Brushing vs. Spraying Pros & Cons
House Painting: Brushing vs. Spraying Homes
When you are deciding whether to paint the exterior of your Raleigh home or any location, picking the right painting contractor with the right skills for your specific home improvement project is critical. One of the most important parts of the job to consider is deciding if you want your home brushed or sprayed!
There are many people who prefer their home hand-painted, while others believe that spraying offers better coverage. Is your contractor trying to sell you something that you don’t need in an effort to make more money?
In This Article, You’ll Find Out the Following:
Areas to Spray or Brush
There are two major areas outside a home that can be either sprayed or hand brushed. One of those areas is the siding. Both Jame Hardie lap siding and masonite are commonly found outside Raleigh homes. Other areas, such as gutters, downspouts, porch ceilings, and shutters, can also be sprayed.
The one surface that is almost never debated is brick. Exterior brick homes are always sprayed. Just as a side note, gray homes with white trim are a new trend that looks amazing!
Typically, the trim and doors are hand-brushed. However, brushing siding is a costly task. Hand brushing typically will take upwards of 2 coats of paint for full coverage. So you should expect a long project timeline.
The major advantage of hand brushing is the ability to force the paint into cracks where caulking is not used. This method is advantageous for delaminating siding.
Spraying vs. Brushing Masonite Siding
Masonite lap siding is commonly recommended for a hand-brushed job. Hand brushing helps preserve the siding by pushing paint into every lap, and it will seal the edge of each board where Masonite tends to swell and expand due to water damage.
Spraying siding will be cheaper, and painting is completed faster. But the process of spraying also demands more time in order to cover areas, set up, and clean the machine. There will be a lot more paint used for the project too.
Spraying often only requires one coat for repaints, providing a smooth finish free of brush strokes and roller marks.
Spraying vs. Brushing When Changing Exterior Paint Colors
Spraying is a much better application if you are changing the color of your home. Spraying covers better, and the application is more uniform. Spraying has no brush strokes and offers a more durable satin finish that looks much nicer.
Hand brushing a new color may not give you the complete, even coverage you are looking for. A spray gun will give you full coverage and a more even coating for your new paint color. Spraying is more versatile and can be used on many different surfaces with an even finish and little paint stipple.
Project Type
When deciding whether to spray or brush, there are a few factors to take into account. If your project is small, it may be easier to have your house hand-brushed. For a small house, if you choose to spray, you may end up spending more money on the preparation and clean-up rather than painting.
If you have a tight timeline, spraying may be a better option because it is way more efficient than traditional brushing.
Consider the type of finish you want when your house painting is complete. Brushes will, in most cases, leave some form of brush lines. Spraying will leave a smooth finish.
How Much are you Willing to Spend on Painting your House?
Spraying will be less costly, with more preparation involved. Hand brushing will be more expensive overall because it is more labor-intensive.
Keep in mind that it is important to pick a quality paint product no matter which option you pick. A quality product will last longer in the long run and have a cleaner-looking finish whether you spray or brush.
Thinking of Painting Your Home?
Do you still have questions about spraying vs. brushing? We provide professional services and aim to make our customers feel as comfortable as possible for each project from beginning to end.
We believe in providing transparency to our customers. We are a locally owned mid-sized company striving to provide the Triangle area with the best exterior and interior paint jobs. We specialize in both spray and brush exterior paint jobs.
We provide services to the Raleigh, NC, Cary, and greater Triangle areas. For further service, call us at 919-426-4928.
