This is a sponsored post. That means someone is paying me to write it. So why read it? Because it's about a product that's so great I contacted the company to ask them if I could do a sponsored post for them, as opposed to the other way around.
They didn't contact me. I contacted them. And here's why.
When I decided this was going to be the year of painting everything outside, I knew I was going to need a better plan than a) painting everything with a brush and roller myself b) hiring a stranger to do it or c) hiring my cats to do it. I don't mind hard work blah, blah, blah, but I'm sick of spending every minute of every spring and summer building, fixing and breaking things. This was going to be the year I didn't have a single big thing to do. So I wanted to figure out a way to make these jobs go as quickly as possible leaving me in a good mood to enjoy the summer and not turn into a broken down, scribble of swear words.
I'm not sure how the thought came to me but I started researching paint spray guns. I had 3 big painting jobs. Picket fence, front porch and potting shed. So I was willing to spend a bit of money on the gun but didn't want to go too nuts. That research led me to the $89 Wagner paint gun which had good reviews.
I picked it up at Home Depot and by the next day I was spraying. It was great. I used it to do my picket fence because that's the first thing I had to get painted. Once the plants around it started to grow I wouldn't be able to get anywhere near the fence for the wall of leaves.
Neighbours stopped and asked me about it and I told them how much I loved it, then it got to the point that I was pulling people over who weren't even interested in it and telling them how much I loved spraying paint.
SO. As soon as I was finished my fence I contacted the company (Wagner) to tell them how much I loved it and asked them if they'd be interested in doing a sponsored post with me. They said yes. And would I like to try out their more advanced sprayer?
Yup. Yup I would.
This is what's known as the hero shot
A week or so later the Wagner 890 arrived in the mail. I painted my potting shed with it and then I sent the company another love letter.
I was a bit worried I wouldn't like it as much as my $89 one. But I did. It was like going from a very reliable but no options car to a fully loaded Mercedes. That sprays paint.
The 890 came with 2 spray heads, one for big projects and another one for finer detail work. Each head has multiple adjustments to make the flow change directions, spray harder, softer, more paint, less paint ... you get the idea.
But here's the thing that makes this gun the winner. And I didn't even know it was a feature until I unpacked it.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO THIN YOUR PAINT WITH THE 890.
Anyone who has used a paint spray gun knows it's a pain because you have to thin your paint otherwise it won't run through the sprayer. You do not have to do that with this gun. I *did* have to do it with the $89 one.
You still have to filter your paint so there aren't any blobs in it to block the sprayer.
I used a trouser sock to filter. Because I always like to do things in the most professional of ways. If you want to be a little more traditional you can use an actual paint filter which you can either buy or beg from your local auto body shop. I'm not sure why the sprayers don't come with a small supply of paint filters but that would be about the only suggestion I have for Wagner. Include a few paint filters.
And just so you know even brand new paint can have the odd blob or guck in it. See?
My potting shed has needed a clean up since the day I moved in. At one point it matched all the raised beds around my backyard which were cedar, but I switched those out for raised beds painted in a gray/black many years ago. I therefore decided I wanted to paint my potting shed the same gray/black colour. I'm going for a sophisticated modern feel in the backyard and the only thing holding me back was the cedar shed. On the upside the shed was cute. On the downside the shed was cute.
Here's a timeline so you can see exactly how long things took compared to the days it would have taken with a regular brush and roller.
Also here's a WOW list. The things that make this thing great.
WOW list
- No need to thin paint
- 2 different spray heads for different jobs
- Multiple settings for paint coverage, air flow, paint direction etc.
- Comes with a BUILT IN air compressor. It's right in the carrying case
- Makes painting fun. No joke. F.U.N.
Prep work
2.5 hours (scraping the shed a bit, taping out windows, door hinges and putting up plastic to prevent overspray from getting on the fence and my flagstone patio, pre-straining paint)
Spending a bit of extra time doing realllyyyy good prep work will save you hours and hours of clean up in the end. Things like taping out windows properly.
Remember to cut off any overhanging tape otherwise once you paint, you'll have a bald spot where the overhanging tape was.
Total painting time
1.5 hours. Tops.
No joke. I timed it. It technically took me longer because I had to stop and take pictures and run out into the street screaming at people to come watch, talk to the police and let them know there was no emergency, everything was fine I was just excited, by the way did they want to see my new paint spray gun?
It took 7 minutes to paint each side of the shed. (Because it's in a corner my shed only has 2 visible sides). I did 2 coats of primer on both sides. So we're at 28 minutes. Then I did 3 coats on each side of the shed with my actual colour, gray/black. That's an additional 42 minutes at 7 minutes per side. now we're up to an hour and 10 minutes. There were a few things to slow me down like dragging out the ladder, refilling the paint container, which needed to be refilled several times.
I realize that's a lot of numbers so just know this. I painted my shed in about the same amount of time it would take to eat a really big cookie.
This is me priming. I primed right over the light fixture above the door because I'm replacing it this summer.
I thought cleaning the thing was going to be a huge pain but it only took about 10 minutes to clean the sprayer when I was done so that wasn't as horrifying as I thought it was going to be.
Wanna buy one? You can buy it here if you're in the States. If you're in Canada, the Flexio 890 isn't available yet so the Flexio 590 is your option. You can buy it on Amazon.ca but at the time of posting this blog it's cheaper to buy it from Home Depot.
I absolutely 100% recommend this thing. I even painted a wicker love seat with it the other day because I knew it would do such a great job of getting into all the crevices. It only took 10 minutes, not counting the amount of time it took me to find a neighbour's porch with a wicker love seat on it.
Done.
Liz
fresh and fabulous!..and your hair, that looks like very fresh and fabulous blonde. No better feeling :)
A guy.
Nice job.
I am getting ready to paint the inside of my garage and was going to rent a sprayer, but I may change that plan and buy one of my own.
BTW, you look even better painting than you did having a mammogram, which was not too shabby.
Lori
Looks fabulous!!! I definitely need one of those!!
Melissa in North Carolina
Great post, Karen and great comments from the peanut gallery. The shed turned out amazing, really. I love that custom color. It coordinates perfectly with your amazing backyard. I agree, you do look pretty cute for painting! The spray gun hose got some paint, but not Karen! If I ever need a spray gun I would buy this one.
Since you made no replies regarding the stacked planter I'll be keeping my eyes open for the how to's in an upcoming post. Thank you in advance!
Kim
I love reading the comments on your posts almost as much as your posts. So funny! I have a wooden garden/pool shed in my new house that has been left to weather "au natural" and needs a serious refreshening. I'll bet my Benjamin Moore store is the same as your Benjamin Moore store. Maybe I'll paint the shed - and my front door - Bertelsen Black. :-)
Paula
My husband and I had a professional painting business for 40 years. We always used pantyhose/trouser socks to strain paint. Since I wore no pantyhose on the job we sometimes resorted to buying the knee highs new to use. Cheaper than paint strainers and easy to find. Imagine the looks my husband got one day at a yard sale when he scored a grocery bag full of pantyhose and assorted knee highs! He was thrilled, the people there were suspicious. We brought them home, dumped in the washer without touching and after drying I cut them up to proper strainer size. We never bought any again. We retired four years ago and still had some left.
Carolyn
I have never used a paint sprayer, so I wonder, is this a painting tool that is only used outdoors?
Can you use it indoors to paint walls, ceilings etc?
Are there pros/cons for indoor painting with one?
Karen
HI Carolyn - I haven't used it indoors yet but I plan to. If I get brave, lol. This model is made for using indoors as well as outdoors. You just have to do a good job of masking off the rest of the room with plastic. My sister who is looking to buy a new house said she'd use it for kitchen cupboards that needed to be painted. It has a really nice finish so it would work well for those. ~ karen!
Maggie
The bulk of my painting work is the paint prep. Do you know anything about soda blasters?
I have an old house with peeling paint, and even with perfect prep, it mostly bubbles and peels the same month I put it on. I've even heat gunned all of the (probably lead..) paint off, sanded, wire brushed, TSPd, primed and painted with high quality paint. Apparently, although the wood looks good, it may have had too much sun exposure / is too old and will now just not absorb paint (this I heard on a radio show).
I have a big old house and barn, and can't afford to reclad the house at this point.
halp! I don't mind painting, but I garden too, and similarly feel our short Canadian summers are in danger of being renamed "the Season in which Canadians Frantically Prepare For Winter"
Sheri
Hi,
is your house insulated? Mine is peeling a little even though I had it professionally painted. And they did a pretty good job. I have read that moisture inside the house will cause paint to peel. Insulation is supposed to help prevent that.
marilyn
looks great karen
Alex
Nice work! Love the black shed - I'm on the same black paint kick. I have a bright red bench that I need to paint black. Amongst a thousand other things.
~JackieVB
Well your timing was perfect - so I ended up pulling the trigger and buying this on Amazon (Amazon Prime member and I really think it's worth it.) I know you do a lot of research before making a purchase so that saves me lots of time. And the tip you provided about filtering the paint I think will be very useful - I didn't see anyone mention it in their reviews. I have a number of outdoor projects I can use this for and who knows, I may even get brave enough to try it indoors.
Ev Wilcox
Good post! We know that if you recommend something it must be good! Love the color, and the fashionista doing the painting looks cool too! If I paint I have to gird up as for battle, and the paint usually wins. Shed looks great. You have a really nice & interesting home Karen!
Mary Werner
Love the look even though I loved how it looked in the snow, also. BUT, it really looks great now and your post is awesome. Color awesome, I can't wait to see the rest of your backyard - looks so inviting. Love the grass rug! How perfect for your new "theme". Love your shoes - maybe do a DIY on making cheap imitation ones using a Sharpie. Your pot tree is great - just amazing post. Your broom is handmade and gorgeous!!!!! Is your middle name Glenda - that would explain your magical powers?
jaine gayer
Love the color! So chic!
Su
Very nice... how DO you paint in a white tshirt and not get paint on you? I love to paint stuff and I am a BIG fan of sprayers but no matter what tool I use I get paint on myself..... Looks Great!!!
Jody
Now I know what I want for my b'day (not bidet). Old wicker rocker, fence, porch. Here I come.
Rose
Wow-it looks fantastic. I need to paint my front porch this year. How did you clean/prep the wood? Did you scrape or sand it all or use a pressure washer?
Karen
For my picket fence I used a pressure washer Rose because it was really peeling all over the place. I tried the pressure washer on the shed and nothing peeled, so I just gave it a quick wash with the pressure washer (not concentrating on actually washing off any paint/sealer) and taped out the windows etc. ~ karen!
maggie van sickle
Great job Karen as usual. Love he chosen colour.
Karen
Thanks Maggie! I was a bit scared doing it but I'm glad I did. I LOVE it and it looks 10X better. ~ karen!
Lesley
What a fantastic job you've done, and I love the colour! This has been a very timely post for me as my shed also needs to be painted. But first I need to find someone to reshingle it, and probably replace the wood-sheathing (yes, I've waited THAT long to reshingle!). You can't exactly call up a roofing company to fix the roof of a 7' x 9' shed, and I'm afraid of heights, so I can't be doing that myself. If I wait long enough (like long enough where the whole thing just collapses), I could probably just call a shed-building company, in which case, I wouldn't need to paint right away. See that; I don't need to paint my shed after all. Ok, never mind.
Karen
LOL! ~ karen
lisa
The shed looks great - but tell me more about that stack of planters! How are they held together? What is in them? Are they going to be a flowing waterfall effect of vines or a towering stand of something else? Is this like your rose cake/cake plate post where we get the main "slice" first and then the extra little "cookie" next?
joanne
I was wondering how long it would take for someone to ask about the planter. Gorgeous!
Tris
Yes! I was wondering about the stacked planters as well! Apartment living doesn't allow me to paint anything, sprayer or no sprayer, but I do get to container garden on the patio. It looks like pots have little slots cut into the bottoms to make them stackable. Help us, Karen! Please!
Karen
You ARE going to learn more about the planters in an upcoming post, lol. Next week in fact. Good eye! ~ karen
Nancy Blue Moon
Great..they look like the perfect place for an herb garden!!!
Tris
YAAAAAAAAY! Thanks, Karen!