One of the best ways to get your decorative concrete products onto your surfaces is by spraying them. Applying color, sealers, coatings and release agents is often times best accomplished with a good pump sprayer. Although some sprayers are better than others, it is often the case that a good quality industrial sprayer will not only do a great job but can last an awful long time.

Better quality sprayers come with replacement parts like:

• Nozzles / Tips
• Filters
• Springs
• Seals
• Handles

These replacement parts are not only great to have around but they can save you hundreds of dollars per year in sprayer costs.

As with most products there are many different manufacturers of sprayers like, Chapin, Swissmex, Solo, Flo-Master, B&G, and others.

Chapin for one, has a complete line of specialized sprayers designed for specific uses. They also have multi purpose sprayers that are ideal for both homeowner and commercial professionals. Chapin sprayers are versatile and are known to be some of the best hand pump sprayers on the market.

When choosing a sprayer make sure you are getting good value, versatility, solid construction and product durability. The last thing you need is to mess up and installation due to a bad or broken sprayer.

Some of differences in sprayers are:

• Various tips and spray patterns
• Materials of construction metal / plastic / polypropylene etc.
• Spring materials – Important for various materials like acids vs solvents
• Seals and O-rings – Also important for various materials like acids vs solvents
• Sizes – From hand sprayers 1quart to 3 gallon pump
• Backpack vs Hand held
• Electric vs Manual Pump

One of the most important factors in Pump Sprayer selection is chemical compatibility. As many of the products and materials used in decorative concrete are toxic, corrosive and/or volatile you want to make sure that the sprayer make-up is designed for the material it’s being used on. There are very specific types of sprayers for Acids, Solvents and Acetone for example.

Here are links to various specific sprayer types:

Acetone Sprayer – For use with acetone based coloration and acetone based sealers

Acid Sprayers – Used with Hydrochloric acids for Acid washes as well as and colored acid stains

Solvent Sprayers – For Solvent based sealers and coatings

In summary: Choose your sprayer carefully and always make sure you invest in good quality sprayers that will last. The outcome of a project is often the by-product of good quality tools. Have replacement parts handy and always take care of your sprayers by keeping them clean and removing materials from them when not in use. If you want some additional tips on maintaining your sprayers read – Sprayers Tips and Tricks