Choosing between a $200 paint sprayer and doing it by hand for my garage door was a nightmare

I had this old garage door in my place in Springfield that needed a full coat, and I couldn't decide if renting a Graco sprayer was worth it or if I should just use rollers. I went with the sprayer to save time, but the wind picked up and I got overspray all over my neighbor's fence. Now I'm stuck cleaning that up and the finish is still uneven. Has anyone else had a paint job go this wrong with a sprayer?

3 comments

3 Comments

brookerobinson28d ago

Wait wait wait hold on, @riverg75 said it's "just paint on a fence" but it's a neighbor's fence lol. That's not some random bush you can just hit with a hose. My neighbor still brings up the time I accidentally sprayed his mailbox two years ago. He put up a whole new fence last summer and I guarantee he'd lose it if I even looked at it with a paint sprayer. A power washer might fix the overspray but it could also strip the stain off his wood too. That's a whole different kind of nightmare I don't want to get into.

the_alex2mo ago

My cousin in Toledo tried to spray his deck last summer. He didn't cover the bushes next to it. Looked like a green and white snowstorm hit them. Took him a whole weekend with a scrub brush and a hose to get it off the leaves. Wind is no joke with those things. Makes you wonder if the time you save is even real.

riverg752mo ago

Okay but "nightmare" feels like a strong word here. It's just paint on a fence, not a house fire. A little soap and water or a power washer will fix that overspray in an hour. The uneven finish is annoying for sure, but it's a garage door. It's gonna get dirty and banged up anyway. Sometimes we make these DIY projects into a bigger deal than they need to be.