Spray emulsion paint: Interior wall coating with WAGNER spray equipment

For painters, emulsion paints are probably the most commonly used working material. However, the more surface area that needs to be renovated or recoated, the more time, energy and material can be saved if the paint is applied with an airless sprayer instead of a roller. In this guide, we would like to provide all painters, decorators and all other trades people with the information they need to spray emulsion paint efficiently and precisely .

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Airless spraying of emulsion paints - is that possible?

Yes, emulsion paints are suitable for airlessspraying without any problems. For ideal processing of the paints, it is best to pay attention to a few points:

The paint should ideally be at room temperature. Then the components combine more easily, so it is properly mixed. If the viscosity is low - it is therefore very thin and easy to process.

If the paint is very thick, you can thinit. This facilitates the application of paint and you save material - a positive side effect. We recommend a dilution of up to 10%, depending on the material.

When spraying emulsion paint, always wear a respirator mask inaddition to protective clothing.

For further questions on processing, protective clothing and much more, it is best to take another look at the manufacturer's instructions for the container or the associated data sheets, or in our WAGNER Sprayguide - there we have tested various materials and manufacturers for you and also linked you to the technical data sheets of the manufacturer.

Fields of application of the interior dispersion

Interior emulsion has many areas of application. Of course, exterior masonry paints are also available - you can find more information on this application in our instructions on how to spray exterior paints.
Wall paints are not just about the classic smaller renovation jobsinvolving some walls in a client's rooms. Here too, of course, you have a time advantage and the walls of the flat are coated in no time at all. But in particular, interior emulsion is used in both new and on a large scale buildings. Here you still have the advantage of a lower masking effort, because floors are partly not yet laid in these projects. Underground garages and cellarsare also often forgotten. Here it is often a question of large areas to be coated. The larger the area to be coated, the easier it is to work with an airless unit. Because thanks to the speed, precision and the elimination of the frequent carrying of the paint containers, you save all the more time, energy and material.

Contractor sprays ceiling with emulsion paint

Instructions: How to spray wall paint with a WAGNER Airless unit

Only 5 steps are required to achieve an even surface result and at the same time finish a large area in a short time:

Step 1: Prepare surfaces

You already know it from painting with a roller and brush: First, the substrate must be cleaned and old flaking paint removed. As with all painting work, you should cover any surfaces properly that are not going to be painted (such as the windows). Ideally, use a combined masking tape and film to protect the surrounding surfaces. Protect floors as usual with painter's dust sheets.

Step 2: Provide unit with appropriate equipment

Connect a hose of a suitable length for the application. Place the appropriate filter in the spray gun - for emulsion paints this is the yellow one or, for paints with high viscosity, the white one. Then select the appropriate nozzle: For wall paints, nozzles with a nozzle bore of 17 to 19 are suitable, which indicates the size of the bore in thousandths of an inch and thus influences the flow volume. The front part of the nozzle determines the spray angle in degrees and thus the width of the spray jet. We recommend the WAGNER HEA ProTip nozzles, which have two atomisers in succession, which allow you to work at a lower pressure and with a uniform spray jet. This reduces the overspray by up to 55% and thanks to the lower working pressure, better control of the unit and a longer service life of the nozzle and airless unit are guaranteed.

Step 3: Prepare material

To mix the wall paint, it is recommended to stir the paint in the container with a stirrer. Then hook the suction hose in the paint bucket and set the switch to "Prime". The paint is then sucked in and any residues or other materials (water, preservatives) are displaced from the unit. Wait until paint comes out of the return hose. Now switch to "Spray" and aim the spray gun into a bucket until your emulsion paint comes out.

Step 4: Adjust the appliance and spray the emulsion paint

Turn your attention to the pressure setting of the unit. Basically, the pressure should be high enough to supply the nozzle with enough material so that the spray jet has an even paint distribution over the entire spray angle . However, unnecessarily high pressure leads to more overspray and faster wear of the unit and nozzle. As a rule of thumb, the pressure should only be as high as necessary to achieve an ideal, smooth spray jet. With optimally adjusted spraying pressure, the spray pattern runs out finely without forming any edge stripes. It is best to check the setting briefly on a piece of cardboard or similar. If the spray pattern is not yet ideal, or if small splashes of paint form, readjust. Start with the corners and edges and then fill in large areas. Always keep as constant a distance as possible of 10 to 25 cm and at a 90° angle from the spray gun to the wall. Then start moving without tilting the spray gun and only then pull the trigger. Move the gun at a constant speed.

Step 5: Cleaning the airless unit

At WAGNER, we attach great importance to the fact that the airless spraying equipment is easy to clean and maintain. In the operating instructions of the respective units, we have listed which cleaning modes are available and which parts you can dismantle and clean yourself . For a long service life, place the tip used in a cleaning agent (such as WAGNER TipClean). Clean the unit, hose and gun with warm water. If it is unlikely that you will use the unit again for some time, fill in a preservative .

The advantages over a roller and brush

No matter which WAGNER product you use - spraying wall paint instead of traditional painting methods provides many advantages.

Higher working speed

We have already tested it - if you spray emulsion paint instead of painting it, you save a lot of time. And we have also taken into account the cleaning time.

Higher opacity

A paint roller not only lays the paint on the substrate with the fibres, but these fibres also automatically reach into the existing paint and lift it up again in places. Therefore, it is a laborious undertaking to paint a perfectly opaque finish with a paint roller. Before applying a second coat, you need to wait until the first coat is completely dry, otherwise the applied paint would only be displaced. When spraying on the emulsion paint, this is no longer a problem: The material is applied evenly and covering the surface - and if necessary, a second coat can follow directly, wet on wet.

Material-saving application

When applying the paint with a sprayer, you save material. The paint is applied thinly, but is still opaque. With the right settings, the overspray is also very low, so that little paint is lost. If you notice splashes of paint or streaks at the edges, you should adjust the sprayer - because these do not occur with the ideal setting.

Airless devices are cheaper in the long term than rollers and brushes

High-quality paint rollers and brushes are also not cheap - and need to be replaced frequently. Our airless equipment, if handled correctly, has low wear and tear and saves you material costs through economical use. The one-time expenditure of the acquisition costs is clearly worth it. In addition, the risk is kept within limits, because when you purchase a professional unit, you also benefit from our WAGNER 3+2 guarantee.

Fatigue-free working

Working with a WAGNER airless unit is convenient and saves a lot of energy - because you do not have to carry the paint containers as much. Thanks to flexible hose lengths, you can continue working with the spray gun while the sprayer and paint container can easily remain in place. This not only saves energy, but also time! Accessories such as the nozzle extension also enable easy spraying of hard-to-reach areas such as ceilings, window reveals or soffits.

No unwanted surface texture

Since there is no contact of any kind touching the between the application method and the paint on the wall, there is also no unwanted surface texture. This way you don't risk getting brush, hair or roller marks.

What is emulsion paint and what is it made of?

Emulsion paint is so called because it is always a dispersion - i.e. a combination of two or more substances that do not actually chemically combine with each other. Most of the time, an emulsion is present. This means that these two substances do not separate. The simplest example of an emulsion is milk, in which water and fat do not separate. For this, it needs a solventin which the other ingredients are dissolved. This can be water, for example. To prevent the individual components from separating, there is a binding agent. These are often synthetic resins, acrylic resins or other plastics. The colouring is created by pigments or other dyes. Finally, additives are added to give the wall paint certain properties. Fungicides, for example, are relevant for exterior paints to prevent fungal infestation. Preservatives ensure that the colour does not deteriorate.

Stir the emulsion paint with a stirring stick

Which WAGNER unit is suitable for spraying wall paint?

Our airless sprayers are suitable for professional use. These have the appropriate performance and are particularly suitable for professional painters and specialist companies.

The ideal WAGNER sprayer for emulsion paints

To spray wall paint, we recommend airless equipment with direct suction. This means that you place the suction tube of the airless device directly into the paint container and do not have to transfer any material. Units with hoppers are only useful when dealing with very small areas or when the colour to be sprayed has to be changed quickly and often (for this, the XVLP spraying process is ideal). For frequent use and large-area spraying , we therefore recommend the following powerful products with direct suction:

Spray emulsion paint: Interior wall coating with WAGNER spray equipment

Airless spraying of emulsion paints - is that possible?

Fields of application of the interior dispersion

Instructions: How to spray wall paint with a WAGNER Airless unit

Step 1: Prepare surfaces

Step 2: Provide unit with appropriate equipment

Step 3: Prepare material

Step 4: Adjust the appliance and spray the emulsion paint

Step 5: Cleaning the airless unit

The advantages over a roller and brush

Higher working speed

Higher opacity

Material-saving application

Airless devices are cheaper in the long term than rollers and brushes

Fatigue-free working

No unwanted surface texture

What is emulsion paint and what is it made of?

Which WAGNER unit is suitable for spraying wall paint?

The ideal WAGNER sprayer for emulsion paints

SuperFinish 23 Pro Spraypack

SuperFinish 33 Plus Spraypack

ProSpray 3.20

PS 3.31 Airless Spraypack