Best Graco Spray Tips for Interiors | Pro Setup & Airless Spraying Guide

You Bought a Paint Sprayer – Now What?

Alright, you've got your project figured out, snagged the perfect Graco sprayer, and you're probably itching to just dive right in and start spraying like a pro, right? But hold up a sec! Before we get carried away, let's chat about the less-than-glamorous but super important part: prep.

Look, we've all been there, itching to just get some paint on the wall. Trust me, diving headfirst into a paint job without getting prepped? That's a one-way ticket to tip blockages, streaks in your spray pattern, and watching all that pricey paint waste away. That's why doing it the right way, not just the fastest way, is what really matters. So, let's walk through this step-by-step, from getting your sprayer pre-check all ticked off, to picking that perfect spray tip that'll make you feel like a total pro for painting interiors.

Sprayer Pre-Check Essentials

Before you start painting, a few essential pre-checks will save you major headaches later. These steps help you achieve an efficient and smooth spraying experience. The last thing you want is a mid-job breakdown or an absolute mess thanks to a blocked filter. Let’s break it down:

✅ Suction Tube & Strainer
These need to be cleaned. If not, you’re risking restricted paint flow = problems priming + patchy spray job.

✅ Drain Tube
Clear it for proper priming.

✅ Manifold Filter
This filter catches sediment - inspect the filter element for warping, gunk or damage.

✅ Gun Filter
The final barrier before paint reaches the tip. Make sure it's clean and intact.

Pro Tip: Keep UltraGrime Wipes, or a wet rag on hand for quick clean ups. We’re sharing all our tips and tricks on how to tackle an interior project - from the setting up and priming your sprayer to choosing the right tip types. 

The Set Up

Next up: getting your system connected and primed. You’ll want to:

• Connect your hose to the gun (tighten those fittings with a shifter or spanner to avoid leaks!)

• Connect the hose to the machine, and make sure everything’s clean as you go. Any paint residue or rust on fittings will cause contamination through your lines, or potential damage to the filters or gun.

Since your sprayer’s been stored with Pump Armour. (or should have been), it’s time to flush it out.

Pro Tip: We cannot emphasise enough the importance of Pump Armour. It's an anti-rust/anti-corrosive fluid that protects your sprayers during storage and essential for machine longevity. It also acts as a lubricant, keeping those pump packings and seals ready for the next time you need to spray.

Now back to flushing out the Graco Pump Armour - you’ll just need to follow these simple steps:

• Place your suction tube in the clean water bucket or drum.

• Place the drain tube into the waste bucket.
  

• Let the water run through the machine to clear the Pump Armour - flush until clear water is draining out of the sprayer’s drain tube.
  

• Check for clean water coming out. That should be your go-signal for the next step
  

Pro Tip: When flushing out through the spray gun, don’t forget to remove your tip and tip guard! You do not want to be atomising the water, or creating a spray fan, when flushing or getting setup with paint until the hose and gun have been primed.

Let’s Talk Paint

Alright, paint time! You only need to remember 3 S's here: shake, stir, and (listen up!) strain.

Shake: Give the paint bucket a good shake to get the paint moving.

Stir: It’s essential to get all of that tint and colour mixed through thoroughly. If your paint tin or drum has been sitting around in the shed, workshop or even fresh from the paint shop, it’s important to ensure your colour is consistently mixed. Stirring also gives you a feel for how thick the paint is - which in turn will allow you to thin (no more than 5-10% depending on particular paint), to achieve optimal spraying results. We will cover this topic a bit more later in the guide. Ensure any paint skins or sediment are well mixed - which leads us on to the next, and arguably most important step…

Strain: This step is crucial: always strain your paint, regardless of whether it's from an older can or a freshly mixed drum. Use a mesh filter or straining bag to remove any debris. You will likely find sediment or paint skins that, if left in the paint, can cause blockages in your filters, pump, and spray tips. We know that straining can be messy and feel like a time-consuming process - straining your paint for a couple of minutes may just save you a couple of hours of troubleshooting and headaches when spraying.

Dialing In the Right Pressure

So, what makes these airless sprayers different, right? It's all about pressure, not air. Basically, these sprayers force the paint through a tiny opening (the tip), and that pressure breaks the paint down into super fine droplets, giving you that smooth finish. Now, getting the pressure right is key.

A lot of trades and renovators, especially when they're just starting, think cranking the pressure all the way up is the way to go. But here's the thing: too much pressure actually makes things worse. You'll end up with overspray everywhere, the finish gets all bumpy and uneven (orange peel - pro painters know just how frustrating this is), and you're just wasting paint and making a bigger mess. The aim of the game is to find the sweet spot by slowly increasing your pressure until the tails eliminate from the fan pattern.

Prime Time

You’re almost there! To prime your machine:

• Ensure the switch is in the ‘prime’ position

• Drop your suction tube into your paint bucket.

• Direct the drain tube into your waste bucket.

• Let the pump run for around 20 seconds to get the paint moving through the pump

• As soon as the water changes consistency to straight paint draining from the tube, immediately turn the pressure dial to ‘zero’ 

• Clip the drain tube back against the main suction tube
  
  

Then, prime your gun/hose line:

• Hold down the trigger of the gun into the waste bucket or pail before adjusting the sprayer pressure

• Now turn the prime/spray switch from the ‘Prime’ position to the ‘Spray’ position, with the gun trigger still activated

• Slowly increase the pressure dial until the water is draining out of the gun into the waste pail

• As the water begins to flush from the hose, and the consistency switches to paint, keep flushing until there is no ‘watery’ paint being flushed

• Turn the pressure to zero on the dial once the paint is flowing freely through the gun - ensure not to waste too much paint during this stage. 

• To ensure all of the air is bled from the paint hose, you will want to recirculate the paint through the pump, hose and gun, spraying back into the paint drum or pail that the suction tube is in

• To do this, put the sprayer back into the ‘Prime’ position, ensure there is zero pressure on the dial, hold the trigger down on the gun and point at the source paint drum. Start the same steps as above to keep flushing.

• Use low pressure and keep spraying until there’s no air left in the line.
  

• Then reattach your tip and guard. 

Alright, now let's dive into the slightly more technical stuff.

Picking the Right Spray Tip: What the Numbers Mean

Spray tips can be confusing, but once you understand the numbers, it’s simple:

• First digit: tells you the spray fan width (multiply by 2 for actual inches). So, a 514 spray tip will give you a 10" fan. Graco is an American brand, so we’re used to working in inches, or imperial measurements. A 10” fan will convert to being a roughly 25cm spray fan, when spraying 30cm from the wall. 

• Last two digits: tells you the ‘orifice’ size or the size of the hole. This determines how much paint flows through the tip - essentially how much paint you’re putting on that wall, ceiling or surface. The numbers won’t mean much at first - we’re working with the smallest orifice size being a ‘6 thou,’ which is represented by 106 in the tip sequence. 6 thou is the smallest orifice size for very watery materials - such as stains or lacquers. Tip sizes can go as large as 21 thou and upwards, which is represented by 521 - this is the orifice size for spraying thick roofing membranes and protective coatings. We’ll dig a bit deeper into the optimal orifice sizes, and the perfect fan width pairing for interior painting. Typically for interior paints, you’ll be sticking to around the 10-16 thou range.

Honestly, it's all about finding the sweet spot between those two numbers. Sure, there's a little bit of math involved depending on the paint, but the basic idea is this: bigger hole, more paint. But here's the catch - more paint flow also means your sprayer needs to have some serious muscle to handle the pressure.

Interior Paint Tip Cheat Sheet

There’s so many different tip sizes, types and technologies… not to mention all of the paint choices. Out of the hundreds of options, we’ve stripped it back to basics. In Australia, for the popular brands of interior acrylics, undercoats and enamel paints, here’s what we recommend:

• FFLP514 (10” Fan, 14 thou orifice): The go-to all-rounder for interiors - a nice fan width for spraying interior walls and ceilings, with the optimal 14 thou orifice for atomising interior sealers, undercoats and acrylics. Think of popular interior paints such as Tint Wall, Dulux Wash & Wear + Ceiling Flat, Taubmans Endure, Haymes Ultra Premium Expressions, Wattyl ID Advanced

• FFLP516 (10” fan, 16 thou orifice): Difficult colour to cover, or spraying undercoat/sealer on bare plasterboard? Reap all the benefits of the FFLP514 for walls/ceilings, just with increased paint output. We’ve found great success with the FFLP516 for applying a good, solid undercoat, thanks to our good mate, Painting by Josh, and his advice.

• FFLP414 (8” fan, 14 thou orifice): Narrower fan for more detailed interior work - think hallways, inside of cupboards, or narrower stretches of walls or ceilings.

• LP517 (10” fan, 17 thou orifice): Slightly less fine finishing versus the FFLP range of tips, however a very durable tip for larger projects of continuous spraying of walls and ceilings. 17 thou increase in size is ideal for heavier coverage.
  

• WRLP1221 (WideRac Low Pressure - 24” fan, 21 thou): Ultra-wide tip for big commercial interiors. Cover large areas fast.
  
  

Key Differences:

• FFLP (Fine Finish Low Pressure): Double atomisation for soft edges, easy overlap, reduce overspray = perfect for walls and trims.

• LP (Low Pressure): Durable and efficient with less overspray. Great for larger interiors and extending the tip life.
  

• WRLP: WideRac Low Pressure - achieve a super wide fan, maintain the benefits of reduced overspray and soft edges to overlap
  
  

Mastering Your Spraying Technique

Technique matters when it comes to spraying. Here's a quick pro refresher:

• Hold the spray gun 30 cm away from the surface.

• Maintain a steady pace depending on the spray tip chosen - the bigger the tip, often the faster you’ll need to move to avoid dripping or sagging of your paint finish
  

• Overlap each pass by 50% for even coverage.
  

• Keep your wrist locked and move your whole arm for consistent angles.

• Ensure you’re moving before you pull the trigger - without this ‘rolling start,’ your paint will be concentrated in one spot and increase the likeliness of dripping or sagging.

To Wrap It Up

At the end of the day, it's all about the prep! You might be eager to start spraying, but honestly, prep work is 80% of a great paint job. 

Get your setup right, and you'll get those smooth results. 

From picking the perfect tip to nailing that paint prep and pressure, each step is key to success. Follow this guide, and you'll be spraying like a seasoned pro in no time! 

If you've read this far, we're sharing with you the ultimate tip guide for all major brands and types of Australian paints 🤭  See the guide below: 

GRACO Tip Guide

Main Tip Recommendations

Summary Tip Recommendations (Water Based)

Simplified Tip Guide (Water Based)