Summer Storage Bin and Spray Painting Tips

I know spray paint is supposed to be a crafter’s best friend but, for some reason, I have never really used it.  I finally bit the bullet and pulled it out for my kids Art Wall a few weeks ago.  Of course, I now have a little spray painting obsession…

So, I decided to spray paint a bin to use outside on the patio.  I just wanted a little more color and somewhere to store our sunscreen, bug spray, and Off! lantern {we have a crazy amount of mosquitoes this year!}

Now this is actually my second attempt at a bin.  After ruining my first bin {by ignoring the directions and reapplying my second coat of paint a couple of hours later}, I had to search around the house to find something else.  I came up with this old popcorn tin from last Christmas.

After cleaning it out and scraping off the sticker on top, I sanded it a little bit to roughen up the edges and painted it red and light blue {I am really loving this color combo lately!}  I cut out some vinyl on the Silhouette for the lid and front of the tin and then applied a clear top coat to seal everything.

The bin fits nicely below one of my planters.

Since I have had a few spray painting “fails” in my crafty adventures, I thought I would put together a few spray painting tips in case there is anyone else left out there who hasn’t spray painted before.  Becky Higgins also has a great printout with spray painting tips that you can find here.

TIPS FOR SPRAY PAINTING

• Read {and follow!} the directions.  Yes, I know this should be obvious but most of my errors have come from simply not following the directions.  Pay particular attention to the recoat times.  For mine, the second coat had to be reapplied within 1 hour or after 24 hours.  The kids got me side tracked and I tried to do my second coat after more than 2 hours.  This caused the paint to bubble and pretty much ruined the project.
• Apply multiple thin coats.  I am not big on patience so I am always tempted to coat it on a little too thick.  Remember that you can always do more coats.  It is so much more difficult to get rid of drips from applying too much paint!
• Choose a well ventilated area.  It is ideal to spray paint outdoors but due to wind, high temperatures or {in my case} rain this is not always possible.  If you are painting indoors, make sure you open doors and windows.  I ended up spray painting in the garage and just left the garage door open.  
• Remember that spray paint travels!  To prevent overspray onto other objects, make sure you lay down a painter’s drop cloth or newspapers to cover any surrounding areas.  Be careful that your project doesn’t stick after it is painted! If you are painting a smaller object, you can create a cardboard “screen” around the object by placing a cardboard box on its side.
• Take some time to prep your project.  The surface needs to be clean and dry and any smooth or glossy surfaces should be sanded to make the paint adhere better.  Using a primer will help to create a clean, smooth surface and will help to seal the surface and increase paint adhesion.
• Use a quick back and forth motion when painting and begin and end your spray pattern off the object.  If you are getting drips or streaks, you are probably holding your can too close to the object.
• Finish your project off with a clear top coat.  This will help to protect your project and make it easier to clean.
• Have patience.  This is a hard one for me but you need to give your project enough time to dry properly.  24 hours and it will be all yours!