Hey Randy,
Random thoughts on interior painting.
I hate it.
I've tried cheap sprayers (Wagner, et. al.) and found them unsatisfactory. Noisy, technique-dependent, and provide poorer results than good, old-fashioned rollers. I like how the roller shoves paint into the surface instead of just laying it on there.
Likewise, any sprayer requires much more meticulous masking procedures than using a brush and roller. I like that part of the job even less.
Are you painting the ceiling a different color? Purists will tell you that you need just a steady hand and good technique to cut-in the edges of the ceiling and the wall where they meet. Apparently, I do not possess the painter purist gene.
One technique that a friend told me (that I have used effectively) is regarding masking tape and bleed-through. This only works on relatively smooth surfaces and only if you buy good tape (3M Blue tape is okay - not the cheap beige kind) and only if you adhere the tape well. When you are taping off an area (say you have painted the ceiling white, and have extended that white a bit onto the wall to ensure you get a good line) and you want to then paint the walls a different color. After you tape the edge of the ceiling and before you paint the new color, you paint the important edge of the tape again WITH THE OLD COLOR (white, in this case). That way, IF you get a little bleed-through under the tape, it is the color that is already on the area that you are trying to retain. Then, you paint your new color, which is much less likely to bleed under the tape.
My favorite technique, however, is to just avoid it until my wife can't stand it any longer so that she does it.
How long does it take everybody else to decide on which color to use? I think last time, we spent three trips standing in the paint aisle getting paint chips followed by considerable consternation at home before picking one of the three finalists out of a hat. The result was great, but man, getting to "which color red" was tough. btw, plan on about 4 coats if you are painting anything red.
Good luck on your project, Randy. I'm happy for you, and eager to see the results.
