When we moved into our house we replaced all the interior doors because they were beat to hell by previous owner's dogs and kids. That was over two years ago and we still haven't painted the new doors - mainly because of how daunting the task is (I think there are 13 doors total). Well, this summer it's getting done.

I don't currently own a good paint sprayer, but I do have a compressor. Is the best way to knock this out to buy a sprayer, take them all outside and paint them that way? Or is the slower brush approach going to give us a better-looking end product? Any advice on sprayer and approach would be most appreciated.

How big is your air compressor? Paint spraying is as volumetrically taxing on a compressor as it gets. Electric sprayers have come a long way

https://hingestand.com/products/hinge-stand

If you're going to spray, consider a fabric carport to spray in - something like this: Link

There are a lot of options out there.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Graco-Cordless-Handheld-Airless-Paint-Sprayer/5015111829?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-pnt-_-ggl-_-CRP_SHP_LIA_PNT_Online_C-D-_-5015111829-_-local-_-0-_-0&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIh67zwKTShgMVDDYIBR3vXgGNEAQYASABEgLpaPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
These work surprisingly well.

Probably not big enough. Electric may be the way to go.

I tend to use oil based paint on doors, and I usually put on a pretty heavy coat with two brushes, a big one to lay it on and a smaller one to get the edges and panel corners. But I worry about runs/drools if I stand them up.

So I screw two 3/4" x 2" x 30" (or so) sticks perpendicular to both the top and bottom edges of the door. Make sure they extend an equal amount from each face. So now the door can lay flat (no runs) and it looks like a table (it does require a bit of space) on legs. Fairly comfortable height for painting depends on length of sticks. Later or next day I get an extra pair of hands and flip them over and recoat.

This gives good results but it does require a bit of space.

So is the consensus that spraying is the way to go? Better results than using a brush?

Yes, spraying will get better results and much quicker. Whatever system you use, there might be a learning curve but once you get past that you'll spray a door in less than a minute.

I have the Graco Magnum X5, and found best results using the 315 spray tip.

Are the doors a "grainy" type of wood? If so, take the easy route and roll them and brush. Won't be able to tell. This will keep you from having to take them off hinges and deal with that.

If they're a smoother surface, you're gonna have to spray. Good luck. Tons of prep and set up but the painting is quick.

If you're in/near central Texas (I'm in New Braunfels), then I'm going to be selling a Graco Magnum ProX19 pretty soon. Like this one https://www.homedepot.com/p/Graco-ProX19-Cart-Airless-Paint-Sprayer-with-20-in-Tip-Extension-25M506

Interestingly, I also bought (separately) the 20 inch extension which I'll be selling along with the sprayer.

May be more than you need for this job.

Don't overthink this. Spraying will give you the best finish. Spraying is generally more prep. What HP is your air compressor? Get a $20 harbor freight gravity spray gun. Practice spraying with water to figure out how to adjust your fan etc. lay all the doors out, spray one side a few coats. Come back a few hours later & do the other side. You'll spend more time cleaning the gun than you do spraying.

Spraying is fastest and looks the best

If using an airless get some pro mar 200 water based alkyd at sherwin williams and use a 311 tip to shoot them. Put 2 4 inch screws on each end and spray them flat on saw horses to eliminate the run risk.


You can also roll and back brush them but you have to be fast and I would use a nylon brush with flotrol to help keep the brush marks out of the finish.

Thanks, but I'm out in Georgia.

Appreciate all the helpful advice, everyone!