Before you break out your Wagner paint sprayer and start painting, it's important to be prepared. This includes having all the right items to make your DIY paint spraying project go smoother and learning how to use a paint sprayer before climbing ladders and figuring it out in the air.

It doesn’t matter if you’re painting a room inside, or paint spraying the exterior of your home, we highly suggest covering anything you don’t want to get paint on. This is easy with painters plastic found at most hardware or paint stores. Use the painters plastic and painters tape to mask off the windows, doors, floors and woodwork – basically anything you don’t want to get paint on.

To reach high areas, you’re going to need a ladder. We suggest for you to use a ladder where you can reach the highest spot without having to go higher than then 2nd or 3rd highest rung. If you’re unsure on how to use your ladder, make sure to read those safety instructions too. Also, if you’re a commercial or professional painter and on the job site, you’ll want to make sure you’re using all equipment in accordance with OSHA guidelines. Another pro tip, when using your Wagner paint sprayer, wear a face mask to avoid inhaling overspray, especially on a windy day.

After you’ve gotten everything masked off, you’re ready to start using your paint sprayer. But before you start climbing ladders and paint spraying your house or interior walls, we highly suggest learning how to use a paint sprayer first. Also, it’s much easier to learn how to do this while you’re on the ground versus up on a ladder. To familiarize yourself with your sprayer, we suggest practice spraying using the included Wagner spray poster, and if you need additional practice to get comfortable painting with a sprayer, large flattened out cardboard boxes work great too. Before you begin spraying paint make sure you’re comfortable spraying in both a horizontal and vertical spray path.

One of the most convenient things about Wagner FLEXiO Paint Sprayers is your ability to spray any latex or oil-based paint or stain without having to thin the material. This makes FLEXiO HVLP Paint Sprayers a popular choice for home and professional use. After filling the paint reservoir, you'll want to learn how to adjust your sprayer. The adjustable spray nozzle makes painting with a sprayer easy.

If you’re paint spraying side-to-side (left to right, right to left) select a vertical spray pattern. This will produce a tall, thin oval of paint from your paint sprayer. Spray laterally while moving the gun from side to side at a consistent pace, and keeping the tip of the sprayer a uniform 6 to 12 inches from the surface as you spray. Make sure to avoid arcing at the end of your stroke. Adjust the distance and speed of your movement to get full, even coverage from your paint sprayer.

Change the spray pattern to horizontal, this produces a wide oval-shaped spray pattern. Practice spraying with an up-and-down stroke, using the same technique you just practiced for lateral paint spraying. Now that you have a feel for how the spray pattern behaves, you're ready to start your paint spraying project.

To ensure the color you selected stays accurate to what you saw in the store, we suggest spraying a coat of primer first, especially if you’re painting over a darker color with a lighter one. Depending how closely you have masked out windows, doors, frames, fixtures, etc., it might be easier to edge these areas out, with a brush or Wagner Edge Roller. Here are our other tips for wall paint spraying efficiency: