Have you ever thought about spray painting your picture frames? It’s so easy and fast to spray paint metal and wood frames.
Since I am truly a serial re-decorator, I need to find inexpensive ways to make changes. Paint and spray paint are the best options for quick and dramatic results! The frame project started with my bedroom makeover a few months ago. I was able to paint 16 frames for under $40! Without priming, you can repaint just about any picture frame. Really!
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Original Frames
Dark Walnut Frames Before
Frames Painted Champagne Gold
A HUGE change! The frames I’ve painted have been metal and wood – stained and painted. The spray paint covered all of it beautifully. Plus I’ve updated a few pieces of artwork, but even if you do a direct comparison it makes all of the artwork look better and frankly higher end. Champagne Gold trades up the entire look of the gallery wall.
Like the layout of this gallery wall? Check out my post on creating a gallery wall that looks like a designer did it!
Post contains hand selected products, with some affiliate marketing links {full disclosure here}
Supplies for Spray Painting Frames
- Rustoleum Spray Gun
- Krylon Color Master Champagne Nouveau or color of your choice!
- Frog Tape
- Paint scraper
- Paper cutter or scissors
- Tape measure
That’s it! In total I used 6 cans of spray paint for reference, so around $36 for all of those frames. I included the scraper because it really is a handy tool around the house and is great for scraping any overspray from the glass.
Plus I know we all shop on Amazon and have leftover cardboard, so that part is easy! If you don’t have a prime membership, trust me it’s worth it. Free shipping and free original TV series make it worth it to me!
Krylon Spray Paint is a MUST!
This is a little hard for me to admit because I worked for Valspar for over 5 years, but I don’t love their spray paint when fast dry time are important. It covers beautifully, but dries EXTREMELY slowly which means letting it dry overnight between each coat.
The reason I recommending Krylon spray paint for this project is because it dries to the touch in a half hour, which is perfect for a project like this. If you’ve never owned a “spray gun”, it is SO much easier to use, your finger tip doesn’t go numb, and you get a more even spray pattern. A great investment that can be used over and over again – you can see mine is well loved 🙂
Spray Gun on Spray Paint Can
How-To Spray Paint Picture Frames (SPRAY OUTSIDE)
- Test the color first! I just sprayed a little on a piece of paper to see if I liked it first.
- If you can, remove the artwork and glass to just spray the frame.
- Professionally frame artwork likely can’t be removed. To spray the frame cover the glass with wrapping paper and tape.
- Lay the frames on cardboard. I find a hard surface vs. a drop cloth insures a clean edge.
- Apply the 1st coat of spray paint on the face and the sides staying about 8 inches above and away from the frame.
- Let the 1st coat dry 1 hour.
- Apply the 2nd coat and let dry AT LEAST 3 hours before hanging.
Don’t worry if you get a little of the paint on the glass just scrape it off
Tips for Better Spray Paint Results!
- When taping it’s better to get spray paint on the glass vs. missing some of the frame. You can easily scrape off the paint from the glass versus touching up the paint on the frame.
- Invest in a spray gun, so you don’t get a tired finger and get EVEN coverage. It applies even pressure to the nozzle for a smoother finish.
- When using a spray gun, make sure the nozzle is centered before you spray. If you don’t, the paint will go into the side of the gun and drip on your project. Yes, I’ve had this happen and it’s not fun!
- Please make sure the cardboard extends about 2 feet beyond the frames. Spray paint floats and you don’t want to get any on the adjacent ground.
- Bend down and make sure the sides are as evenly coated as the face of the frame.
- Don’t worry if you miss any spots. Days later I took down some of the frames and applied one more coat.
- When spraying a large number of frames, spray paint up to 3 of the smaller frames and 2 of the larger frames at a time to make the project easier and go more quickly.
Good luck on your next project and know any color you choose will work well and look beautiful!
Until next time…
Porch Daydreamer
Tracey
Do you think this would also work on plastic frames? I’m looking for a way to update some larger inexpensive frames.
For plastic, I would buy spray primer and do that first before the color. Good luck!
Thank you!
Can you also tell me how you put the whole frame back together,( I have some frames that are missing the backing?
Love your idea, thanks
Glad you like this idea! The frames are all solid and most of the backs were held down by metal tabs. So I just had to remove and replace the glass and the backing. Not sure if that answers your question?