Friday, December 2, 2011

For the Love of Spray paint

My husband is addicted to spray paint.
From the amount of spray paint cans we have in our garage, you might suspect him of being a tagger.
But he's not.
He just loves to spray paint furniture.
Lamps.
Hardware for the front door.
Mail boxes.
Halloween costumes.
You name it, he'll try spray painting it.

We (mostly he) tackled these lovely tables over Thanksgiving weekend.
They were in pretty bad shape.
Lots of scratches, dings and a generally ugly finish.
Just as we started sanding them, I remembered, "I have to get some before pictures!"
Here they are having been just touched with the sandpaper.



When sanding for spray painting, it is important to give the piece of furniture a "tooth".
That is something for the paint to grab onto.




We did not sand deep or hard enough to take out all the scratches.
We just gave each table a good rubbing down and made sure there were not any real uneven spots in the finish.
The secret to a good spray paint job lies not just in the sanding but in using a primer.
Get gray primer.
It works best.
And give your piece a real solid base coat with that primer.
It will make all the difference in the world.




Let the primer dry well and then put down your final color.
This turquoise is amazing.
It is really saturated.
It makes me happy every time I look at it.
I could not be more pleased with the end result.
Spray paint magic!



Aaron also hit this lamp I bought at an estate sale more than a year ago.
I really bought it just for the shade.
The lamp is kind of weird.
Aaron said it reminded him of a bomb from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons.



So he hit it with some orange spray paint to see if it would look any better.
I like it a lot better.
Still not sure if I love it, but I'll give it some time and see if it grows on me.




And just to give you a final glimpse of the wonder of spray paint, here is the table and lamp before spray paint:




And here they are after spray paint:



Magic, I tell you, magic.
What do you love to spray paint?
Love from,
Greta

12 comments:

simply brookes: said...

brilliant, g. love your style. love your flare. work it, strut it as only you can.

Unknown said...

love this! i really like the colors you picked. what kind of paint do you use? it looks pretty glossy

Vicki said...

Love it! Love it! Spray paint is *the best*!!

Cailan said...

Magical indeed, Greta :). Very happy colors and thank you much for the tip about gray primer!

mandi said...

Ooh! So pretty! I have been searching for the perfect turquoise spray paint. Can you pass on the deets? If you get a chance?

hennymats said...

hmm, last thing "we" (aka my husband...) spray painted were a couple of lids from empty jam jars and three "Setzkasten" - now don't ask me what that's called in English! It's wooden and like your printer's tray, it's used to display small knick knack. Two of them were shaped like little houses, I got them from ebay. They were pretty beat up and um, rustic I'd say ;) They look much nicer painted white and now hang in the boys' rooms. It's been so dark here that I haven't managed to get decent pics and post about them yet... But the boys use them to display all those little treasures they find, stones, chestnuts, ...

Oh, and the lids were painted white, too, the jars are now home to the vintage button collection I got from my mom. Someday that sewing machine and I are going to be best friends and I'll use all those cool buttons on little pouches and handbags... ahem. Someday.

Maybe I should try red next time? Or yellow. Hmmm.....

Thanks for the inspiration, as always!
Swenja

grey rose (they/them) said...

gorgeous and fun transformation! love!
spray painting is something i miss. i likely would rarely find the time anyway, but we've nowhere to do such things. just a little downside to downtown apartment life:)

praying your sunday is lovely, greta! xo

Jill said...

gorgeous! I have been thinking about adding some pops of orange lately...a glossy orange lamp is so fun! (and the thrill of the hunt for a lamp to paint is half the fun!)

Jill said...

Gorgeous! And inspiring as always :) I have been thinking of adding in some pops of orange, and a glossy orange lamp would be so fun! (plus the thrill of the hunt for one to paint is half the fun!)

Jeanette Frump @lefrumpette said...

I die...I love aqua and I love orange...and I love them together!! Awesome job on the painting! The tables are delightful, and I love that they are your bed tables! So pretty, thanks for sharing!!!!

farmgirl said...

Okay, I need more spray paint how-to tips from you apparently, because my projects never turn out that professional. Is the primer brushed or sprayed? Do you sand between coats? Preferred brand of spray paint? Mine always ends up with a tacky finish at the end. What am I doing wrong? Help!

Kramer Family said...

what kind of spray paint did you use? I'm having a hard time finding a turquoise. Did the can actually say turquoise or another name?