Applying masonry paint can seem like a daunting task. Especially on uneven surfaces such as pebbledash or breeze block. Because of this, you may well be tempted to use a paint sprayer.
But is this even possible? Can you spray masonry paint? We did some testing at our workshop to find out for you.
The Results
Yes, you can spray masonry paint. In fact, spraying masonry paint is an ideal way to paint bumpy surfaces such as breeze blocks as the paint is fired into the gaps.
Testing
In order to give you that confident conclusion above, I did a fair bit of testing. I didn't just guess or use other people's answers like a lot of other websites would do.
No, I put the hard yards in and actually did some painting using masonry paint and sprayers. I actually used two different spray systems, one was a spray gun attached to my compressor and the other was a Wagner electric sprayer.
I thought this would be a good idea as not everyone will be using a compressor and the cheap electric sprayers are getting more and more popular.
Compressor & Sprayer
I have a compressor and spray gun up at the workshop so this is what I will be using for this test.
You can see from the permanent marker reminder etched onto the side that this compressor is normally used for a pin nailer, but today it starts a whole new life as a painter's compressor, exciting stuff for our yellow friend I’m sure.
After a lot of messing around with sprayer settings and paint consistency, I watered it down quite a lot which I recommend you do to if spraying, I finally got the spray gun pumping out a consistent spray.
Here you can see a block painted by the spray gun. It did a good job in the end, but there was a lot of setup work, and it wasn’t particularly fast while painting. I videoed the process so have a look below for yourself.
Why Spraying Masonry Might Not Be A Good Idea
So we can see clearly from the testing that you can spray masonry paint. But there is another question you should be asking before embarking on spraying every brick in sight.
That question is simply should you spray masonry paint? The answer is not as clear as the can, with caveats to the answer.
If you are indoors in a controlled environment, like I was in my workshop, then sure go ahead and spray masonry paint. Although to be honest I did find a large brush more effective anyway.
If you are painting outdoors, which in all honesty the vast majority of people will be, then the answer gets a lot murkier.
Spraying Your Neighbour's House
While this might not have crossed your mind as much of an issue beforehand it is something to seriously think about. Once the masonry paint is aerosolised by a sprayer it can cover large distances.
All it takes is a breeze to blow in and take your paint spray down the road and the next thing you know next door has paint spray all over their house and windows and worst case even their car!
The paint particles can travel and land a long distance away, I wouldn't consider spraying unless you were in a detached house, with no nearby neighbours.
I didn't find much of a speed advantage with spraying masonry paint compared to rolling or brushing. When you couple this with the danger factor of accidentally painting your neighbour's car then spraying starts to look like a bad idea. And that's before I even get onto my next point.
Prep Work
If you are planning on spraying the outside of your home with masonry p[ain't then you better do a lot of prep work first.
This includes masking off any surface you don't want the paint to get onto. So that's all windows, window sills, pipes and drains, doors, satellite dishes and possibly even more.
That's going to be a lot of effort. An effort that is not required if you just use a brush or roller.
So while spraying masonry paint may be quicker once you are actually painting than rolling or brushing both of these methods involve much less prep bringing the times a lot closer.
Conclusion
So while it is possible to spray masonry paint I would only recommend it in areas where you can control the spray.
If you are indoors in a garage or workshop for example then sure, go ahead and spray. just make sure you wear a proper respirator and goggles.
If you plan on doing the exterior of a house though I wouldn't risk it. There is a serious chance you will end up getting paint speckles all over your neighbour's homes and even cars. It is simply not worth the risk, at least in my mind.
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