Paint!

So what is the total invesment for materials? How large of a compressor did you need?

Looks really good. I thought most people were using mineral spirits and a roller to do the $50 rustoleum paintjob.

Was there a reason why you opted to not use mineral spirits or a roller? It seemed to be the general consensus that the mineral spirits caused the paint to 'even out' and have little orange peel.

Taiden wrote: Was there a reason why you opted to not use mineral spirits or a roller? It seemed to be the general consensus that the mineral spirits caused the paint to 'even out' and have little orange peel.

Less time than rolling.

my buddy put , easily, 100 hours into his high-quality-looking roller paint job.

he could have probably prepped/sprayed it in less than 1/3 of that time

Good reason. :)

I had great luck with a harbor freight gun. I used one to smoke the tail lights on my escalade and it looks better than the paint cadillac put on it

We sell a gun similar to the harbor freight one.

It's a chinese built copy of a SATA gun. I have one and I've been pretty pleased with the results considering it's a $40.00 paint gun.

Well worth the price.

Shawn

Nobody ever said roller painting was faster. It's simply less expensive most of the time and generally far less messy, with no special air tools required. It's an alternative. And it certainly can produce results on par with the Saab in this thread.

I would not be so quick to blame the paint gun. While spraying paint is easy, getting things set up just right is not. Add more problems if you are not using automotive paint that comes with pretty specific mixing and pressure instructions. The orange peel our painter got I think is more the result of incorrect thinning ratio than anything with the gun.

Either method requires practice to do well. Expecting quick, perfect results your first time out is a bit like expecting to win the Solo Nats the first time you go.