I’m not going to state the obvious – you already know of lots of things you can spruce up with a can of spray paint. But here are some things you may not have known about:
1. Curtains and Upholstery! I know it’s hard to believe, but you can coat them with a product like Simply Spray’s Upholstery Paint to restore or even alter the color of faded fabric. Check out this fabulous before and after:
Transformation by Kristy of Hyphen Interiors
2. Stained Wood Furniture – Worn wood tables and chairs can be revived with a translucent lacquer-based spray stain. Take a wood table with a dated orangey undertone and take it toward a dark expresso. It comes in differentwood finishes and makes a scratch- and water-resistant top coat. Try Design Master Home Decor Stain.
3. Hardware – You can touch up worn finishes or even change the finish of doorknobs, cabinet knobs, and even faucets with metallic spray paint. It comes in any metal finish you’d like. When it starts to wear off, just add another coat.
Painted Faucets by The StyleSisters
4. Small appliances – Did you splurge on a stainless steel stove and dishwasher but your other small appliances don’t match? Now there is stainless steel paint that can withstand up to 200 degrees – try Thomas’s Liquid Stainless Steel.
source
5. Slippery stairs – If you have a slick stairwell, porch, or stepstool, you can spray them with a texturized finish like Krylon’s Non-Skid Coating.
6. Brass Fireplace Inserts and Radiators – Spray on an updated finish, using a high-heat enamel paint. Rust-Oleum’s got a good one.
Painted Fireplace Insert by Molly the Pirate
7. Plastic Lawn Furniture – Don’t like the standard color of your plastic lawn furniture (hunter green, anyone?) Krylon now makes a spray paint called Fusion that is made specifically to adhere to plastic. Awesome, huh?
Did any of these spray paint applications surprise you or do you have any other spray paint ideas to share? For more great decorating ideas, follow me on Pinterest or Facebook!
Wow! I’m surprised by several of these. Upholstery? Crazy! Most intrigued by the stained wood furniture (my bedroom furniture??) and the plastic lawn chairs. How about some tips on spray painting in an upcoming blog? I know there are do’s and don’ts.
i’m pretty interested in finding out more about the more unusual spray paint applications – i’ll see what i come up with and share it in the future! The plastic lawn chair thing is pretty straight-forward, though. It’s Krylon Fusion paint – just clean your chairs and go for it!
Good morning Kristie… I did not know you could spray paint upholstery!!! I will have to try that very soon. I always love your posts ~ I don’t always comment, but I do read everyone. PS. Did you go out and buy your girls Popsicles that day ?! XoXo
so funny you should mention that about the popsicles – i just relayed that story to mr. man yesterday (he was out of town last week). and yes, i did!!!
Awesome post! Thanks for including my blue chair. However, that is ithe in process photo before it was completed. It actually looks much less streaky and faded now, if you want to grab a more recent pic on my blog. 🙂 Love that panited lawn furniture!
thanks, kristy! i’ll go pull a more recent photo 🙂
wow – i just found the before and after shots – AWESOME!!!
Thanks so much! !
I’m curious to know, now that it’s been almost a year, how well the color on the painted fabric chair has held up. Does it rub off over time? Also, did it change the texture of the fabric? I’ve never heard of spray painting fabric before.
Hello,
What colour did you use on your chair in order to turn it into that brilliant blue colour? I have been looking at the Simple Spray paint range and just want to make sure I get the right colour.
What about resin wicker furniture? I’ve got some in a hunter green that would look better in another color.
Thanks,
Lezlie
Love it! Behold the power of {spray} paint!
Warmly, Michelle
nice post! Totally been pondering spray-painting some upholstery. Thanks for all the product recommendations!
You are definitely a girl after my own heart! I am big on spraying old light fixtures – you can go with a textured oiled bronze look or a matte black – even gloss white. It’s a total transformation for just pennies. Thanks for all you do!
Amy
Great post! Just shared it on our Facebook page! So useful!!
thanks for posting, jill!
This is a great post, Kristie. I’d never heard of the fabric or wood spray paint options. Thanks for expanding beyond the typical paint projects and giving us something fresh!
Wow – thanks Kristie! This is an awesome post. I was surprised at the plastic one – do you know if it will work on the pvc plastic casements for windows in doors and sidelights that turn the lovely shade of yellow over time?
I had no idea about fabric and upholstery! Very cool! I’ve been toying with spray painting our wooden patio furniture a really bright color! A can of spray paint is great way to freshen something up and make it new all over again! Great post!
Katie
I would like to use some of these immediately..the plastic spray, the getting rid of orangey pine colour stain spray and the metal spray…thanks for the ideas!
I was working with an interior designer on redoing the kitchen and she sprayed the cabinets and back splash but the hardware that she painted she baked in the oven after spray painting and now the paint doesn’t scratch–definitely worth the time!
wow, i’ve never heard of baking them in the oven – i guess it had to be some kind of heat-resistant paint (like what you can use on the fireplace inserts)?
My fireplace insert looks almost identical to that one, although I painted mine. My little quart of black, heat resistant paint has covered a lot of items so far and it is not even half way used. The problem with spray paint is that you need so much if it. And it’s certainly way faster!
Great post Kristie!
Maria
Wow! Thank you so much for posting this. I am known to paint practically anything that isn’t moving. However, now there’s a new victim – upholstered items. Who knew? I am so excited about this and cannot wait to try it out. But, I have a few questions first – is it durable? If it get’s wet, will it bleed? Does it make the fabric feel stiff or uncomfortable? Thank you again. I’m having a great time checking out your blog.
Great post! I love all the ideas and some are new ones I had not heard of before – so thanks for the tips. One thing I have seen that is not on the list – is spray paint for grass – those bald patches where dog pee may have burned out the grass . . . I have used regular green paint years ago – and now there are eco-friendly versions of outdoor spray paint that would be OK to spray on grass patches.
that green spray paint is a fabulous idea for staging a home, that’s for sure! thanks for reading, jennie 🙂
How does the painted chair feel? Rough? Sticky?
reportedly, it doesn’t feel either rough or sticky – that would be a deal-killer for me!
Kirstie
“reportedly, it doesn’t feel either rough or sticky – that would be a deal-killer for me!”
does the ‘reportedly’ mean that you have not tried these recommendations yourself first?
Curious. I saw the “sprayed” upholstered chair on a website a week or so ago in step by step
instructions on painting it with a brush. As far as spraying cabinets. How in the world do you
control the spray. I tried spraying a desk in my son’s room. Thought I’d covered EVERYTHING else.
The carpet still turned pink even under the plastic drop cloths! So beware, if doing a project inside!
Oh my, you CAN’T spray anything in the house!!! You have to take it outside – you can take the doors off the cabinets in a kitchen and do that outside or in a workshop (roll/brush the bases of the cabinets).
Actually, if it’s something small, I have seen people put things inside a large cardboard box turned on it’s side and paint them inside (making sure the seams are well taped, of course), but yes, I would be quite wary of spray painting anything large inside.
What kind of paint do you use on faucets? I had to have the shower in the master bath replaced due to a leak and went with an oil-rubbed bronze finish. However, I have never had the faucets changed out. They are gold now. Painting them would sure be a lot cheaper than replacing.
Have you ever painted outside lights? My front porch lights need help. I had wondered if they could be painted.
is it possible to paint italian leather couches?
Can you paint a stainless steel dishwasher white? Will Krylon spray paint work?
Donie,
Maybe with a good metal primer – but you may need to check about whether you need a heat-resistant paint.
I have some plastic lawn chairs and wanted to change the color. I got some spray paint that was designed for that specific thing . After spraying 2 and letting dry the seats and backs are sticky. How do I cure this and not let it happen on the next ones?
Thanks alot!
Tina K
Tina,
Sounds like they didn’t get enough time to cure up well, or maybe you applied the spray paint on a humid day? I’d contact the manufacturer of the product and email or call them directly with your question. Good luck!
Great post, Kristie! Spray paint has come a long way, baby!
I just used Ace brand “Rust Stop Indoor/outdoor” spraypaint on my patio furniture. After 24 hours the paint comes off on my hands. Will this eventually dry? I swore I would never use Ace latex paint again but I thought maybe I’d give it a go with the spray 🙁
wow, that’s terrible – i’d contact the makers of that paint and see what they say. i know that Rustoleum is a good product.
We have spray painted light fixtures and ceiling fan fixtures for an updated look. We also painted the fireplace with black enamel paint by rustoleum but used the kind in the small can in painted it on with a foam craft brush….i was way too terrified of using black spray paint indoors!
Excelente o seu blog.Thank
I have a question for you Kath (I really like the original name),
Is there a spray paint I can use on my fabric cushion on outdoor furniture? It's some sort of plastic like fabric that most outdoor furnitures are made of.
Thanks for your info and advice, I'm really looking forward to it…
Aloha,
Art
Whooops, Sorry about that. I thought it was Kath I was asking but the Decorologist is actually Christie.
For the question of what spray paint to use on patio furniture fabric. Can it be done?
Aloha,
Art
Believe it or not, you can paint the cabinet of pianos. My husband is a Registered Piano Technician. Years ago we purchased 6 upright pianos from a school district. The finish was that 1950’s blond wood in fair to middling condition on all of them. We filled in big holes with wood putty, sanded those areas smooth. Then cleaned the entire cabinet and spray painted 5 of them with satin black Krylon for plastics. They looked fantastic! One HUGE caveat: although it can be done alone, your best bet is to get a piano technician to remove all the pieces and especially the inside working parts (the technical term is “the action”) before painting. You do not want to get paint inside the piano. BTW, it takes about 6 cans of black to do an upright piano and 10 cans of creamy white 😉
Hi! 🙂 I’m doing a project at school and it’s over Krylon Spray Paint. I have to make an Ad about Krylon. My headline is “For the Unexpected” and didn’t know if you knew of anything you could spray paint, like kids toys, or anything baby related? Weird question, but if you could respond that would be a big thank you!! 😀
Riley,
I have no ideas as to the possible toxicity of Krylon or any other spray paint for baby-related items, but I would guess a safe answer would be NO. You’d need to check with the spray paint company.
I have to paint some industrial ac equipment that is hot what kind of paint can I use
Stumbled on your site. Great stuff, I’m really enjoying it.
Thank you!
I recently moved and my beautiful bright red counter-top appliances no longer match my new kitchen. With the advice of a paint expert at Lowes, I painted my toaster oven with Rust-Oleum’s High Heat Ultra black spray paint. Worked beautifully and even after a year, still no pealing or bubbling from the high heat. So nice to have a product that works as promised!
I recently had my gas fireplace in the living room serviced. As part of the service. The technician spray painted the INSIDE of the fireplace or fire box black. I was amazed. The fireplace just shines and looks like new even after a chilly winter season of use. What a difference! I imagine he used something like Rust-Oleum’s High Heat Ultra black spray paint.
Hi Kristie….Love your site….Need your help with this one….How do I overcome a stain & water repellent treated upholstery fabric in order to use new fabric spray paint to change the color on two vintage chairs?….the present fabric is unique and would love to keep it….
I have a balustrade fence in the garden with the tops being plastic arrows . I had these arrow tops painted gold . Looked fantastic for just about 2 weeks n then faded . It was an esxpensive gold paint . What gold paint can I use on these plastic arrows so that it looks like ‘buckihgham palace’
Shiela,
Well obviously it’s going to need to be a good exterior-grade paint. Check with your local paint retailer to see what they recommend for that application.
The chair presentation is a little deceptive, since they hand painted the paint on, and I haven’t read good reviews of the spray paint you are recommending. If you revealed that in the paragraph it would be helpful to know.
looking for gold paint for leather or material sneakers. Can you help me