Yes they are worth it.They save you time while making you money and giving a great finish. What size of graco were you givin?
Yes practice spraying in your shed or barn is a great idea.
Happy spraying.

 

I do not know the size. I can put 5 gallon buckets up to it. It also runs off power.

I will look for the size and let you know tomorrow.

 

A good time to learn is when you have a new construction home or addition project. You spray and have somebody backroll behind you. (its more of a "real world" experience.)

 

Keep in mind that pressure on these units can buildup to over 2,000 psi. Make sure you get a gun with a tip guard to prevent injecting your hand with paint.

 

You should look on Graco's web page.
There is alot of usefull information like training videos tip selection guide, safety instructions etc.
Before i bought my first sprayer i 've read
everything i found on the web related to spraying.
By the way ............its fun :thumbup:

 

Spraying is much harder than it looks. It's not so much the action of spraying but mapping out a plan and cord placement, Cleaning and prep for a spray,stuff like that. Sprayers are also dangerous. Make sure you have a good pressure release valve, good hoses with no cracks or kinks, and never point it in the direction of people. Treat this thing like your handling a loaded hand gun. Don't get discouraged, You will mess up alot, remember it's just paint. But given the proper application, sprayers can make you alot of money.

 

once you get it down though ( I agree with all above ) you can do some really awesome stuff with it. LIKE when you are spraying near trim.. you can turn the gun upside down and back to where it is pointing up at the wall.. you can cut a line with it an inch off the trim and not get the trim it's self.. come back with a 36" blade/straight edge and mini roll that out.. you can do ALOT in no time. :thumbsup: Oh and learn to use a shield.. you will get a kinda sad face when you have to use a roller again

 

I have 2 sprayers both are graco 490's (ultramax II's iirc) and i have made my money back 10 fold at least on the purchase of them. it takes alot of practice at first. like the other posts said you will make mistakes and you will learn from them, its not a science its an art imo. Even having them for 2 years now I find myself learning new tricks about them.