Can You Use Spray Paint on Interior Walls and Ceilings?


I’m sure you’ve all seen videos of people spray painting exterior surfaces in just a matter of seconds. While spraying is great for outdoor painting, is it possible to use it indoors too?

It’s perfectly fine to use a paint sprayer to spray paint indoors. Spraying is a faster and less laborious way of applying paint, and it makes light work of difficult-to-reach areas. The downsides include extra preparation and having to purchase a paint sprayer and the extra paint that it uses.

This article is going to show you:

  • The pros and cons of spray painting indoors
  • The best paint sprayer for walls and ceilings
  • How to get a professional finish when spray painting

Are Paint Sprayers Good for Indoor Use?

Sprayers allow you to take some shortcuts that you cannot take when using a roller or a brush. Though it is better to clean and scrape a wall before you begin painting, a sprayer will not peel back the previous paint like a roller.

A sprayer will save you a substantial amount of time when painting an indoor room, even when you factor in the masking time. Painting with a spray gun can be up to five times faster than using a roller.

Spraying will cost you more since you need to buy a sprayer, and you will use more paint than with rolling. Most people find that spraying on paint is much easier than they thought it would be, and it can take some of the monotony out of painting.

Sprayers are perfect if you want a fresh coat of paint without spending hours filling and sanding. A sprayer will cover everything and get into the holes and cracks that a roller would not reach. A hose spray gun is lightweight and still has the capacity and power to cover a wall with paint at least as thick as a roller can.

Is It Safe to Use a Paint Sprayer Indoors?

Spray paint does not damage walls, but you need to be careful not to oversaturate drywall if you use water-based paint. It is safe to use a sprayer indoors if you use precautions.

Open the windows while the paint dries and wear safety goggles and ventilators. Make sure that children and pets are banned from the room until the odor of paint dissipates.

Paint Sprayer vs Roller: Which Is Better for an Interior?

Spraying on the paint can be easier than a roller since you can paint awkward corners. You will find that you can do a lot more from ground level with a sprayer, rather than having to go up and down a ladder with a roller.

Rollers are hard work and will flick tiny flecks of paint all over the room. Rollers are cheap, and you can catch drips as they form by rolling over the area again, which you cannot do with a sprayer. You can also get away with less masking than with spraying.

Does Spraying or Rolling Use More Paint?

Standard airless spray guns waste around 40% of the paint that comes out of their nozzles. This waste will go down if you use one of the newer HVLP spray guns that can run at up to 80% efficiency. On average, spraying wastes a third more paint than a direct application with a roller or a paintbrush.

Which Is the Best Paint Sprayer for Interior Walls and Ceilings?

When spraying inside your home, you want a sprayer that is simple to use and the least heavy to lift. All-in-one sprayers are often less expensive, but you will be holding up a full paint can and the motor for the duration of the time you spend painting.

Wagner’s Spraytech Control Spray Max comes with a 20-foot hose, which splits the gun and paints from the main compressor unit. This means that you have less weight to lift, you can spray for longer with fewer breaks, and you have more control over the paths you spray.

Wagner makes a range of all-in-one sprayers that are fine for smaller rooms if you do not want to deal with a long air hose.

How to Spray Your Interior Walls and Ceilings With Paint

If you intend to paint the entire room, then you should begin with painting the ceiling first as this will help you to control the drips. You will need to cover the floor with protective sheeting to catch splashes.

You also want to stop the flow of fumes to other rooms in your home by closing all connecting doors and even sealing them off further with painter’s tape. Follow the below procedure to get the best result from spraying paint onto your walls.

Step 1: Smooth and Clean

As with all paint projects, they should begin with a surface that will give your paint the best base. Scrape off loose plaster and paint, then fill all holes, cracks, and dents with a filler. Once the filler is dry, sand everything level.

Before you continue, it is worth wiping down the areas that you will paint with a clean damp cloth. This will remove clumps of dust that would ruin your paintwork, and a damp wall will help the paint to dry slower and prevent flaking.

Step 2: Mixing

You need to get the paint consistency correct before you try to pour it into the sprayer’s tank. Too thick, and the paint will block the nozzle and the pump. Too thin, the paint will run down your wall as you spray it on.

Guidelines for the type and proportion of thinner to use will be on the paint can. As a rough guide, the paint should be around the consistency of warm cooking oil. When you are pouring the paint into the sprayer, it should not have trouble flowing through a funnel and into the tank.

Step 3: Spraying

Test the sprayer on scrap wood. To check that the paint is a good mix and that the nozzle is producing an even mist at 12 inches. If you are happy with the preparation, begin at one of the corners of the room.

Hold the sprayer at a 90-degree angle and move it in sideways sweeping motions. Once you have done all the corners, pick a wall and spray on the paint until finished. Do one wall at a time and overlap each layer you spray on.

Unlike painting with a roller or a brush, the sprayer will show the paths of painting less, though it is still better to keep the motions parallel. Wait for the paint to dry before trying to spray on a second coat.

How Do You Spray the Walls and Not the Ceiling?

If you do not want to paint the ceiling, you will want to mask off the area with plastic sheeting and painter’s tape. Start by masking off the border between the wall and the ceiling, then use a 12-inch masking paper.

A foot of masking paper should be all you need to protect the ceiling from the back-spray coming off the wall. But if you want to be sure, you may want to tape plastic sheeting over the entire ceiling.

Joshua Milton

I want to share everything I know about home improvement in order to help you. Whether you're a home enthusiast or an industry professional, I have the information that you need.

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