These easy DIY spray paint ideas are perfect for beginners who want an easy weekend project! Spray painting is a simple way to refresh outdated decor or upcycle unexpected pieces. Read on for tips and techniques to make spray painting easy!
When the weather warms up, it’s time to bust out the spray paint!
Give Your Ugly Vent Covers a Makeover!
If you’re new to DIY projects and have outdated furniture or decor that’s desperately seeking a transformation, spray paint is a great way to get your feet wet. There are loads of colors to choose from, and some spray paints event add interesting texture (try the “hammered metal” look).
For years I’ve turned to color in a can to revive boring old stuff. Here are some of my favorite transformations to inspire you, plus my top tips for spray painting success.
Spray Painting Tips and Techniques to Get the Best Finish
Spray painting is an easy way to transform ugly or outdated furniture and decor but to get a good finish you’ll need to do some prep work.
- Wait for the right temperature. According to the experts, the best temperature for spray painting is between 50-90 degrees Fahrenheit with low humidity. Personally, I find that between 60-80 degrees is the sweet spot. Our summers here in New England are typically pretty humid, so spring and fall are ideal seasons for spray paint projects.
- Spray paint in a well-ventilated area that’s clear from anything you don’t want to accidentally paint (um, like your car in the garage!). Better yet, use a spray paint tent or a cardboard box for a small project.
- Use a dark primer, or paint + primer combo spray paint, if you’re using a dark color. Otherwise, you’ll need at least three coats to get good coverage.
- Don’t spray too close to your project, or you risk drips.
- Let the paint dry between coats
7 Easy DIY Spray Paint Ideas For Your Home
1. Spray paint wood trim to frame a boring mirror.
The builder-grade powder room in our first home was so boring! Even after painting the walls a rich blue, the tiny room needed some major personality. So, I spray painted some ornate wood trim and attached it to the mirror with construction adhesive. In a few hours, we had a framed mirror that looked like metal!
2. Transform thrift shop furniture
My husband was cleaning out the basement this weekend and asked if we should get rid of this sweet little rocking chair. I almost throttled him! I worked so hard to restore this Goodwill find for our son’s nursery, and it’s not going anywhere even though our boy’s way too big for it now. This spray paint project required a bit more elbow grease to sand down all the grime and fill cracks and hole with wood filler. But, the end result was worth it.
3. Spray paint a container to create a pretty tray.
One of my favorite details in our screened-in porch is a cute little wood tray left over from some Melissa and Doug felt play food.
4. Spray paint a metal trashcan to make it shine!
After cleaning my gross old, black metal trash can from my college days, I spray painted it gold and now it’s perfect for our guest room.
5. Update rusty floor vents.
One of my most popular posts is how to paint rusty vent covers, and it’s also one of those easy DIY spray paint ideas that I should have done a lot sooner! Rather than spend money on new vent covers, just follow my tutorial to make them look like new.
6. Spray paint a file cabinet to match your home office.
This old filing cabinet (perhaps the world’s worst birthday gift from my grandma) stuck out like a sore thumb in my craft room/home office area. After cleaning it up with a magic eraser sponge and spray painting it white, the filing cabinet fits right in with my IKEA desk.
7. Brighten up a pegboard with spray paint.
My craft area’s pegboard is a big feature since you can see it from the guest bed, so it needed a pop of color. The board was left in our basement by the home’s previous owners and was a gross shade of brown before I sprayed it pretty raspberry pink. Then, I sprayed leftover wood trim glossy white before my dad put it all together.
What else can you do with spray paint?
The easy DIY spray paint ideas I mentioned above are just a few of the transformations I’ve done over the years. Here are a bunch of other projects I’ve tried that you can try, too!
- Metal lamp bases
- Wood picture frames
- Metal toilet paper roll holder
- Wood table base
- Drawer pulls
- Plastic planters
- Dining chairs