While purchasing a paint sprayer is often a great investment, especially for those of us who like to get our hands dirty and paint things on a regular basis, but some jobs are best fit for renting a paint sprayer.
One of the problems that many people run into when going to their local hardware store for a rental is misinformed customer service from the sales associates. For those who aren’t very handy, we often take the word from the sales associate who may or may not have any experience using a paint sprayer. Because of this often times, you spend extra time and/or money renting a paint sprayer that doesn’t fit the job.
One good idea is to check small tool shops first
If you have read any of our previous articles, if there is one rule of thumb that we like to follow it would be to get the best paint sprayer for YOUR particular needs. While some paint sprayers are very versatile and can be used for just about anything, more often than not a small difference in price when you are renting a paint sprayer can make a huge difference in your paint job.
With all this being said, let’s take a look at 10 things to look for before renting a paint sprayer.
1. The Golden Rule- What is Your Purpose in Renting a Paint Sprayer
Often times when you are renting a tool it will be from a time period of 1 to 3 days and you have a certain job in mind. Some people will rent a paint sprayer for simple jobs such as painting a mailbox or some wooden furniture while others will invest in a commercial paint sprayer to paint their whole home or place of business.
The problem that many people find at hardware establishments, especially the chain operations that hire just about anyone, is that they are not trained well in the specifics of what paint sprayer fits a job. While they may know a little bit about everything in the store and can give you directions where to find something, knowing what is the BEST option is something that will be rare to find.
With that in mind there are certain paint sprayers to fit every job. Instead of going into detail about each and everyone of these, I will provide links below to some of our in-depth articles about which are the best paint sprayers for certain jobs.
Best Paint Sprayer for Large Jobs (Painting a home, a business, commercial property)
Best Paint Sprayer for Medium Jobs (Painting a shed, garage door, bedroom, etc.)
Best Paint Sprayer for Small Jobs (Furniture, bathrooms, dressers, etc.)
2. Look at Mom & Pop Stores and/or Painting Companies First
Like we said earlier the easiest and most commonly used option for those looking into paint sprayer rental is to drive up to their local Lowe’s, Home Depot, Menard’s or other popular all-in-one hardware store and to choose from one of their paint sprayers that they have in stock.
What I would do, was to look at more of the Mom & Pop stores or to see if any local painting company offer paint sprayer rentals to their customers. What you will often get from these establishments is better customer service and more in-depth knowledge than from the retail shops.
3. Price Shop
If you read some of our informative articles that provide you with all the free information you need and you have a certain paint sprayer model that you are looking for, it is best to shop around and find the best price that you can.
Often times small businesses will give you discounts on multiple day rentals and will match the prices of the larger retail establishments. Many of these small businesses thrive on build a customer base and will often offer you paint supply discounts and deals if you go in and explain your needs.
I have met many great people from small community hardware stores and find that they will be happy to match the big box store prices if they can keep you as a future customer.
4. What Type of Paint Sprayer Do I Want
While there are several different models of paint sprayers, more importantly there are different types of paint sprayers. Cordless, Corded, HVLP sprayers, Commercial Sprayers, etc. When researching sprayers I will often go back to rule #1 when in doubt about what type of sprayer I need.
Many times if I am using a paint sprayer on hard to reach areas or places where I might not have electricity, I will default to using a battery powered paint sprayer, rather than use a generator for a corded sprayer. Many people don’t consider this when painting and will often need to return their sprayer rental back to the store.
5. How Long Do I Need the Paint Sprayer For ?
If you are doing a large commercial job that last several days or a week, you will often find yourself paying almost as much for a paint sprayer rental than you would if you purchased the same paint sprayer.
In my mind there are only two reasons when I would choose renting a paint gun over purchasing one. The first would be if I only needed it for a very small job and planned on returning the gun later that day. The second would be if I were renting a large commercial paint sprayer than would generally cost me a few thousand dollars to purchase.
Anything in between where you might spend $100-300 in renting a sprayer for a weekend or maybe even a week, you will find that purchasing that same paint sprayer might be about the same price.
6. Check the PSI of your paint sprayer
Pounds per square inch is how the velocity and spray power of paint sprayers are measured. Just like anything else it is always wise to check the golden rule before you choose how much PSI is necessary for your job.
Using a PSI that is too small for your particular job, will cost you time doing you job as you will not have the correct tool to complete your job in an efficient manner. Even worse, having a PSI that is too powerful can damage some type of materials as some of the commercial sprayers are not equipped to paint small household items and may completely damage the material.
7. Inquire about Discounts
While some large retail companies do not offer any particular discounts, some will often give you a discounted paint sprayer rental if you purchase other items in the store. Remember with any retail establishment, the key to growing is finding repeat customers.
As a rule of thumb, I will always ask to speak with a manager at large retail stores, or speak to the owner for smaller hardware stores as they will often give you a discount if they think they can lure you in as a repeat customer.
8. Check Your Product at the Store
One of the main things I stress to my shop students and others who is to always check the product at the store before taking it back to the job site. With any tool rental business, the businesses job SHOULD be to check all the equipment returned to them every time it is brought back in the store.
Unfortunately, many times this fails to happen and you will often be the one footing the bill for someone else breaking a paint sprayer. My advice is to check to make sure you paint sprayer is functioning BEFORE you leave the store as this will only cause a headache and a loss of time and money if you take it home or to your job and it malfunctions.
9. Document Any Issues
Piggybacking on the item #8 on things to look for during a paint sprayer rental, I will often take pictures and a video on my cell phone of the device when I first start using it and before I return it.
This not only protects you from any damages that the rental company may try to pin on you, but it also serves as evidence in case your paint sprayer malfunctions on its own or does not work correctly.
10. Check Reviews Before You Rent
Online reviews have changed the way of the world and even more so for those looking for home improvement tools. Bad products and shady salesman of the past cannot defend products that get MULTIPLE bad reviews from online customers.
While I myself often feel that some decent paint sprayers will get a bad name, more often than not those that get good reviews will be quality sprayers, while those that don’t will live up to their reviews. With that being said, even the best paint sprayers can be defective as no company can guarantee 100% perfect products.