Spray painting furniture as a way of breathing new life into it, or revamping it in line with a complete makeover, has become exceedingly popular in recent years. This popularity can be attributed to numerous reasons. Perhaps the main reason is financial, spray painting furniture and giving it a brand new appearance is far cheaper than the cost of replacing these items. Another reason is that due to the increased awareness of the damage and impact that consumerism is having on the environment, people are looking for green ways of breathing new life into their interiors.
However spray painting is also popular as it provides a relatively simple and quick means of creating a new aesthetic appearance within a home. It enables parents to revamp their children’s furniture in line with their children’s changing preferences. Equally it enables existing furniture to be brought in line with a recent makeover you have done. Sometimes people use spray paint as means of making shabby and dated furniture which has been purchased cheaply from a charity shop look stunning.
Regardless of the specific reason why people decide to spray paint their furniture, there are numerous advantages for doing this, these include:
- Cost: Spray painting is the single cheapest means of revamping furniture, literally the only financial expense is the purchase of a can of spray paint. A good quality spray paint can, can be purchased for as little as just £7.99.
- Selection: You can literally select any colour you desire with spray paint. The majority of spray paint providers offer all of the colours contained within the popular colour identification systems, such as the RAL or the BS systems. In addition, most specialist spray paint providers offer colour matching services, enabling you to utilise your desired colour even if you cannot identify it.
- Speed of application: Applying spray paint to your furniture can be achieved far quicker than other, conventional methods of application, such as brushing.
- Quality of coating: unlike other paint application methods, spray paint actually bonds to the surface that it is applied. This means that the coating is not only more durable, it also lasts significantly longer.
Preparation For Furniture Revamp:
However, people often rush to do their spray paint furniture revamp projects, as a result they pay the price. Whether this is through an inferior or inconsistent coating, or through spray residue landing on surrounding surfaces. Therefore it is important that the furniture and the surrounding area is correctly prepared prior to the commencement of spraying.
We advise that you conduct the spraying outside. There are a number of reasons for this:
- There are less surfaces for the spray residue to land on, therefore it is far easier to prepare the surrounding area.
- Spray paint smells of paint, therefore you do not want your interior to be left with a lasting paint smell, which due to the solvents contained within spray paint can be harmful when inhaled.
You may not have to spray paint outside, with smaller items you may be able to conduct the spraying in your garage. However it is always best, where possible, to spray paint items outside.
Once you have decided upon the area where you will conduct the project it is time to think about materials. You will of course require a can of your desired spray paint colour, in addition to this a number of other materials will be required. These include, sandpaper, newspaper and a cloth.
How To Spray Paint Your Furniture:
- Sand your furniture: Before spraying the furniture it needs to be prepared to ensure the best possible quality of coating. Irrespective of whether the furniture has been created from metal or wood it may require a little sanding. However, if the furniture’s surface is already extremely smooth then sanding is not required and you can proceed to the next stage. Sanding is an important all too often overlooked stage in the process. This is due to the fact that it will ensure the surface is smooth, making it easier for the spray paint to bond to it. It will also get rid of old paint where the coating has been compromised, ensuring a firm foundation for the spray paint to be applied to.
- Clean the furniture’s surface: Once the furniture has been sufficiently sanded it is time to clean the surface. This process will remove bits of grit and dust, which may not be observable, from the surface. If these are not removed they can result in an uneven or inferior coating. Take the cloth, dip it in warm soapy water and then run it along the entirety of the furniture’s surface. If you are spraying wooden furniture, make sure the cloth is not too wet as the wood will absorb excess moisture. Once you have wiped the furniture’s surface, wait for the furniture to dry before moving to the next stage.
- Spray Paint the furniture: Before spraying the furniture some further preparation is required. Lay down some old rags or plastic sheeting around the area where you are going to spray. This will prevent excess paint from landing here during the process. If you are spraying near other substrates such as walls and fences, then these should be covered too. This can be done by taking newspaper and fixing it to the wall using tape. Once satisfied it is time to test the paint. The reason for this is that most spray paint cans contain mixed paint, therefore results can vary. You don’t want to find you have the wrong colour once you have begun!
Now it is time to begin spraying! Take the can and hold it at least eight inches from the surface of the furniture. Then begin to apply the paint in a consistent sideways motion, start from the top and then work down. In order to gain a consistent coating you may need to apply more than one coat. If you notice that some areas require touching up then do this.
- Wait for paint to dry: Before returning your new revamped furniture inside, wait for it to dry. Instructions about how long this will take can be found on the side of the spray paint can.