A Fan of Spray Paint

Judy here.  Just got home from San Antonio, to Amarillo, through rain storms, floods, and a 9 hour drive.  But as I drove, I thought about this blog and things I want to share.


For those of you who are not experienced at all with furniture re-dos, let me tell you that the easiest way to paint furniture is for outside.  Why? you ask.  Because for outside you can use spray, enamel paint (heavy on the fumes, so do it outside) which will make it weather well.  Using enamel based paint with a brush is hard because you have to have paint thinner to clean the brush (more fumes) and it takes time to clean those brushes, plus enamel shows brush strokes.  Even if I use poly or enamel paint, I'll usually finish with a layer of spray varnish or paint to fill in those brush strokes.


Rustoleum 2x in many colors and clear (gloss or satin) is my favorite.  They cost about 3.50 a can at Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.  Now if you really want to save money, Walmart has a brand (Tera says is good and I don't remember the name and it's usually on bottom shelf) for under $2. 


I recently did 3 chairs and a table for the sun porch, using 4 colors, one for each item separate, using the colors in the pillows to draw it all together.  I used 1 1/2 cans of paint per chair. 

 

Now on the lawn furniture I spread a drop cloth in the yard on the grass.  And I had to clean each chair a lot with the water hose, as they were really, really dirty and spider-web covered. I got the whole set including a lounger at a garage sale for $40. 

 On the first chair, I goofed and set it up as you sit in it and painted it, and after it dried flipped it upside down.  DO NOT DO THAT, because then you can ruin your fresh paint job!  So on chairs 2 and 3 and the table I started it upside down, and after dried flipped and did it as it sits.  After they dried I repeated those steps because I missed spots.  Usually I would then cover with clear gloss, but since these were staying in the screened in sun porch, I decided not to do that.

Dirty chair, as all were dirty.

  I then found 3 sets of pillows at Walmart on sale for $5 each and chose different sets with similar colors (Walmart was so sold out they didn't have 3 of any one pattern).  I tried to Velcro the backs to the chairs, but they were too heavy, so they just sit up on the bottom pillow. 


But back to the spray paint, be very sure to continually move the can around as you spray or it will go on too thick and run.  If it runs and you see it, grab a brush and spread it out while wet.  If you miss it and it dries, you might have to sand it down.  Sometimes I just peel it off with my fingers and lightly repaint those spots.  I like a back and forth movement, but Tera uses a squirt, move, squirt move, pattern.  I probably waste more paint in the back and forth and possibly get lines, but its my method, and its the same method my son uses when using a paint sprayer for walls. 


I have now done 3 outside sets.  I remodeled a home for an elderly couple a few years back and they had a park bench.  I spray painted those.  I also spray paint hardware.  Tera did the hooks on the coat tree from last blog; she also sprayed all the hardware on the kitchen cabinets on a house we flipped last year in San Antonio and the front doors on both San Antonio flip houses.  I sprayed hardware on the cabinets in the elderly couple's house.  It makes them look brand new.  It's amazing how style isn't the culprit on hardware, but color.  Right now nickel is hot.  In the 70's it was bronze.  Bronze screams 70's.  There are lots of things you can spray paint, and if you are just starting this hobby, start with spray paint.  Tera has done quite a few desks and they always look amazing.  More on those in the future, as Tera buys a lot of desks and filing cabinets from auctions and always makes them look fun, modern and colorful.  She did one filing cabinet with superheroes on each drawer.  But I'm sure she'll want to show you some of her work.  She probably won't write as often as me, as she is taking care of 4 boys, and one is only 2 (yes, terrible twos.  He's the size of a 5 year old but as active and inquisitive as a 2 year old!!) 


 I could probably go on and on about what all we've spray painted, but just know that it's easy, cheap and can make anything look better (remember the commercial where the lady buys the lawn chair and bike for next to nothing, spray paints it and resells it to the original owner for 10x what she paid.  Yes, it is true.  Rejuvenate with inexpensive spray paint, which dries super fast, and have a project done in a day.  I did all 3 chairs and table in 24 hours!!


So that's my fan letter to spray paint, especially Rustoleum. Hope you learned something and feel inspired to get out there and paint something old to make it young again.