What A Letdown...

Since I started repurposing and repainting furniture on the side, I thought it would be a good idea to purchase a paint sprayer. Not that I don't love painting by hand, but the time factor seriously slows me down. I have a zillion things to do and devoting an entire afternoon to one piece drives me crazy. So I got on the interwebs and did a little researching.

Guess what....they are expensive! But I started saving anyways (the change found in the laundry) to purchase one because I *need* it. And at the rate I'm going, I will be 92 before I find enough change. Anyways, on with the story. I was browsing Harbor Freight the other day and noticed they carried paint sprayers that are deeply discounted. Bingo! Yes, the birds started chirping and a chorus of music played while I bought the sprayer. Nothing could have stopped me that day, nothing.

Fast forward a few days and I am ready to try this new toy out. I drag an extension cord from the inside the house into the back yard, fill the sprayer with paint, and pull the trigger. This is what happens:

What a letdown! A huge, $12 letdown. So the sprayer cost $12...I still expect it to do more than spit paint. But I am too hard headed to stop the sprayer now so I spit-coat the entire piece and then smooth out the paint with a brush.

The whole time I keep thinking to myself what my mom and dad told me - "not a huge fan of paint sprayers..." Gosh darn it, why didn't I listen? But........they did say paint sprayers on houses, so maybe it is just because I bought a cheap sprayer. Maybe a more expensive model will work better. Or maybe my model is defective and really wants to be a good sprayer.

What ever the deal is with the sprayer, it is annoying! Anyone have experiences with a sprayer? Recommend a certain sprayer? Or have you had a letdown experience with a DIY-tool you were oh-so-excited about?