When most people think about Wagner sprayers, they certainly don't think about them being used for commercial purposes. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of us are used to seeing the Wagner paint sprayers in the local hardware stores that are either airless or power sprayers for use around the home. To be certain, Wagner certainly does put out an excellent product that can be used for residential purposes but their products do not stop there. As a matter of fact, there are a few Wagner sprayers that are perfectly suited for larger commercial jobs, or industrial use.

Let's first take a look at some of the Wagner paint sprayers that are available for use around the home. These come in a variety of different sizes for all kinds of different conditions and jobs that can be done. Some of the sprayers are perfectly suited for changing the color on walls, or doing larger jobs inside of the home. There are also some other sprayers, such as the HVLP products which are perfect for whenever you need to have a little bit of finesse. These are well suited for doing smaller jobs, such as painting wicker furniture.
The power sprayers that are available through Wagner are some of the best tools that are currently on the market. These are probably the Wagner paint sprayers that you are most familiar with, being the ones that are usually shown on TV and that you will see in a variety of different stores. One of the reasons why they are so effective at taking care of painting jobs around the house is because they have dual tips, something that is fairly unique. This widens the range that they are able to paint while lowering the overspray that takes place. That is why it is an excellent choice for larger jobs, as well a smaller jobs around the house.
Wagner also puts out a number of different sprayers that are perfect for smaller contractors and maintenance crews. These have motors which run anywhere from 5/8 horsepower, all the way up to three quarter horsepower and can certainly provide you with what you need in a small industrial setting. If you are just starting out as a paint contractor, one of these power sprayers can also assist you in getting your business off the ground, as it will do an excellent job on painting homes.
Wagner sprayers have been in business for quite some time and they are one of the most trusted names in paint sprayers that is currently available. You can use Wagner paint sprayers for a number of different applications, and many of them are able to be used for a wide variety of situations as well. Many times, you will find that using one of these airless sprayers or one that is powered by a compressor is going to be one of the most convenient option that you have available to you. Not only will you save a considerable amount of time by using them, you will often be much happier with the outcome.
After a successful life in trading, importing and exports, Rupert now spends his time writing freelance articles for many well-known publications, as well as various educational institutions. For more of Rupert's articles regarding paint sprayers, please visit http://www.paint-sprayer-reviews.com/
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The smell of primer still hung in the air as I assembled the Wagner Power Tex spray gun for the first time. I had textured walls before but I used a big bulky professional texture pump rented at $65 per day from the local hardware store. I wasn't happy with the results from that tool so this time around I decided to buy the Wagner Power Tex spray gun for a little more than the cost of renting the professional equipment for a day. The rental tool pumps the drywall mud through a hose and shoots it out of a gun. While it worked OK for me, it was big bulky, hard to maneuver into small areas, up and down stairs and took about two hours to get clean.
Reading the on-line reviews for the Wagner Power Tex, I knew some people had good luck with the product yet some people failed miserably. I assumed the failures were due to inexperience. Clearly that had to be the problem. With my vast experience, I would have no problem at all. So, I forked over the cash and became the proud owner of a shiny new Wagner Power Tex.
I cracked open the box and dutifully read the instructions, mixed the drywall mud as described, waited 15 minutes as it said and proceeded to have an absolute wall texturing disaster. Big globs of streaming mud flew onto the wall. It looked like my wall was being attacked by slugs. I tried a thicker mixture and the slugs got bigger. I tried a thinner mixture and then nothing came out at all. The gun plugged up completely. After about 30 minutes of standing in the rain with a garden hose trying to clean the thing out, I called it a night. Completely defeated, completely soaked, completely covered in drywall mud and completely angry, I gave up.
After a shower I laid in bed pondering what had happened. The process of flinging drywall compound onto a wall is by no means rocket science. How could it possibly be so difficult? It simply can't be the equipment. Wagner would never sell something that worked so poorly. I've used their products before and found them all to be pretty darn good. If not the equipment, then it must be something else. I had tried different mixtures, but they all failed. Then it hit me. The problem was with the type of drywall mud, not the mixture!
Day two of texturing arrived and I started fresh. The gun was still clogged. It was so messed up, I ended up taking all of the screws out, pulling it apart and completely dismantling it. As I pulled it apart I discovered there were solid chunks of drywall mud formed to the shape of the inside of the gun. They were as hard as bricks. It appeared as though my thinking may be correct. The problem was most likely the drywall mud itself because there are all kinds of drywall mud available. I must have had the wrong kind. Some drywall mud is made to cover big cracks, some is made for top coating and easy sanding, some is made to dry fast, some is made to dry slow. That's it! I had simply used the wrong stuff.
After some experimenting, I have found that for the Wagner Power Tex, it is critical to buy pre-mixed drywall mud. In particular, I use the Sheetrock brand Plus 3 Lightweight Joint Compound which is the stuff in the blue bucket. I understand that Wagner Corporation may not want to endorse any particular brand in their literature, but I will advise you to ignore that. Ignore what the Power Tex instructions say about mixing drywall mud, ignore advice your drywall expert friends might give, don't try to buy mud that's a few bucks cheaper, just go out and get the Sheetrock brand Plus 3 Lightweight Joint Compound. It works.
The pre-mixed compound is designed so that it doesn't dry quickly when exposed to air. As you might expect, this is very important when you're blowing it though an air powered texture gun. It prevents globs, chunks and an overall seize up of the gun. A five gallon bucket easily did two 11×11 bedrooms a hallway, an average sized kitchen and a small dining room.
Besides getting the right drywall mud it's also critical that you get it the right consistency. The real magic comes with thinning the material to the EXACT consistency the gun needs. Even though you're buying the pre-mixed mud, you will need to thin it to make it work well in the Power Tex sprayer. Getting the correct consistency is so critical to success that it's almost criminal that so little mention is given to it in the Power Tex instructions. If you get the mixture just a little too thin, it will run down the wall. If it is too thick your neat little orange peel pattern will turn from little circles and splatters to inch long comma shaped globs and lines.
To get the correct mixture you will need something to mix the mud in and something to mix the mud with. I use a metal paint mixer attached to a drill and mix in a plastic dish pan. The drill just makes the process go faster for bigger jobs and the dish pan is easier to work with than a bucket. There are no hard and fast rules, you can use anything to do the mixing except your bare hands! Just be sure to get it mixed to an even consistency.
Start out with a clean 16 oz glass of water in the bottom of the dish pan. Now add about that same amount of pre-mixed drywall mud. This should get you a gray slurry that has the consistency of water. Slowly mix in small amounts of mud until the water/mud mixture gets a consistency that's slightly thicker than water. Now for the important part. How do you know how thick to make it? What exactly is “slightly thicker than water?”
I have read people describe it as pancake batter but that doesn't do me any good. When I make pancakes, if the batter comes out a little thick or a little thin, it doesn't matter to me. I'll still eat them. You don't have that much room for error here. When you lift one side of your dish pan with just water in it, notice how the water quickly moves freely to the other side. When you add that first batch of mud, the mixture should have the same consistency as plain water. The surface tension should not have changed yet. As you add mud, the surface tension will begin to change and you'll notice the movement of the mixture within the pan becomes a little less water-like. Be careful! You want it right at the point where it's just a little more resistant to movement than plain water. The absolute best comparison is to try to get it to behave exactly as latex paint does. Read that last sentence again. It's critical! The mixture should be a runny thick liquid with the exact same viscosity as latex paint. Use some latex paint you've got sitting around as a comparison.
Now that you've got the consistency right, try to avoid mixing up huge batches. A half full hopper is heavy enough and if you spray for too long you'll start to worry less about a quality job and you'll start focusing on just getting through that last bit of material in the hopper. A half a hopper and then a break to refill it works well. It also helps to avoid spills. For large jobs, don't mix up larger batches, find a helper to mix mud as you're spraying. With a helper, you'll be able to do a complete ranch style house in just a few hours.
With the mixture ready to go, it's very important to tape off and cover everything when you're texturing walls. This is by no means a clean process. There will be drywall mud everywhere, including in your hair, on your clothes, on the ground and all over your hands. Spend time prepping the area or you'll regret it. Fortunately, if you do have some over spray, you can clean it up right on the spot quite easily with a damp sponge.
Finally we get to the actual spraying. The hopper acts as a giant funnel. When it has more material in it, there's more weight pushing material through the gun so a lot comes out in a hurry. You may find that you'll need to stand a couple feet from the wall with a full hopper or you'll get too much material concentrated in one spot on the wall. Use this to your advantage. Do the ceilings when the hopper is full. That way you don't have to hold your arm up as high. Once there's a little less material, work on the walls. The design of the Power Tex Lock 'n Go hopper allows you to easily shift from walls to ceiling and back again.
A last bit of advice on this product is to practice, practice, practice. Maybe try a wall in a closet, basement or garage wall first. Pay attention to the distance your arm is from the wall and keep the distance consistent as you're spraying. Go back and forth in a straight line, not an arc. Avoid pointing and shooting little spots to fill in light areas, sweep over them a second time. Practice with different amounts of trigger pull. It's not hard once you get the hang of it, but it requires focus. With a little practice and a few walls behind you, you'll be a pro!
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