have shared!
I think you are asking for one machine that does several different tasks well. As a remodeling/repair contractor, if I could find one machine that did all you described I would certainly buy it.
So, I don't have anything to offer but my opinions. First, a compressor that will power nail guns, especially the trim type need not be anything more than a pancake. I have a little 2 hp that I lug to the job and it will even run my framing nailer for occasional use if I allow it to catch up. It runs all my trim guns fine. The same compressor will inflate your tires, basketballs, blow out your machines and help you clean off your projects. It will provide enough air to run some of the really tiny touch up paint guns out there.
A 1-3 gallon compressor is not nearly enough to power a paint gun of any size (maybe a Critter?), much less to paint a room in latex. And the guns you see that are HVLP conversion guns run by a compressor actually don't use any less air than some of the better made paint guns. And as far as spraying latex from an HVLP gun, be prepared to really thin it down, and make sure you have the proper aircap - probably in the 1.8mm or so range. But still, you will only spray a little less than a quart at a time. The thinned paint will cause you to make 2 - 3 coats out of a one coat job. And you should not confuse the fact that HVLP means no overspray, especially out of a compressor run unit. My compressor powered HVLP conversion guns have about 1/3 more overspray than my turbine powered HVLP guns.
And rather than to go through all the masking, taping, covering floors and furniture, moving drop cloths, covering a/c returns, etc., a little room like that would get rolled. Cut in your ceilings and trims, and roll away. Guarantee it is faster than getting all the above mentioned motion, and the fact that you have to clean the gun when finished.
Even with my high efficiency guns won't run on anything less than my
3hp compressor. It keeps up, but I can swamp it if I am not careful. You should know that the compressor manufacturers are second only to the shop vac guys in exaggeration when writing their specs, so get the most hp with the most CFMs you can afford if you are intent on doing any kind of painting with it.
I don't spray walls, doors, etc., inside unless I am painting the whole house and the carpet is coming out. Roller and brush only. And as far as that goes, I never spray latex out of any of my guns, except KILZ2 as a primer.
As for outsides, I use a small machine that works great with latex, a little Graco dx. It is about $300 or so, less as a rebuild, and we use them until they break and then throw them away. The one I have now has painted several houses, as well as numerous entryways, gables with new siding, etc. Still works like a champ, and when this one dies I will be down buying another immediately.
For starters, forget about painting walls with an air compressor and spray gun. The overspray is going to be horrendous to deal with.
Any air compressor can be used to power a spray gun, but for how long? Compressors have duty cycles, often around 50%. That is, if they run for 3 mintues then need to cool for 3 minutes. For small or occasional spraying jobs a
1Hp air compressor will work. If you want an air compressor that will keep up with a spray gun working continuously, you'll need 3Hp.
A 1Hp will power all your other tasks, brad gun, dusting, tires, etc.
Casper I am in total agreement with Robert, I have painted some cars and trucks professionally, a long time ago, I have also painted a whole house inside at one time, doors,windows and frames and wainscoting, then wallpapered and installed floor covering, so over spray was not a problem, and I did not have to tape of anything either, did have to clean the window glass, (was woman's work) just had all those newspapers placed on the floor sticking to my shoes . If $$$ is not really tight, than I would advice a oil bath upright compressor, and a loooong airhose, and you are covered, a Devilbiss or other cast iron low speed 2 to 3 Hp compressor would last you a lifetime, do all you need and are not deafening loud like all those oilless little wonders.
as others pointed out, you are asking for the impossible - I have a compressor that does all you ask - it weighs about 1000 pounds and runs on
220 - so it isn't small. You can't put a big compressor in a small package - you could prove this to yourself by working through the thermodynamic equations (let's see, adiabatic compression and then ....) or you can just believe us. a little compressor to run an air brush or a tiny drill/grinder is nice, a small pancake compressor will run a little nail gun, but a paint sprayer (and even more so, a sand blaster) takes quite a bit of air.
Thanks so much for all the information! I really appreciate it!!
I have not yet made any purchases. Even though the small compressors aren't very expensive, I'm still holding back for now, since I have an electric brad/staple gun. Is works so well, that it dims the lights in the entire house when you fire it off. Pretty new house (10 years) so I have to think that Stanley put some real effort into this gun if it can do that. ;)
I am not sure what I want to do about the painting aspect. I have a small badger painter that I can use for small projects, for now. I may check my area for rentals on paint sprayers for the house. A local friend said they aren't too costly here and that may be the way to go. I will let you know what I decide.
Since my workshop (if you can call it that) is so tiny, I really have to choose my necessary tools carefully. Right now my lathe (Jet midi) is in my utility room on steel stand that I modified to hold my tools. With a working area of about 5'x5', I have had to make compromises, but it has been worth it. With some good luck (crosses fingers), I hope to be able to make a bit more room later this year.
Again, I appreciate all the information and advise. While I don't often say much here, I am listening, and thank everyone for all that they have shared. You have all been wonderful and I enjoy all the knowledge and general conversation you are all willing to share.
`Casper
"Only two things are infinite... the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
If you're looking for something lightweight for painting, Woodcraft and Rockler have an HVLP sprayer for about a hundred bucks that doesn't take up much space, can be carried with one hand, and does a decent job. No compressor required, but it's about as noisy as a vacuum cleaner. Lot of plastic but all the parts that require precision are machined brass.
It has a one quart paint cup, so it will handle pretty substantial jobs.
For painting a room, the Wagner Paintmate Plus roller (not a powered tool) for about 30 bucks does a decent job--just make sure that you put a rubber band around the white plastic fingers that hold the roller on, otherwise it will keep popping off. Don't make the band too tight or you won't be able to get the roller on.
if the minor load from an electric staple gun "dims the lights in the entire house", you either have a serious wiring problem or an extrordinarily marginal electrical service that would not support any knd of air compressor. The load from a nail gun is much less than from a refrigirator of any reasonable size, something is seriously wrong.
I will check out the Woodcraft HVLP. I'm not really concerned about the noise unless it's to the point it hurts my ears.
My in-law's have a couple Wagner's and have offered to loan them. I am considering that, but leaning toward the sprayer and not roller. Why? I have walls that were pre-papered at the factory and have a texture to them. I am not sure how effective the roller will be until I test. I have to first prep the walls by cleaning off the unknown coating on them so that the new paint will adhere. /sigh.. not looking like fun.
Nothing else affects the electric except that gun. The house was build with a higher standard of wiring, per request. A borrowed 1.5hp/2gal compressor doesn't cause any dimming at all.
We have had way too many power failures. It took years for the electric.co. to re-run some new underground wires. Until then we had power outages every week, 1-3 times a week and at least one blown transformer a month. Although the new ground lines have improved things, we still get flickers and an occasional outage. I suspect it's the outside power source as the neighbors complain about the same. We have all been fighting this problem for years. It's only this past year we "may" have finally gotten to the point they are/will do something about it. Won't know for sure until we see it, but already have a new flood reservoir and they are widening the road as they add new roadside piping and parallel power lines. They are 1/2 complete.
I can't see from here what is actually on your walls, but if you aren't going to strip that paper (sounds like it might be vinyl coated), give an application of "liquid sandpaper" some thought. Its job is to stick to glossy surfaces and present you with a paintable layer.
One word of caution, though: IANAHP (I Am Not A House Painter) so my advice may be worth no more than the paper it wasn't written on.
Unfortunately this paper cannot be removed. I have done paper removal before and was suspicious when I took a good look at my walls. I found out that they were pre-papered during manufacture. If I had only known then...
I have been told if the walls are first cleaned with a mix (recipe around here somewhere), that it will removed the coating and provide a surface for the new paint to stick. But I will certainly keep the liquid sandpaper idea in mind.
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