Wagner any good? Not THAT Wagner.

July 6, 2009 10:02 AM

Anyone have any experience with Wagner Paint Sprayers?

I've got a LOT of wood fencing that I want to seal (probably with Thompson's Water Seal). I'm thinking about getting a Wagner sprayer to apply the sealer. I'm seeing mixed reviews, so I turn to my fellow MeFis for guidance. Really want to hear from someone with personal experience.

posted by te1contar to home & garden (9 comments total)

The one and only time I used one, it wasted a LOT of paint. Far, far more than using a roller or brush.
posted by Fleebnork at 10:13 AM on July 6

I was a professional painter for a while, and the guy I apprenticed under hated hated hated sprayers. Said you got better saturation and longer-lasting coverage with a brush & roller. Rolling the sealant on a deck/fence/other outdoor wood and then quickly running a brush over it, at the same time hitting the parts the roller missed, is incredibly quick once you get into the rhythm of it. Do a few of feet of fence at a time (how many depends on your speed) so it doesn't dry before you brush it, overlap each pass with the roller by 1/2 roller width, and it should come out without splotchy bits or roller lines. It's quick enough that I wouldn't bother with the expense of buying a sprayer.

Unless the fence is lattice work. Brushing lattice work is a chump's job, and pretty much impossible to do well without a sprayer.
posted by elizard at 10:22 AM on July 6

If you're using Thompson's Water Seal, you don't need a paint sprayer. Any hand-pumped garden sprayer or Hudson sprayer will do. Home Depot will sell you a cheap sprayer purpose-built for sealants like this.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:27 AM on July 6

I used one one time, and it was annoyingly loud - consider ear protection...
posted by mrmarley at 10:59 AM on July 6

Did my entire house with one - Wagner's paint devices are very sensitive to material thickness, and only have one output level. Practice with a sheet of cardboard to get the handsweep for good coverage down before you make a mess.

Also, strongly suggest one of the tube or backpack kits - Refilling that 'little' cup gets old quick, and the feed tube gets picky about hand orientation for the last third of the cup.

I'd follow CPB above and just use a hand pump sprayer if it works.
posted by Orb2069 at 12:02 PM on July 6

When I bought my house, part of the deal was sweat equity - I had to paint the house. I bought a Wagner power painter, read the directions, and followed the steps slavishly.

It was so frustrating to use that I actually smashed it on the bare concrete slab and stomped on the fragments in a rage.
posted by pjern at 12:17 PM on July 6

I took mine back to the big box hardware store where I bought it. The clerk who processed my refund said "yeah, we hardly ever sell one of these we don't get back...."
posted by eaglehound at 12:42 PM on July 6

i bought a wagoner to do something very similar - seal my fence. the wagoner was horrendous, barely worked and then it broke, i went back to the hardware store and they exchanged for a black & decker model that worked great.
posted by askmehow at 1:56 PM on July 6

err, very the same.
posted by askmehow at 1:57 PM on July 6