I've used an airless paint sprayer, particularly the Harbor Freight one, and it worked well. It was quick. But be careful of overspray. I got some on the house that I painted over a year later.

HVLP will take a little longer, but it probably has more homeowner use for painting furniture or cabinets later down the road.

 

I used one of these to apply 5 gallons of ready seal on 500 sq ft of fence worked great

 

I just painted my fence the harbor freight one is nice and pretty much all you need, imo

 

I'm leaning toward airless but wondering if that is overkill. @CenlaLowell or @DuncanMcDonuts do you have a link you can share for the harbor freight sprayer?

 

Here ya go

https://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-hvlp-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-with-regulator-62381.html

 

I would think airless is overkill for a homeowner. It's use is for exterior surfaces. It's only good for interiors on new construction before any flooring or fixtures are installed.

This is the one I used https://www.harborfreight.com/airless-paint-sprayer-kit-60600.html?_br_psugg_q=airless+sprayer. I borrowed it from a friend who bought it to repaint interior walls. His wife grumbled that they spent more time taping things off and still ended up with lots of overspray.

 

Ive had great results with the Wagner Flexio, painted my home gym walls that are poured concrete. Made the job fast and easy. Started with a roller and took too long and used up too much paint. With the Wagner Flexio I was able to do a 20x20 gym in a 1-2 hrs

 

I think it depends on what you would do either the pump/gun in the future. If you have little projects to do than maybe the hvlp will work. If you have some exterior paint projects than maybe the airless. Home Depot also rents the airless pumps so maybe that's also an option.
How many linear feet is your fence?

 

@Matix99def I have the measurement put away somewhere, but enough to make me think that I like the capacity of the Wagner airless unit better than the HVLP (thinking of number of fill-ups).

 

Ya for every airless fill up, would be around 3 hvlp fill ups. Also need to have a compressor able to keep up with the hvlp or that will slow you down even more. And airless cup gun may be a good choice. Still do some exterior projects or deck projects later on. And easier to store than an airless pump.

 

Ive had great results with the Wagner Flexio, painted my home gym walls that are poured concrete. Made the job fast and easy. Started with a roller and took too long and used up too much paint. With the Wagner Flexio I was able to do a 20x20 gym in a 1-2 hrs

You're supposed to backroll after spraying anyways for good adhesion. I know a lot of people don't do it and end up fine though.

 

I would think airless is overkill for a homeowner. It's use is for exterior surfaces. It's only good for interiors on new construction before any flooring or fixtures are installed.

This is the one I used https://www.harborfreight.com/airless-paint-sprayer-kit-60600.html?_br_psugg_q=airless+sprayer. I borrowed it from a friend who bought it to repaint interior walls. His wife grumbled that they spent more time taping things off and still ended up with lots of overspray.

I use my graco airless for all sort of projects around the house, but agree they can be overkill for the average homeowner. You need to mask off and choose the right tip size for the application. The prep work with masking normally takes all the time whereas the actually spray time is minimal.

 

I'll use this as well to seal my deck, so I'm leaning toward the Wagner Airless just due to capacity. I'm looking for the right tool for the right job, and if I have to stop every few feet to refill, it will drive me crazy.

Here is the airless unit that I am leaning towards.

Here is the other item I am considering.

Important to note, I am just spraying a clear sealer (think Thompson's Water Seal) and NOT a stain.

 

Ive had great results with the Wagner Flexio, painted my home gym walls that are poured concrete. Made the job fast and easy. Started with a roller and took too long and used up too much paint. With the Wagner Flexio I was able to do a 20x20 gym in a 1-2 hrs

You're supposed to backroll after spraying anyways for good adhesion. I know a lot of people don't do it and end up fine though.

I rolled on a primer for good adhesion, then sprayed. Came out great and has been a few years with no issues.