Every roofer and painter who does spray work faces this question at some point. Do you keep hiring a machine for each job, or do you buy your own? The answer depends on how often you spray, what you spray, and how long you plan to keep doing it.
Hiring is simple. You pick up the machine, use it, return it. No maintenance, no storage, no capital outlay. Buying is an investment. You own the machine, maintain it, and have it ready whenever a job requires it.
Both approaches work. But one of them costs less over time, and the crossover point is closer than most operators expect.
The Cost of Hiring
Hire rates for airless sprayers in Sydney vary by machine size, hire company, and duration. As a general guide, a mid range electric airless sprayer (suitable for residential roof coatings and painting) hires for roughly $150 to $300 per day. A larger petrol driven unit (needed for heavier roof membranes and commercial work) can cost $250 to $500 per day.
Weekly rates offer a discount, typically three to four times the daily rate for seven days. This makes sense for jobs that run across multiple days, but the weekly rate still adds up quickly if you are hiring regularly.
On top of the hire fee, there are consumables. Most hire companies charge separately for tips, filters, and sometimes hoses. If a tip wears out during the hire period, you pay for the replacement. If the machine is returned dirty, there may be a cleaning fee. If it is returned damaged, the deposit takes a hit.
Transport is another cost. Picking up and returning a hired machine takes time and fuel. If the hire shop is across Sydney from your job site, you can lose an hour or more in each direction.
Add it all up and a single roof coating job that takes two days of spraying might cost $400 to $800 in hire fees, plus consumables and transport. That is the real cost per job.
The Cost of Buying
The purchase price of an airless sprayer varies widely by type and brand.
A mid range electric unit from Graco (like the UltraMax II 695 or 795) or Wagner (like the ProSpray PS3 range) typically costs between $3,000 and $7,000.
A petrol driven unit suitable for heavy roof coatings (like the Graco GMax II 3900 or the larger GH hydraulic series) ranges from $7,000 to over $15,000 depending on the model and specifications.
On top of the purchase price, ownership comes with ongoing costs. Annual consumables (tips, filters, gun kits, TSL, pump protectant) typically run between $500 and $1,500 depending on usage intensity. A pump rebuild every two to four years costs $300 to $900 in parts and labour. Engine servicing on petrol machines adds another $200 to $400 per year.
Insurance, storage, and depreciation are real costs but harder to quantify precisely. For most sole traders and small businesses, the machine lives in the work vehicle or in a shed, so storage is not a separate expense.
Finding the Breakeven Point
The breakeven calculation compares the total annual cost of ownership against the total annual cost of hiring for the same number of spray days.
Here is a simplified example using round numbers.
Machine purchase price: $5,000 (mid range electric). Expected useful life: 7 years (with proper maintenance). Annual depreciation: roughly $700 per year. Annual consumables and maintenance: $800. Total annual cost of ownership: $1,500.
Hire cost per job (two day roof coat): $500 (including consumables and transport). Jobs per year where spraying is needed: 10. Total annual hire cost: $5,000.
In this example, buying the machine saves $3,500 per year compared to hiring. The machine pays for itself in under two years.
Now adjust the numbers. If the operator only sprays four times per year, the annual hire cost drops to $2,000, which is closer to the ownership cost of $1,500. The breakeven is still in favour of buying, but the margin is thin.
If the operator sprays fewer than three times per year, hiring may be cheaper because the machine’s ownership costs (depreciation, maintenance, consumables) exceed the total hire fees.
The general rule: if you spray more than four or five times per year, buying almost always makes financial sense. If you spray fewer than three times per year, hiring is probably more cost effective.
Factors That Shift the Breakeven
Several factors can move the breakeven point in either direction.
Machine quality and maintenance affect useful life. A well maintained Graco or Wagner machine can last 10 years or more, which reduces the annual depreciation cost and pushes the breakeven further in favour of buying. A neglected machine that needs a pump replacement after two years erases the savings.
Job size matters. If your typical spray job is a full day or less (a small residential roof), the hire cost per job is lower, which pushes the breakeven further out. If your jobs run three to five days (large commercial roofs or multi coat restorations), the hire cost per job is higher, which makes buying more attractive sooner.
Machine utilisation beyond roofing affects the calculation. If you also use the sprayer for fence painting, deck coating, shed painting, or other work, the additional jobs spread the ownership cost across more revenue generating days. This makes buying more cost effective even if the roofing spray work alone is infrequent.
Hire availability can be a hidden cost. During peak season (spring and summer in Sydney), hire machines can be hard to get at short notice. If a job is delayed because the hire machine is not available, the lost revenue from the delayed job is a real cost that does not show up in the hire fee calculation.
The Convenience Factor
Beyond the pure maths, ownership offers a convenience advantage that is hard to put a dollar value on.
When you own the machine, it is ready when you need it. You do not need to book ahead, pick up, return, or work around hire shop hours. If a job comes in at short notice, you can say yes immediately.
You also know the machine. You know its quirks, its pressure settings for different materials, and how it performs in different conditions. Switching between hire machines of varying age and condition introduces variability that affects spray quality and efficiency.
For operators who have built their workflow around owning their equipment, the idea of going back to hiring feels like a step backward. The time saved on logistics alone justifies the investment.
What to Buy First
If you are making the jump from hiring to buying, start with a machine that matches your most common job type.
For residential roof coatings and painting, a mid range electric unit (Graco UltraMax II 695 or 795, or Wagner ProSpray PS3 25 or 29) handles most materials and job sizes. These machines are portable, relatively quiet, and easy to maintain.
For heavy roof membranes, thick coatings, or commercial work, a petrol driven unit (Graco GMax II 3900 or above, or Wagner ProSpray PS3 34 or above) provides the output and pressure needed for demanding materials.
Do not overbuy. A machine that is more powerful than you need costs more upfront, uses more fuel or power, and does not improve the finish on jobs that a smaller machine could handle.
Servicing Your Investment
Whatever you buy, plan for regular servicing. The daily flush, weekly checks, and seasonal maintenance outlined in manufacturer guidelines are what keep the machine running past the warranty period and into the long payback years.
At Roof Tile Recyclers, we stock both Graco and Wagner sprayers, along with the full range of accessories and consumables needed to keep them running. We also service machines at our Prospect workshop.
Contact us for pricing, product advice, or to book a service.
