Aerosol Can or Spray Gun? What is Best in Wheel Refinishing?
By WheelRestore
When it comes to refinishing alloy wheels, the choice of method that you use for applying paint can make the difference between a finish that looks like new or one that falls short.
Whether you are a professional wheel repairer working in a body shop, a dealership aiming to maximize resale value, or an enthusiast restoring wheels at home, you’ll face the same question: should you reach for an aerosol can, or invest in using a spray gun?
In this blog post, we will take a look at the strengths and drawbacks of each approach, and guide you how to get the best refinishing result. In addition, we will also look at a third option that eliminates the trade-offs all together.
What’s the Difference Between an Aerosol Can and Spray Gun in Wheel Refinishing?
Both aerosol cans and spray guns are effective ways to refinish alloy wheels, but they work in very different ways.
An aerosol can is pre-mixed and pressurized, ready to spray straight from the can, while a spray gun requires mixing paint and using a compressor but offers much greater control.
Each method has its strengths and drawbacks depending on the size of the job, the level of finish required, and the operator’s experience. Let’s start by looking at where aerosol cans make the most sense in wheel refinishing.
Aerosol Cans are Perfect for Smaller Paint jobs
Aerosol cans for alloy wheel painting offer convenience for smaller jobs, eliminating setup and mixing. While they reduce mixing errors and streamline the process, the finish may be less durable, with lower scratch resistance and shorter clear coat longevity compared to spray guns.
Aerosol wheel paint offers easy cleanup, allowing you to store the can for future use without the need for extensive cleaning. While they have a higher VOC output, their minimal setup makes them suitable for quick repairs and less experienced users.
However, it’s worth noting that aerosol cans can be more expensive per wheel if you’re painting multiple wheels. In such cases, using a spray paint gun and mixing your own paint may be more cost-effective. Overall, aerosols offer a ready-to-use solution that is ideal for quick tasks and less experienced operators.
Aerosol cans in short:
Key advantages: Ready-to-use, no mixing, no clean-up, beginner-friendly
Best for: Small jobs, quick touch-ups, low experience operators.
Drawbacks: Higher cost per wheel, less precision, inconsistent coverage, limited for larger jobs
Great for jobs where the refinish includes one wheel, small scratches, and for low-volume workshops.
Spray Guns are Great for Custom Finishes
Spray guns are the ideal choice when it comes to precision and control. With the paint gun, you can adjust spray patterns and pressure, which gives a smooth, consistent look and a more durable finish with better scratch resistance and longer-lasting clear coat. This is something that an aerosol can simply cannot match.
A paint gun is cost-effective for larger jobs, as bulk paint lowers the cost per wheel compared to aerosols. Although spray guns require more setup and cleaning, they are environmentally efficient with proper ventilation and spray booths.
The downside of the spray gun, however, is that they require setup, mixing, and cleaning between jobs, and you need a compressor and adequate workspace. Still, for wheel painters who prioritize quality, durability, and long-term savings, spray guns are the ideal choice in wheel refinishing.
Spray guns in short:
Key advantages: Adjustable spray patterns & pressure, smoother finish, lower cost per wheel at scale
Best for: High-volume shops, custom finishes, professional refinishing.
Drawbacks: Requires setup, mixing, cleaning, more training, booth space
This is the choice if you are a professional wheel refinisher with larger scale jobs.
.
The Third Option in Wheel Refinishing
If you’re looking for consistently flawless results or need to refinish multiple wheels every day, a Fully Automatic Wheel Paint Machine is the next step beyond manual aerosol or spray gun painting.
The Wheel Paint Robot is designed to be flexible, allowing you to use either aerosol cans or a spray gun depending on the job. Paired with our OEM Wheel Paint System, which includes 20 base colors that can be blended into 89 OEM-specific shades, you can achieve a factory-quality finish every time, with precision that’s difficult to match manually.
Benefits of the Wheel Paint Machine
Consistency: Factory-quality finish every time
Efficiency: Switches between aerosol and spray gun automatically
Sustainability: Up to 50% less paint waste
Accessibility: Easy to use with iPad-style interface and minimal training
This option bridges the gap between manual methods and professional automation, giving workshops the ability to scale production while maintaining high-quality results and reducing material waste.
Many wheel repair workshops focus on efficiency. The wheel painter automates the painting process, allowing technicians to handle other tasks while ensuring a consistent, factory-quality finish, thus future-proofing the business.
The wheel painter increases scalability, enabling workshops to process more wheels daily without extra labor costs. It reduces paint waste by up to 50% compared to manual methods, supports sustainability, and allows automatic switching between aerosol cans and spray guns.
This level of automation is why dealerships, body shops, tire centers, and even electric vehicle manufacturers are increasingly adopting systems like the WM600 Automatic Wheel Paint Machine. By doing so, they can stay ahead of their competitors in a rapidly evolving market.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re already refinishing wheels, automation helps scale up. If you’re just starting, the WM600 gives you a foundation. You can then later expand with a Blasting Machine, a Straightening Machine, and a Diamond Cut Machine if you want to scale up.
So, aerosol can or spray gun? The truth is: both have their place. Aerosols are quick and convenient, spray guns deliver precision and lower costs at scale. But the smartest choice for workshops today isn’t picking one over the other — it’s choosing automation that does both, better.
With the WM600, you don’t have to compromise between convenience and quality. You can deliver a factory-grade finish on every wheel, every time, while saving time, materials, and labor.
Talk to our team today to see whether starting with aerosols, spray guns, or full automation makes the most sense for your business.
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Finnish
Aerosol Can or Spray Gun? What is Best in Wheel Refinishing?
When it comes to refinishing alloy wheels, the choice of method that you use for applying paint can make the difference between a finish that looks like new or one that falls short.
Whether you are a professional wheel repairer working in a body shop, a dealership aiming to maximize resale value, or an enthusiast restoring wheels at home, you’ll face the same question: should you reach for an aerosol can, or invest in using a spray gun?
In this blog post, we will take a look at the strengths and drawbacks of each approach, and guide you how to get the best refinishing result. In addition, we will also look at a third option that eliminates the trade-offs all together.
Table of Contents
What’s the Difference Between an Aerosol Can and Spray Gun in Wheel Refinishing?
Both aerosol cans and spray guns are effective ways to refinish alloy wheels, but they work in very different ways.
An aerosol can is pre-mixed and pressurized, ready to spray straight from the can, while a spray gun requires mixing paint and using a compressor but offers much greater control.
Each method has its strengths and drawbacks depending on the size of the job, the level of finish required, and the operator’s experience. Let’s start by looking at where aerosol cans make the most sense in wheel refinishing.
Aerosol Cans are Perfect for Smaller Paint jobs
Aerosol cans for alloy wheel painting offer convenience for smaller jobs, eliminating setup and mixing. While they reduce mixing errors and streamline the process, the finish may be less durable, with lower scratch resistance and shorter clear coat longevity compared to spray guns.
Aerosol wheel paint offers easy cleanup, allowing you to store the can for future use without the need for extensive cleaning. While they have a higher VOC output, their minimal setup makes them suitable for quick repairs and less experienced users.
However, it’s worth noting that aerosol cans can be more expensive per wheel if you’re painting multiple wheels. In such cases, using a spray paint gun and mixing your own paint may be more cost-effective. Overall, aerosols offer a ready-to-use solution that is ideal for quick tasks and less experienced operators.
Aerosol cans in short:
Key advantages: Ready-to-use, no mixing, no clean-up, beginner-friendly
Best for: Small jobs, quick touch-ups, low experience operators.
Drawbacks: Higher cost per wheel, less precision, inconsistent coverage, limited for larger jobs
Great for jobs where the refinish includes one wheel, small scratches, and for low-volume workshops.
Spray Guns are Great for Custom Finishes
Spray guns are the ideal choice when it comes to precision and control. With the paint gun, you can adjust spray patterns and pressure, which gives a smooth, consistent look and a more durable finish with better scratch resistance and longer-lasting clear coat. This is something that an aerosol can simply cannot match.
A paint gun is cost-effective for larger jobs, as bulk paint lowers the cost per wheel compared to aerosols. Although spray guns require more setup and cleaning, they are environmentally efficient with proper ventilation and spray booths.
The downside of the spray gun, however, is that they require setup, mixing, and cleaning between jobs, and you need a compressor and adequate workspace. Still, for wheel painters who prioritize quality, durability, and long-term savings, spray guns are the ideal choice in wheel refinishing.
Spray guns in short:
Key advantages: Adjustable spray patterns & pressure, smoother finish, lower cost per wheel at scale
Best for: High-volume shops, custom finishes, professional refinishing.
Drawbacks: Requires setup, mixing, cleaning, more training, booth space
This is the choice if you are a professional wheel refinisher with larger scale jobs.
.
The Third Option in Wheel Refinishing
If you’re looking for consistently flawless results or need to refinish multiple wheels every day, a Fully Automatic Wheel Paint Machine is the next step beyond manual aerosol or spray gun painting.
The Wheel Paint Robot is designed to be flexible, allowing you to use either aerosol cans or a spray gun depending on the job. Paired with our OEM Wheel Paint System, which includes 20 base colors that can be blended into 89 OEM-specific shades, you can achieve a factory-quality finish every time, with precision that’s difficult to match manually.
Benefits of the Wheel Paint Machine
Consistency: Factory-quality finish every time
Efficiency: Switches between aerosol and spray gun automatically
Sustainability: Up to 50% less paint waste
Accessibility: Easy to use with iPad-style interface and minimal training
This option bridges the gap between manual methods and professional automation, giving workshops the ability to scale production while maintaining high-quality results and reducing material waste.
If you are also weighing manual vs. automated refinishing, check out our related article: How to Paint Alloy Wheels the Smart Way: Automation vs. Manual Methods.
Why Workshops are Choosing Automation
Many wheel repair workshops focus on efficiency. The wheel painter automates the painting process, allowing technicians to handle other tasks while ensuring a consistent, factory-quality finish, thus future-proofing the business.
The wheel painter increases scalability, enabling workshops to process more wheels daily without extra labor costs. It reduces paint waste by up to 50% compared to manual methods, supports sustainability, and allows automatic switching between aerosol cans and spray guns.
This level of automation is why dealerships, body shops, tire centers, and even electric vehicle manufacturers are increasingly adopting systems like the WM600 Automatic Wheel Paint Machine. By doing so, they can stay ahead of their competitors in a rapidly evolving market.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re already refinishing wheels, automation helps scale up. If you’re just starting, the WM600 gives you a foundation. You can then later expand with a Blasting Machine, a Straightening Machine, and a Diamond Cut Machine if you want to scale up.
We are here to assist you in launching an alloy wheel repair business, whether as an additional service for your current workshop or as a standalone venture.
So What is Best? Aerosol or Spray Gun?
So, aerosol can or spray gun? The truth is: both have their place. Aerosols are quick and convenient, spray guns deliver precision and lower costs at scale. But the smartest choice for workshops today isn’t picking one over the other — it’s choosing automation that does both, better.
With the WM600, you don’t have to compromise between convenience and quality. You can deliver a factory-grade finish on every wheel, every time, while saving time, materials, and labor.
Talk to our team today to see whether starting with aerosols, spray guns, or full automation makes the most sense for your business.