Is an 150 psi air compressor enough for spray staining or painting

spraypainting

Is an 150 psi air compressor enough for spray staining or painting? I have just tried one and the compressor kept working continuously

Update:

this is the gun
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-hvlp-air-spray-gun-set-36-pc-0589311p.html#srp

and this is the compressor
https://www.lowes.ca/air-compressors-kits/porter-cable-c2002-0-8-hp-6-gal-150-psi-pancake-tank-electric-air-compressor_9676167.html

Best Answer

It isn't the maximum air pressure that one should consider when using a compressor for painting. You will want to match the specifications of the device being used to paint with the compressor selected.

If you have a paint gun that requires 10 cubic feet per minute (CFM) at 80 psi, and your compressor provides 2 CFM at 150 psi, look for the ratings at lower pressures. A properly documented product will list more than one figure, not only the high end of things.

Typically, the high pressure figure will have a low CFM to match, but it does not mean that you'll get the higher CFM at lower pressures either.

As part of this research, I located a spray gun that lists to require 6.4 scfm @ 50 psi. If you locate a compressor that provides 7 scfm @ 50 psi, you'd be good to go, but if it lists that 7 scfm figure at 40 psi, you would be risking a mis-match.

Airless sprayers use pumps to force paint through the nozzle, turning it into an aerosol for application. Similar systems use air pressure to apply force to a liquid, driving it through a nozzle in a similar manner but not using the air to convert the liquid to an aerosol, in the manner of ordinary spray painting.