Exterior Painting: Sprayers vs. Rollers & Brushes

When it comes to painting the exterior of your home, there seems to be an ongoing debate about sprayers vs. the more traditional method of rolling and brushing. There are some common misconceptions among homeowners, and we’re here to set the record straight!

The most common topic of debate has to do with “brushing in” – the idea that using a brush or roller applies more force against the siding of your house, and thereby pushes the paint into the fibers for better coverage and adhesion. Simply put, that’s a myth.

First and foremost, if you’re repainting siding, the paint is meant to adhere to the old paint, not push through it into the fibers of your siding. Paint doesn’t need additional pressure from a roller or brush to do its job. Proper adhesion occurs with the appropriate prep and priming, as well as using quality paint and doing a good job with whatever tools you choose for application.

The assumption that sprayers don’t provide as much coverage likely comes from bad experiences with subpar spraying work. Modern sprayer technology can provide just as even, thorough, and durable paint coverage as rolling, and reach places that rollers cannot. In fact, using a sprayer often provides a more even coat with significantly less labor.

Now, it’s important to keep a few things in mind if you’re planning to take on an exterior house painting project yourself… Using a sprayer does require more prep time, from assembling the equipment to properly masking off areas that shouldn’t be sprayed. You can make up this time, however, with the speed at which you can apply paint with a quality sprayer (and less ladder climbing, manual rolling, and overall labor).

It’s also worth considering that properly handling a sprayer is a learned skill, and without the right paint, pressure, and so on, it’s easy to make mistakes. Using a roller and brushes may be the better choice for DIY exterior painting, but only because of the learning curve of effective, efficient sprayer use.

There are many situations where a combined approach is appropriate too! Every situation is a little bit different, and both methods have their pros and cons. At CertaPro, we rely on our skilled professionals to make informed decisions about the best tools to use for a particular project, and in most cases, we opt for using modern sprayer equipment for a variety of reasons. We get better results, create less waste, and get more done in less time.

If you have any questions about the best way to repaint the exterior of your home, or want to trust the job to CertaPro’s expert team, contact us at any time!