Define the surfaces and the finish acceptance test
A painting robot checklist should begin with the work the machine can actually complete in the renovation. Identify walls and ceilings, substrate condition, colors, coat counts and finish requirements. Separate open wall areas from corners, recesses, trim and areas behind fixed equipment. The useful output is accepted finished area, with the remaining manual work identified.
Use the Paint Calculator to establish a transparent area-and-coats baseline. Its surface dimensions, opening deductions and coverage input help compare equivalent scopes. The worksheet cannot predict robot speed, transfer efficiency or the labor needed to mask a furnished room. Keep those measurements in the trial record.
Agree acceptance before the demonstration: required preparation, film-build checks specified by the coating manufacturer, visual finish and inspection conditions. A fast pass that leaves unacceptable coverage is unfinished work. Choose test surfaces that resemble the job’s repaired patches, obstructions and access limitations; a clear showroom wall does not represent every renovation.
Verify access, coating and protection requirements
Confirm the exact robot, applicator and configuration available for the project. Okibo’s EG7 product page lists an 800 lb machine and a 27-inch width, with a detachable manipulator for transport. These are manufacturer specifications, not proof that the configured machine can travel through a particular occupied building. Check the complete transport arrangement with the supplier.
Measure door openings, turns, thresholds and the route to each work area. Have the appropriate people confirm floor and lift suitability, operating space and any equipment-loading limits. Ask what the quoted service includes, which operator training is required and how people are kept clear during operation. A machine’s nominal width alone does not resolve the access plan.
Get the coating and equipment instructions for supported materials, preparation, application conditions and cleanup. Graco’s spray-tip guidance explains that tip orifice and fan width affect delivery and coating build, while worn tips alter the pattern. Preserve the actual tip identification and settings in the test record rather than attributing every result to automation.
Resolve existing-paint hazards before a demonstration
For US work that disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing or child-occupied facilities, check EPA’s RRP program and the applicable state or Tribal program before preparation begins. EPA describes certification, training and lead-safe practices for covered paid work. A painting robot does not remove those duties. Other countries have their own requirements; obtain the appropriate local assessment.
Run matched trials and record the complete job
Compare the proposed robot method with the manual method it would replace, using equivalent substrates, coating, color change, area and acceptance criteria. Record genuine differences, including any back-rolling required by the specification. If one method receives extra sanding or another coat, explain that difference before comparing its result.
Graco’s airless-spraying guide tells users to expect some overspray and protect surrounding surfaces. Retain the masking and containment required for the actual coating and site. Do not remove protection merely to improve a demonstration time. Ventilation, respiratory protection, isolation and reoccupation arrangements need the applicable safety assessment and equipment instructions.
Time preparation, masking, machine setup, spraying, refilling, supervision, touch-up and cleanup. Record crew-hours as well as elapsed time: two people working for one hour contribute two crew-hours. Include periods when a worker must attend the robot even while another task could otherwise have been completed elsewhere.
Graco advises using the lowest pressure that still produces a satisfactory spray pattern for its equipment. That is guidance for the supported spraying system, not a universal robot setting. Let the supplier set and approve the trial configuration. Record overspray deposits, missed edges and finish defects alongside the settings so the next trial can investigate a specific cause.
Compare consumption and whole-job costs
Project consumption is the paint used to deliver the accepted work. Measure material issued and usable material returned on the same basis, accounting for paint remaining in the machine and hoses. Keep primer, flushing liquid and another color separate. Consumption per finished area can support ordering; it is not automatically a laboratory measurement of transfer efficiency.
In a hypothetical paired trial, each method completes 200 sq ft with two accepted coats. Assume the manual method uses 1.4 US gal and the robot method 1.1 US gal on the agreed consumption basis. Effective coverage equals area × coats ÷ consumption: 400 ÷ 1.4 = 285.7 sq ft per US gal and 400 ÷ 1.1 = 363.6 sq ft per US gal.
| Hypothetical trial measure | Manual method | Robot method |
|---|---|---|
| Accepted surface area (sq ft) | 200 | 200 |
| Accepted coats | 2 | 2 |
| Paint consumption (US gal) | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Preparation and masking (crew-hours) | 2 | 3 |
| Application and attendance (crew-hours) | 4 | 2 |
| Touch-up and cleanup (crew-hours) | 1 | 1.5 |
| Total crew-hours | 7 | 6.5 |
The assumed robot trial uses about 21.4% less paint, but that is an example result, not a market saving or a claim about a named machine. At a hypothetical labor rate of USD 45 per crew-hour, the half-hour difference saves USD 22.50 in labor. Added hire, transport or training can exceed that amount. Compare total project costs using actual quotes and repeatable results.
Carry measured coverage into a separate material estimate
For 1,200 sq ft and two coats under the same hypothetical conditions, the trial rates imply 8.4 US gal for the manual method and 6.6 US gal for the robot method. With an assumed one-US-gallon purchase unit, round to nine or seven containers respectively. Verify actual package sizes and prices for the selected product before ordering.
Enter a defensible coverage rate in the Paint Calculator and keep the coat count consistent with the trial. If measured coverage already includes application and cleanup losses, adding another allowance for the same losses counts them twice. Add only a separately explained reserve, such as specified touch-up stock. Recheck the estimate when texture, substrate or the work sequence changes.
Set the boundary for scaling beyond the test area
A successful trial establishes evidence for conditions resembling that trial. List the rooms or surfaces that share its access, substrate and coating, then identify exceptions for manual work or a further test. A broad uninterrupted wall and a small furnished room can have very different preparation and repositioning demands even at the same total area.
Keep supplier productivity and cost claims separate from measured project records. Okibo advertises performance benefits on its product page, but the page does not supply a matched trial for your renovation. Request the assumptions behind a quote, including the accepted finish, staffing, work hours and responsibility for repairs or missed areas.
For a 2027 project, confirm the machine offered at booking still matches the tested configuration and that the coating documents and local requirements remain applicable. Record changes to hardware, software or the work scope when they affect the decision. Keep the supplier’s confirmed configuration and the trial record with the final quotation.
Keep the accepted trial with the order
The handoff should allow the painting contractor and client to understand what was approved and where the robot will stop. Retain the test photographs, finish acceptance, measured consumption, complete time record and quote exclusions. State who handles edges, inaccessible sections, remasking, cleaning and touch-up after other trades finish.
- Confirm the exact machine, applicator, coating and trained operator.
- Keep the site protection and access assessment with the trial.
- Compare accepted area and total crew-hours on equivalent surfaces.
- Separate measured paint consumption from unproven transfer-efficiency claims.
- Assign remaining manual work and price mobilization before booking.
Use the Paint Calculator to turn the accepted surface schedule, coat counts and coverage basis into a product-specific order. Keep primer, trim and other coatings separate. Retain the trial’s limits beside the result so a change in room conditions triggers a new check instead of an unsupported productivity promise.
