Spray Painting: An Affordable & Easy Way to Give Old Furniture New Life
Is your home looking drab and in desperate need of a refresh? Or perhaps you’re not happy with your furniture’s colour choices. Instead of buying new furniture pieces, consider a shiny coat of paint to make things new again. Spray painting your old, chipped and washed out furniture is one of the best ways to give it a new, stunning look without having to spend an awful lot of money. And best of all, instead of feeling limited by the colour choices offered by the manufacturer, with spray painting you have an unlimited palette of paint colours on your disposal.
DIY spray painting isn’t as weird as it sounds, and it’s a lot easier than the traditional paintbrush method. Moreover, with spray painting your old favourites will be free of any ugly brushstroke marks. And it’s definitely a lot quicker too. In under 10 minutes, you can completely turn around the time on your ancient coffee table or any small furniture item. Opposed to regular paint, spray paint dries a lot faster which means you won’t have to stand the unpleasant paint smell for too long.
Before you get down to business, you’ll need to stock up on supplies first. Everything you need to give your oldies a silky smooth finish, will usually cost less than 200 dollars (including the spray gun). The rest of your buying list should consist of a mask, primer, spray paint colours, some sandpaper to smooth out the base, and a sealer for certain types of projects. If you have a lot to paint, a spray paint handle can make the task a lot more easier on your fingers.
And much like regular paint, spray paint colours also come in several different finishes, ranging from flat or almost matte to very glossy. Be sure to choose a finish that corresponds with the rest of your interior, as well as your taste. Furniture with a high glossy finish will be easier to clean. Also, if it’s a frequently used piece, avoid flat paint. A satin finish will make the furniture more resistant to wear.
Before beginning to spray, you should sand the furniture so that the surface is clean and free from any rough edges. Always make sure to sand in the direction of the wood grain to avoid any marks from the sand paper. If the surface has some residue glossy finish, you should get that finish off as best as possible before applying a new one. Remember, you should only spray paint in a well-ventilated environment, preferably outdoors.
Finally, it might seem tempting to buy cheap cans of spray paint instead of a spray gun but this is only a good choice for a small area of coating. If you’re planning to give your kitchen cabinets a brand new colour you’d need plenty of paint to work with and buying cans and cans of spray paint will end up being way to expensive. Regardless if it’s a high or low pressure paint sprayer, it is without a doubt a more cost-efficient spray painting method.