I Love Spray Paint

Of all the ways to makeover an item of furniture, spray paint is my current favorite. If you've got so-so furniture taking up space in your house, some spray paint could help you fall in love with your rooms again. Seriously, it's well worth the few bucks and hours. At the end of the post, I've made a list of some helpful tips that I've learned (mostly the hard way) about using spray paint.

Over the last couple weeks I've been working on making over the dresser and mirror in our master bedroom. Redoing those pieces has completely changed the whole room for me. It is a tiny (really really tiny) room and our furniture was a sad mix of mismatched items that have been begging for some cohesion since we moved into this house (about 6 years ago...). All their matching dreams have finally come true!

Before

Stenciled dresser (which was done by my aunt and has been in the family since I was a baby, but wasn't working with our other furniture)
& dark brown mirror that used to hang in our bathroom. 

We were so reluctant to commit to this motley grouping that we never even hung the mirror, just leaned it against the wall. So sad.

During

5 cans of Valspar black gloss spray paint and some wonderfully sunny days to paint on the patio.

Even our little lemon tree in the background.

After

Coordinating black mirror and dresser with some cheap decorative touches that I love. 

I've finally committed to my furniture and I am very happy with it.

 

In hindsight, I probably should have used matte finish paint to match all the matte finish frames in our room. Maybe when I have too much free time this spring I'll get right on that...maybe.

If you get the urge to spray paint some of your cast-off/craigslist/hand-me-down/thrifted furniture, here's a little help:
-Do a light sand on the piece before painting and use a tack cloth to remove all the little dusty bits (you don't want your beautiful finish ruined and hard work wasted).
-Do it outside (good ventilation) when it's not too breezy (unwanted overspray) and not too cold (it will take longer to dry).
-Shake the can often while working to avoid clogs.
-Use slow strokes when painting to get the most paint on the surface in each sweep.
-On the other hand, don't put on heavy coats because they'll wrinkle and piss you off.
-You can make the most mismatched furniture look like it belongs together by simply using matching paint colors...minor miracle.
-You don't need to sand between a couple light coats, just put them on back to back.
-Don't be afraid to try a new color! If you don't like it, sand it off and paint over it. Paint is cheap and it's an easy way to inject color and life into a room.

Happy painting!

***featured at The Shabby Chic Cottage Transformation Thursday, Remodelaholic's Anonymous Meeting, Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday, My Backyard Eden's Make It Yours Day, Me and My Bucket, Somewhat Simple's Strut Your Stuff Thursday, Simply Sweet Home Friday Favorites, and Someday Crafts Whatever Goes Wednesday*** Pin It