Low Cost Idea- Spray Your Way To Improvement

Club Creative Studio loves to share creative low-cost ideas on Two-Cent Tuesday.  Today, the blog has a focus on an inexpensive project that will improve or change your world with the use of spray paint.

If you want a dramatic look in lighting, consider spray-painting your fixture black.  I recently took this photo of a beautiful crystal chandelier at The Union League in Philadelphia.  I thought while admiring it that this look could be replicated easily and cheaply with black spray paint.  If however, you have a metal light fixture or anything made from galvanized steel, there are considerations for paints.  Galvanized steel is a metal for example that is difficult to paint.  So, knowing the material you are working with first and foremost is important so that you are not wasting your time or money in your creative process. Check the can labels to recognize the best spray can type for your projects.

Getting back to Galvanized steel for example, that material cannot be painted with normal alkyd-based paints, which almost all spray paints are based. It is suggested that if there is any “alkyd…” don’t even think about using it on your steel project.  Looking on the aisle shelf, the brand “Rust-o-leum” does put on the back of their spray paint cans a warning not to use their spray paint on galvanized steel.  However, beware that most spray paint companies do not include this warning.

So what makes that metal so difficult? It is steel that has a zinc coating to increase the steels corrosion (rust) resistance.  It’s “hot-dip galvanization” is a process that makes it similar to steel with large visible grains. Using spray paint to other materials is not as difficult to choose.

Need ideas on what to spray in your home for a new creative twist? How about these suggestions: cabinet knobs and other fixture handles, frames for photos or mirrors, light switch plates, file cabinets or storage furniture, light fixtures, lamps, chandeliers, candle holders, appliances, radiators, steam risers, and even plastic, wood, wicker, and metal furniture.

A pro of using spray paint over brush application paints is that spray paint creates a smooth surface as opposed to brushing on paint. Faux textures like stone and granite as well as unique finishes like a clear coating and metallic are available for your experimentation. Suggested tips for great results are on all can labels.  You may need to gain extra supplies and endure additional steps besides a quick spray. Primer, sanding, or wire-brushing may be needed, depending on the object and the paint. So while this process can be low-cost, it does have a small percentage of cost associated with it depending on the size of your project and the type of spray paint you require.

No matter if you are making a cosmetic change or improving a home item like a flaking barbecue grill, spray paint is a great option to a quick change or improvement. Using spray paint for an improvement is a low-cost idea that can help in a creative improvement solution.  Let us know if you have used spray paint in a recent project. Taking a before and after photograph can be helpful to appreciate how far a project has come.