The Amazing Transforming Power of Spray Paint
The title of this post has me hearing Billy Mays (God Rest his Soul) and those oxy-clean infomercials of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Scroll up and read it again- can you hear his voice? … haha. “Call in the next 10 minutes and we’ll add the super shammy”.
This post was born out of an interest by many on my instagram page last weekend when I posted before and after pictures of my $9 fix to my outdoor metal lounge chairs. The sun and five years had taken a toll on these babies- and while I want nothing more than to have an excuse to purchase new ones- this project was born out of a “well let me try this and see how it goes” approach. I mean what the hell did I have to lose? Possibly screwing it up and “oops!” having to take a trip to a home decor store for new ones? It was a win-win for me either way.
Luckily, like most of my random and spur of the moment ideas for projects- this somehow worked out.
Here are the before and after photos:
Soon after I posted this, I got many messages from people who were inspired to try it out on their own outdoor furniture:
And then this got me thinking about all the other times I’ve spray-painted, or regular painted items in my home with a $4 can of Rustoleum spray-paint, or a $9 can of Rustoleum metal paint, and such a little amount of money made a huge impact.
And that’s where this blog post was born.
So this quick post will focus on the products I’ve used and the ideas I’ve had that will hopefully inspire you to invest under $10 for some quick changes in your home.
Side Note: I don’t have many “before” pictures, which is a shame, because a lot of these projects happened nearly 5 years ago, before I thought anyone would find any interest in what I had to say, would want to read my blog, or thought I was some home decor expert (for which I still hold, I’m not). I’ve tried my best to compile some before pictures.
Products
I’m a huge fan of Rustoleum paint and spray paint- for no other particular reason than it’s what’s most available in different sheens and colors at my local Home Depot. I usually go with a flat or satin sheen, depending upon the look I’m going for. I’m most drawn to the flat/or matte look with most items for whatever reason. (Be sure to spray test them at the store to make sure they work, even though Home Depot now has signs that ask you NOT to do that… lol. I’ve made the mistake only once, because the aggravation that the drive back to the store causes, will haunt you every time you purchase spray paint).
Here are some of the products I’ll reference in my post (click on the picture to be brought directly to the item):
#1 : I’ve used this product to spray paint metal: door knobs, hinges, light fixtures, curtain rods, metal home decor pieces, etc. I’m not sure the difference between it and the one way below called 2X, but since it says “Stops Rust” that’s what attracted me to it, especially with outdoor metal. Available in tons of finishes and colors.
#2 : For larger items like outdoor furniture, outdoor metal doors, and my light poles, I used this product because I liked that you could paint it on instead of spraying it. Spray paint takes a lot of coats and patience, I tend to always rush with it which sometimes causes drips. So in areas where I had to cover a larger surface area, I’ve used this paint. It’s basically the paint can version of the spray paint.
#3 : I recommended to a client that they spray paint the 90’s gold finished on their fireplace and they used this spray paint. It’s meant for exactly what it says “ high heat”. It can be used on grills, fireplaces, or parts of a car that heat up.
#4: I’ve used this product more for items that were not metal- for example home decor accent pieces made out of plastic, wood, and even furniture legs. I wouldn’t recommend using spray paint to paint an entire furniture piece, because you can usually see streaks.
#5: I’ve used chalkboard paint to paint chalkboard walls. With the left overs I”ve used it to paint home decor pieces like my wood mirror in my bathroom, and picture frames to match others that I’ve found at HomeGoods. If you’re looking for a more washed finish- chalk paint in itself is great to use with a chip brush as you’ll see in one of my pictures below. Rustoleum also carries a “chalky” product- their version of furniture chalk paint.
Ideas of Projects I’ve (or clients) Used These Paints On
Paint #1
Door Hinges & Door Hinges & Metal Brackets: When we first moved in our entire house had the 1997 brass gold finish (and not the pretty kind that’s coming back in style). So I bought all new door knobs at $10 each- 15 doors, but decided to forgo purchasing the hinges at $9 a door and spray paint them instead. It worked out perfectly and they have not chipped til this day. I originally told my friend LQ this, and she sprung for the new door hinges- however, since doors can become warped over time due to changes in temperature- she always says she wishes she just spray painted them, because new hinges didn’t allow all of her doors to close right. When I told my client Chrissy this- she decided to take it a step further and try it out on her door knobs as well- what did she have to lose? She was going to have to purchase new ones anyway if it didn’t work out. So far so good! I also spray painted the handle and L brackets to make my sliding barn door look more expensive than it was. Spray painting kitchen, bathroom, or furniture knobs in general is another idea for a quick and easy fix.
(pipes were originally silver)
Metal Home Decor Items: Whenever I find an item in a home decor store but it just isn’t the right color- for example white or nickel finish- I’ve spray painted it to match the look I was going for. Take the welcome sign and deer antlers/fox head for example in my photos below. You can also do it to curtain rods.
Outdoor Lights and Light fixtures in general: Originally I bought these silver lights from Home Depot to replace the hideous ones from the previous owners. After one year of weather in NY they were rusting, and I was pretty pissed that I had spent $30 a light. Therefore, I took a can of this spray paint to them and it’s held up for four years since with no rust. If you have some fixtures in your home that need updating, try painting them in black or matte gold to update them.
Check out my friend Jessica’s (www.cozyhomecozyheart.com) bathroom fixture transformation with matte gold spray paint. She recommends putting a coat of poly on it since it gets so much use:
Paint #2
As I said above (next to paint number 2), sometimes larger spray paint jobs scare me because I don’t have enough patience to wait for many coats. That’s when I’ve used this paint.
Outdoor Light Posts: Our light posts were originally white with an ornate fixture on top. They just weren’t our style. So I found new tops on the internet and decided to paint the posts black with a paint brush and product #2. It worked out great, I was able to control the splatters since I wasn’t using a can of spray paint- and it’s lasted for 5 years so far without chipping.
Outdoor Furniture: This project was what this blog post was born out of. I used painters tape on the fabric parts of the chair, put a drop cloth below, and did two coats on these.
Metal Doors: I also used this paint in a flatter version for the door leading out the side of our garage. (I don’t have a picture handy though).
Paint #3
Fireplaces: Made to withstand high temperature. As I mentioned, I recommended a client of mine use this on their fireplace to change out the brass. It made a world of a difference. Our fireplace’s black finish had also chipped in certain areas. So I used it as well.
Paint #4
Furniture legs: (I’m not sure if there’s much of a difference of this product from product 1, it’s just product 1 says “stops rust” and this one doesn’t- so I’ve only used product one when it’s come to metal. )Have you ever found a chair that you loved but the furniture legs wasn’t cohesive with the wood colors in your home? That’s what happened with the chair pictured below, and I decided to spray paint the legs to go with our darker floors. It worked out perfectly.
(Legs super light)
Paint #5
Wood Home Decor Items: I used this paint because it was left over to paint a dark brown wood mirror that I had found. However, I really wanted it to be black instead- so I used a chip brush to apply this on so that some of the wood color would still show through. In addition the two bathroom wall pictures below are from the same company, however, they were originally not the same color. I found the barrel picture first in black, and then I found the cow picture later on. I loved it so much, that I brought it home and decided to paint it with chalk paint to make it match.
In addition, I’ve also used the “chalky” version of rustoleum in white, to give wood accents more of a washed feel- take these 3 stars for example. They were originally completely wood color.