Graco Magnum 262800 X5 Stand Airless Paint Sprayer, Blue

I have an old house with low basement joists since the basement was never supposed to be a living space, so a drop ceiling wasn't an option unless I wanted to walk hunched over all the time. I called a couple of pros for estimates and they wanted $2K-$3k for just the joists. Then offered to do all the new walls for another $2K. I am not paying that kind of money for an interior paint job I could do myself. After watching some youtube videos I found they had a common theme, black dryfall paint and a Graco sprayer. I know what you are thinking, "you just said you had low basement joists and dryfall paint needs 10' to work correctly". You are correct BUT I wanted it because it looked like a good black and I didn't need to prime any wood to use it. Not only that but stuff isn't expensive compared to paints and primers. I did some comparisons of the different Graco models and I decided on the X5. I could have gone to a lower model but with what this was potential saving me I felt comfortable spending a little more for the X5. I also ordered most the other supplies including a respirator and a couple disposable painting suits from Amazon and had everything in time for a Saturday morning of fun. Menards actually had 5 gallon buckets of dryfall at the store so I bought that local. Paints sprayers are fast but it takes a lot of time to prep your paint space. After much cleaning and prepping I got to work with the Graco. I read the manual front to back but really you just need to follow the laminated quick guide. The sprayer is pretty simple to use, prime it up, take some test sprays to get your pressure just right, and then start painting. The first coat took me probably around 6 hours to get it all applied. The next day I looked and I was a little dismayed. The wood soaked in the paint differently all over the place and I either missed some spots or did a light coat in some places. It was difficult painting because my mask and work light would get coated in over-spray and they would have to be cleaned about every 3rd joist. You have to use more paint than if you were to brush or roll, however the actual time of spraying is a fraction of the time you would be rolling or brushing. On Sunday I did a second coat which went much faster. Now I had a rhythm and some experience so it went quicker. Not only that but I didn't have to apply it as thick as before. The next day I went down and uncovered all the lights to see my handy work. I can honestly say, I don't think the pros could have done much better than what the Graco did. The second coat evened everything out and the coverage was great. The wood, romex, PVC, and duct work all looked good. The pros would have done the duct work and PVC a bit better than me but you really have to look close to see the spots where it was too thick. Everyone that has seen it can't believe I did it myself because of how great it turned out. Not sure if that is a compliment to the Graco or an insult to me. Since the ceiling turned out so well, I decided to try my luck with the walls. I had to do a bunch of prep work to cover the ceiling but it turns out it was all worth it. Since this was all on new drywall, I primed the entire area. Rolling the area would have been a few hours but with the Graco I did the entire space in about 40 minutes. Once you get your rhythm down it goes extremely quick. To be honest, I was a little disappointed when I ran out of wall to paint. The result was smooth and even walls. I know I wouldn't have gotten the same result if I would have rolled those walls. It turned out really well. When I did apply the paint I only did one coat since everything was applied so smooth and evenly. Cleaning the Graco isn't fun. I saved the dry fall buckets and then ran water through the system and into those buckets which then went to the hazardous waste recycling center. The latex paint was easier to clean and dispose of since I was able to let those buckets dry out. I then ran the Graco pump armor through it and it is now waiting on the shelf for the next project. The Graco, suppplies, and paint ended up costing around $1K for what they wanted to charge me $5K for. I have some diehard DIY people in my family (they did my framing and drywall) and they all said the same thing after seeing my painting, "Hey, can I borrow that paint sprayer for my next project?" If you have a large painting project, this thing is a must.

First time sprayer user here. Instructions were awesome, on a placard not paper, and easy to refer back to at any time, which I sure did. Extremely easy to set up the machine, took no practice to use it, and wow does that thing put out paint! This weekend I pressure washed, dried then primed and painted TWO 20 foot long, 8 feet wide, 8 feet high steel cargo containers. This machine made it an absolute joy to do (as much as one can enjoy such a project on a hot humid day anyways...) The only area where I had an issue was of my own doing: I used paint I'd opened prior and had reshaken, not thinking about all the small pieces of dried primer and paint I'd encounter. The filter in the spray handle worked great, the filter on the intake was easy to clean albeit messy, and the best part was the nozzle - you flip it around to blow it out, flip it back to continue spraying - super simple and effective. I'd give this machine more than 5 stars if I could!!

I have a cedar fence in my backyard. Two sides are 125 feet long and the back is 90 feet. It's 6 feet tall. It needed to be re-stained. I got two estimates and was blown away by how much they wanted. I figured it would take 18-20 gallons of stain so at $35 per gallon that's no more than $700. The rest (over $3,000 in one case) was all labor. Being reasonably handy and in no real hurry I decided to do it myself. I got some wood cleaner and used it with my power washer to prep the wood. I pulled back dirt along the fence line and I was ready to go. But, I didn't have a sprayer. I considered renting one at my local big box store but, after doing some research, I figured out that I could buy the X5 and it would be cheaper that renting for this project. So I got one and I'm glad I did. Setting it up was pretty easy. They include a laminated sheet with instructions for set-up, priming, spraying, clean-up, and storage. The first time I used it I scratched my head a bit but mostly because I wasn't familiar with the controls. It took me about 5-6 hours to stain the entire fence but it was over a 3 day period. No clogging, no problems at all. Because it came with a 25 foot hose I did spend some time moving it to a new location. Other more expensive models have wheels but the X5 isn't very heavy and certainly weighs less than the 5 gallon bucket with the stain. A longer hose would have been convenient but not necessary. I got good coverage on my fence. I used a semi-transparent stain and it looks terrific. It didn't take long to figure out the right flow. Cleanup is also easy. My stain was water based so I followed the instructions and blew water from a garden hose through the sprayer and I was done. I don't know how often I'll use this sprayer. I bought it on sale for around 275 - great investment.

This is a professional grade sprayer. The instruction video is very good, and I recommend watching it several times. Everything needed to run the sprayer is included. Our first project was an exposed basement ceiling. The coverage within the overhead floor joists was very good once I got the fan of paint oriented correctly. The finished job looks great. We used thin plastic sheeting to mask off the adjoining walls and you must be careful, the spray ripped the masking right off the wall, demonstrating just how powerful the spray is coming from the gun. Speaking of using the sprayer, it does have a lot of pressure and wrestling the stiff paint hose and sprayer around over head was a bit tiring. We purchased our paint in gallon cans and we went thru 3.5 gallons of paint in about 1 ½ hours. If we would have rolled (impractical) or used brushes it could have taken all day. I recommend taking the sprayer and associated hoses outside to perform the cleanup. The hose that attaches the gun to the sprayer is really stiff and hard to maneuver, I'm sure this is to handle the pressure. We sprayed with latex and it cleaned up pretty easy, the solution to keep the sprayers internal seals lubricated after use came with the kit. All in all, not being a painter, and really not enjoying this type of work I would recommend this machine. It made short work of what would have been a long and difficult painting project. With this sprayer we will be able to paint the outside of the house this summer and for that we will save a lot of time and also $$ on the the expense of a professional painter. It may seem like a lot of money for a sprayer, however you get a unit, that with proper maintenance after the fact will allow you to keep your home looking nice for a lot less effort. I would recommend this equipment.

I'm spraying the thickest exterior latex enamel through this machine and it has performed flawlessly without the need to thin the paint. The hose connection on the intake tube allows for very easy cleaning of the internals and hoses. The only drawback that I have found is that the diameter of the return line screen end is very difficult to get through the top hole on the 5 gallon paint bucket; I like leaving the lid on the bucket while spraying to keep debris out and to protect from a major spill should I pull on the hose to hard.

Love this thing! I did watch YT videos as well as Gracos videos. Had to clean out several times bec I didn’t want to clog the machine. I used 3M masker with tips form painters online to mask off door and trim. Even as a newbie I got a fantastic finish. Recommend for new users- Watch videos. Take the time to learn aspects of the machines. Settings. Tips and pressure needs. It doesn’t take long but is well worth it. Expect to use more paint than is normal. Sometimes a lot more if u dotn setup the machine correctly Pay attention to temps before u plan to paint Takes longer to cure and your specialty paint may need a range to be applied best Also use really good lighting. With the finish this gives u really need well lit area. Older eyes especially. I only painted during daylight hours and above 50 degrees ambient temp Buy 2- 5 gallon pails with lids and devote them exclusively to paint jobs. Wash each out well after using. Have hose ready with control valve or u will be walking back and forth too much. I got the extension wand but really didn’t need it for jobs so far. Prep, prep, prep WELL. No sprayer will help u if u don’t prep whatever u r painting well. I will post pics later but am working on metal exterior doors right now and I spent a LOT of time prepping. But the end result was worth it. Go to sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore or a specialty store who knows paint! Dont use cheap stuff. Use good primer and paint. It makes a difference. And make sure To use proper primer. Store can help. Big box stores r convenient but they usually don’t have all the expertise u need Be prepared for mistakes and messes at first. Use drop cloths on concrete or where u don’t want to have paint should it spill But cheap plastic drop cloths and use on walls around your painting. Prevents overspray from clinging in the air and then onto surrounding areas. Consider using a masker. 3M 3000 is well known and very very easy to use when u learn. I just watched YT videos and bought masking tape, Brown paper, paper blade or plastic blade. Practice. It’s EASY! If u have compressor use air gun to air off dust or use a dusting brush just before u paint. That fine dust will mar ur beautiful finish if not Get some help if u r short or not real strong. Moving ladders and buckets can be helpful with friend. Use paint strainer bags. They r pretty cheap and will keep u from clogging your tips If u leave your gun for a few min and then it won’t spray ur strainer is likely plugged. Uncouple the gun break it down (easy peasy) and wash throughly before trying again. It’s not worth the aggravation. After it happened to me I was careful with wash thru Do washing outside. Who cares if some paint on grass better than inside your house Suggest u get big spring clamps -CHEAP- at big lots or WM or any big store for cheap cheap and use them to hold lines to side of buckets. The suction and discharge lines from machine r rather inflexible and can pull bucket over or pop out of bucket. Use 2 on each but don’t crimp hose. I put the whole deal on a table and it made it much easier. Use light coats. Much better than glopping it on. 2-3 coats works great great great! Watch YT videos on methods of application. Doors should be vertically up and down motion but other items are different. It does make a difference and practice with some plain old cheap latex paint first. U can spray on cardboard or ground. But u need to see the pattern and ensure that the paint is not ‘tailing’. Easy to adjust and easy to fix Buy extra tips as u go along. There r differences. If u r just using general purpose walls in ur home or priming things the tip that comes with it is fine and easy to use. But if u need a fine finish like for doors or cabinets try a FFLP FINE FINISH LOW PRESSURE. I have been using a 315FFLP and it has given me truly incredible results Very proud of it Tip. Watch for the width of tip. Learn what the numbers mean and it’s easy easy. These tips r the latest and newest and allow u to use about half the pressure normal spraying would need They also produce an incredibly fine finish which looks utterly fantastic. Wear PPE. ESP respirator with cartridges. U dont want to breathe in paint over and over, and this machine atomizes so well that it will float in the air Wear clothing u r willing to throw away. And keep wearing it until u r done. Be prepared for actually WANTING to do painting. can u believe it! Lastly. Don’t expect to be painting the first day. Practice yes but not painting. Prep is far too long to be able to get all done. When I was about to do 5 exterior metal doors I spent majority of time using airplane remover to get the main paint off. It is the best for removing large searches instead of sanding etc. use respirator. That took more a day. Then I had to sand all the remaining and then use Bondo to fix dents and holes etc. sanded that and re did the bondo again. I used TSP and washed each door throughly off. Extra water for removal of all residue. Waited for them to dry and after drying, I took all the weather strips out of jamb and masked it per videos from YT. I primed four exterior doors at once. Made it much easier for cleanup. Sanded lightly and re primed with second coat. Sanded and then went for the gusto. I am about to paint them all at once. Gotta tell ya the painting is the FUN part. It’s takes literally seconds to do a door with this thing. SECONDS ! Will update later with some photos of some projects.

I just painted my 2300 square foot house with this sprayer. I sprayed about 22 gallons of paint and it came out great. I did not have a single clog and I never stirred or strained the four 5 gallon buckets of paint I used. The paint I used was freshly mixed valspar from lowes. I took about two months to paint the entire house. I basically did one side of the house at a time. I power-washed, scraped, sanded, caulked and taped the windows doors and trim on each side of the house before spraying (not to mention cutting back bushes etc). Prep, Prep, Prep. Prep is the hardest part about painting. The spraying was the easy part. I was able to leave it covered overnight without cleaning it and it sprayed just fine the next morning. In between sections of the house I just cleaned it while I prepped the next section of the house. The sprayer sat with just water in it for a couple of weeks at a time without putting pump armour in it. Consider buying one or two extension poles with adjustable angle spray nozzles. I bought a 3 footer and a 6 footer. I used the 6 footer 75% percent of the time and was great for getting under the eaves. The 3 foot extension was great for ground level painting. Using the 3 footer is easier than painting close up with just the sprayer. The best thing to do is to go around your house and and go through the motions of actually painting it and you will get a good idea of how long an extension pole you may need. If you are not using an extension, and even if you are, please get some eye protection and a face mask. The closer you are to that spray nozzle the more paint is going to get in your eyes and lungs. I'm one of those guys who likes to be prepared so I bought the extra bottle of pump armour. Don't do what I did. You only need 2 ounces to store the machine. The bottle that comes with the machine has an 8 ounce bottle, so unless you are going to be repeatedly storing the sprayer you don't need the extra bottle. Expect to waste a little paint. And don't forget to consider the paint that will be in the machine and the hose when deciding how much paint you will need. Also consider that you will need 2-3 inches of paint in the bottom of the can to maintain suction.

Works great, nice finish can be achieved Hose is too long , uses a lot of paint