Best Air Compressor For Spray Painting

What to Look for when Buying an Air Compressor for Painting

There are quite a few factors to consider when selecting an air compressor for spray painting – some more important than others. For instance, how long do you think you’ll be spraying paint for at a time? How much air pressure does the LVLP gun require in order to work properly? How much air do you need in the tank in order to not have the supply of air and paint suddenly halt halfway through? All these questions and more are answered below.

PSI (Pressure) Requirements

The maximum operating pressure is another crucial factor to consider when choosing an air compressor. There are two kinds of spray paint pistols that utilise compressed air, and the amount of pressure they need varies.

The HVLP (high-volume, low-pressure) spray gun is one kind, while the LVLP (low-volume, low-pressure) spray gun is another.

However, you’d be hard-pressed to find an air compressor with less PSI capability than this, so virtually any compressor will be OK.

CFM (Air Pressure) Requirements

With spray painting, CFM is a far more important factor than PSI. To paint effectively, you must make sure the air flow rate into the paint gun is adequate to provide the correct quantity of paint to the surface being painted, otherwise it’ll splutter and you won’t get a nice even spray.

The CFM should correspond to the CFM requirement of your spray gun. After finding this, choose an air compressor that provides greater volume than the spray gun’s CFM.

However, it really depends on the airgun since there are three types: HVLP (High Volume, Low Pressure), HVHP (High Volume, High Pressure), and LVLP (Low Volume, Low Pressure) (those are rare). They will, however, have some type of tag or marking to indicate what they need.

As a general guide, most paint guns need between 4.5 and 12 CFM, but as I said, you must check the instructions for your particular gun.

For more information on CFM please consult our guide What is Air Compressor CFM?

Air Tank Capacity Requirements

The capacity of the tank determines how much air is available before the compressor shuts down to refill. This is also an important factor in maintaining a compressor’s duty cycle, which I’ll come on to next.

As a result, a 12 CFM compressor with a 50% Duty Cycle may be utilised to power a 12 CFM air spray cannon if operated intermittently with a suitably big air tank.

Paint sprayers, unlike other pneumatic tools, need constant airflow from the compressor. As a consequence, a big tank is required to meet this demand – so 10 gallons or more is preferred for paint sprayers.

Single Stage or Two Stage Compressor?

When compressed air pressure needs vary significantly, as they do in pneumatic tool and spray applications, two-stage air compressors are preferred. At any given pressure level, they typically generate less volume than single-stage devices.

You will normally need a 2 stage compressor to be able to generate enough CFM for painting. Per horsepower of the compressor, a two-stage compressor can produce around 4 CFM of air. In contrast, a single stage compressor, which are the most common type for everyday use, only produces roughly 1 CFM for every horsepower. In order to correctly provide air to your spray gun, you should think about a 2 stage compressor with at least 5 Horsepower if you want to use your air compressor for painting.

For more information, please read our guide What Is A Two Stage Air Compressor?

Size & Weight

How big does the air compressor need be? Size matters! Smaller air compressors are less cumbersome and easier to store due to their air tanks being smaller. Larger air compressors are generally louder and require more space because their tanks are larger. However, larger air compressors can also provide a higher volume of compressed air at a lower cost per unit than smaller models, and can run for longer before having to stop to refill.

Duty Cycle Requirements

For spray painting, you need the supply of air to be consistent and to last as long as you need, which could be minutes at a time. Therefore, I would recommend getting one with at least 75% duty cycle.

A duty cycle rating of 75% means that it will continue to function without interruption for the duration of its three-quarters (75%) of an hour cycle length. If the compressor has a cycle time of one hour, then it will operate continuously for the first 45 minutes of that period before requiring the same amount of time off to allow it to cool down

For more information, please read our guide What Is Air Compressor Duty Cycle?

Oil Free vs. Oiled Air Compressors

Oiled air compressors are ideal for heavy-duty applications because they can operate for longer periods of time and have traditionally ran cooler and quieter than their oil-free counterparts.

Oil-free compressors are typically excellent for light-duty operations, but they have a reputation for being hot and noisy. However, technological developments ensure that oil-free air compressors are no longer louder, and the majority of compressors recommended for spray painting are now oil-free.

For more information, see our guide on Oiled Vs Oil-Free Air Compressors.

Horsepower Requirements (HP)

How powerful does the air compressor need to be? Well, for spray painting, a good rule of thumb is to choose a compressor that produces at least 2.5 horsepower. Most air compressors produce anywhere from 2 to 5 horsepower. Higher powered compressors cost more but provide greater performance.

Price

How much does the air compressor cost? There are two types of air compressors available: those made specifically for spray coating and those made for general purpose applications. Generally speaking, the more expensive models are made for spray coating. They tend to be quieter, easier to maintain, and more durable.