Now, I recently wrote about an easy DIY chalkboard spray painting project, which kicked off our summer crafting season. Last weekend, my Kitty's Keeper was back at it again, this time spray painting everything we could get our hot little paws on! We picked out our objects and the perfect colors to go with each. There is such a wide array of choices - sprays with different textures, different finishes (I love the glossy!), and you can even spray a variety of materials, including plastic!
I chose three items: an old flower box, a lamp from a garage sale, and a banged-up air vent cover. The lamp was going to go in my craft room, which has a blue theme going on, so I chose glossy royal blue. Rust-oleum makes matching paint to go with their spray paint line, and I have a separate piece to update that is also going in the craft room, so I went ahead and purchased the royal blue paint, too. The vent cover needed some serious rehab, and since it's a weird size, I thought it best to try and work with what I have instead of forking out some major dough to get a new one in 6" x 10". I chose a finish in an antique bronze color. For the outdoor planter, I wanted to go with something really fun, and this aquamarine matches my outdoor lantern perfectly!
So, here we are all ready to start the day. You definitely want to make sure you have a well-ventilated area (outdoors on a sunny day is ideal!) to do the job.
I prepped all surfaces with a light sanding and then a wipe down with a damp cloth. Make sure everything is clean and dry - just give a rub down with a clean beach towel - before you start.
For the vent cover, we had to call in the big guns (Contractor Lou AKA Dad) to help out. He used some old pieces of 2" x 4" that we had leftover from an old project to lightly tap the curlicues back into a straight position. He also used his electric sander to scrape off the rusty bits of brass coating. Luckily the lamp just needed a good wipe-down and also painter's tape around the fixture and the wire.
You should put down a nice big piece of cardboard or a drop cloth so that you can avoid having an angry husband and a blue driveway (oops).
A few thin coats of paint on the planter...
and we have a totally fun herb garden on the deck!
The vent cover went from (embarrassingly) gross to absolutely fresh and modern with just a few swipes of the spray paint can and a little tap, tap, tap from the hammer! I am totally in love with how easy it was to update this, and I can't believe we took two years to do it!
When you're spraying, keep the can about 10" from the piece, and spray in a slow, steady, sweeping motion. Do a first coat on the entire project, and then let dry about 15 minutes and spray your second coat. If you've got all afternoon, and you're a patient person, adding a third coat will pay off. When you're done with a can, hold it upside down and spray for about 10 seconds to clean the valve for your next use.
My favorite project was the lamp, which went from plain black to something really funky, and the best part is this was a $2 investment! The color goes perfectly with some existing baskets, and I think when the other painting project is complete, the whole craft room will look like it was designed and decorated (and not just a mish-mash of what I already had up in our attic).
I will have to buy a new lamp harp (to hold on a shade) and find a suitable lampshade, since the $2 did not include either piece. Perhaps I will break out my ribbon collection (yay) and add some touches to a white drum shade? Any ideas for lamp shade decorations? I could use some pinspiration!
Overall, I am so pleased with how fast and easy it was to take these old, outdated pieces and completely freshen them up! You'll be seeing more coming out of these summer weekends, so stay tuned!
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