Roller painting or airless spraying?
Airless spraying is the fastest way to get a large, uninterrupted surface flat and even, with no roller texture and consistent film thickness, ceilings included. The roller remains the sensible choice in an occupied home, on individual rooms, and wherever masking would take longer than painting. Most experienced painters in Amsterdam use both: spray where the room allows it, roll and cut in by brush where it does not.
What the work involves
Airless spraying forces paint through a tip at high pressure so it atomises into a fine film. That requires the right tip size and pressure for the product, and above all it requires that everything not being painted is fully enclosed: floors, frames, radiators, electrics, ironmongery and adjoining rooms. The masking is the real labour in the job.
Rolling is slower per square metre but produces almost no overspray, works comfortably in tight rooms, and needs far less space for equipment and hoses. The painter can move room by room, which matters if you are still living there.
Either way the substrate decides the result. Spraying hides nothing. It shows precisely how flat the wall is, and on old, crack-prone plaster a perfectly even sprayed film under raking light will expose every shortcut taken in the preparation.
The main stages
- Assess the space: how much continuous surface, how many obstacles, and whether the room can be emptied.
- Repair and prepare: cracks, holes, failing paint, dust removal and priming.
- Mask and protect. For spraying this includes sealing doorways and covering ventilation openings.
- Set a test area to check pressure, tip and coverage before committing.
- Apply the coats, often back-rolling immediately after spraying.
- Cut in by brush at frames, skirtings and junctions, then inspect under side lighting.
What the price depends on
Both methods are usually quoted per square metre, hourly for small work, or as a fixed sum after a site visit. The variables that matter:
- The ratio of open wall to detail. Lots of doors, frames and mouldings erode the advantage of spraying quickly.
- Whether the room is empty. A flat between tenancies is ideal for airless; an occupied floor rarely is.
- Masking time, which on a spray job can be substantial and is simply labour like any other.
- The condition of the substrate and the finish level you expect.
- Access. Equipment and materials still have to come up a narrow Amsterdam staircase, and the van may need a parking space on the street.
- Ventilation during and after the work, which is limited in some older buildings with small opening windows.
Questions to ask the painter
- Why spraying or rolling in my particular situation?
- How many hours go into masking, and who clears the room?
- Will you back-roll after spraying, and what is the reasoning?
- How will overspray be kept out of the hallway, the stairwell and neighbouring flats?
- Which paint system, and how many coats are included?
- How long must the space be ventilated before it is usable again?
Common mistakes
The biggest mistake is choosing spraying to save time and then economising on masking. Atomised paint travels: under doors, into the communal stairwell, onto a neighbour's car. Whatever you save in labour comes back as cleaning and damage.
The second is assuming a spray gun compensates for poor preparation. It does the opposite. The more even the film, the more obvious a badly filled crack becomes.
Finally, a safety point specific to older housing stock. In buildings from before 1994, asbestos-containing board can sit behind old finishes, and old paint layers may contain harmful components. Machine sanding, heat-stripping or dry scraping such material is not acceptable. Have it surveyed by a certified company first and leave removal to specialists.
Frequently asked questions
Does sprayed paint last longer than rolled?
Not by itself. Adhesion and durability come from the preparation, the primer and the film thickness rather than from the tool. Spraying does make it easier to keep that film thickness consistent.
Can spraying be done while I stay in the flat?
Usually it is impractical. Rooms have to be sealed and enclosed, and they are out of use during the work and for a period afterwards. For an occupied home, rolling is generally the easier route.
What is back-rolling and why is it done?
The wet sprayed paint is lightly rolled straight after application. This works the paint into the surface and evens out the texture, which makes a visible difference on porous or repaired plaster.
Can ceilings be sprayed too?
Yes, and ceilings are where the method pays off, being large and uninterrupted. In older properties check the construction first: lath-and-plaster ceilings and loose sections need repair before anything is applied.
Is spraying cheaper than rolling?
It depends entirely on the property, and no single figure covers it. Large empty surfaces tend to favour spraying, while small furnished rooms full of detail do not. Ask for both approaches to be priced after an inspection.