i used to be scared of spray paint. what kind should i use? do i need a protective coat? will it chip? are there certain spray paints for certain things? how many cans will i need? so i just didn’t use it. i was comfortable with paint paint. most of our furniture – table, coffee table, hutch, and piano – has been repainted. so i just stuck to what was comfortable.

however, paint paint is sometimes a process. get out the brushes, the drop cloths, the paint opener and stirring stick, the primer, the paint, the polyurethane, the sander. don’t get me wrong. i love the painting process. but spray paint has a certain appeal because it is so low maintenance.

i was inspired by my neighbor angie who spray painted her kitchen chairs. first of all, they were aqua. so of course i loved them. but more importantly, i watched her stand out in her driveway and spray those spindles and it looked a thousand times easier than painting them. don’t get me wrong. i love the chairs i’ve painted. but spindles are a bit maddening. i decided to ignore all my what if’s and my perfectionistic tendencies and try out a few spray paint projects.

before starting any project, it is super helpful to get organized. as a busy mom, i don’t have time to go to multiple stores, multiple times. but without a plan, that’s usually what happens. i finally got smart {and CUTE!} and created this super helpful DIY project planner to organize new project ideas. i am not sure about you, but when i have everything written down in one spot, it saves me so much time and energy! you can snag a copy of this printable for yourself in the LITTLE resource library. if you’re like me, you know when you’re organized in small ways like this, it creates big room to notice the things you love the most about your home and the people there with you!

as it turns out. i love spray paint. in fact, my husband would say i’ve gotten a bit carried away. but i’m ok with that. it has the power to make old things look new, or different, in seconds! also, i love any way i can save money. if you’re like me, and you’re still hesitant, read on for five easy things you can spray paint this week. and if you’re already on this bandwagon, hopefully this post can give you some new ideas {and i’d love to hear yours}.

5 easy spray paint projects

{1} knobs, hooks, and other hardware

a fresh coat of paint, however, always makes me want new hardware. but things like knobs and drawer pulls are expensive! even on sale, they are at least $4 each. multiply that times the eight i usually need and that’s more than $30! spray paint is about $5.99 a can, on average, and at craft stores you can use a coupon. also, one can of spray paint can be used on more than one project. it is definitely a money saving option when it comes to small things like knobs, hooks, and other hardware.

i really really wanted new drawer pulls when i repainted this dresser. it was a honey color when i first got it from my friend stephanie. i painted it brown {why?!} when we lived in florida and recently repainted it white {so much better!}.

i found the top drawer knobs at homegoods for less than $2 a knob. yay! i searched high and low for lower drawer pulls that fit in size and style and did not find anything worth the expense. especially considering i needed to buy 16 of them for my dresser and matching night stands. i finally opted to spray them. i used a bronzy brown spray paint and then a thin layer of white spray paint on top to lighten them up. i love the way they turned out and the money i saved!

in K’s room, i found some cheap knobs at homegoods but the silver outline didn’t really match her room. i sprayed them pink and wrapped them with twine to match more of her room.

i’ve even spray painted command hooks. i am a big fan of these convenient LITTLE sticky hooks. but they only come in white, clear, silver, and black. white would have worked for K’s room but pink is way more fun! also, that big L and those frames? all spray painted.

if you’re not sure what kind of spray paint to buy, i get it. that was one of my fears when i started as well. to make it easy on you, i put together this quick guide to painting all kinds of furniture. these are all my favorite supplies for using paint and spray paint to update things around your home. there are some parts of DIY that i love, like the actual creating part. there are other parts, like the buying supplies part, that aren’t as fun. make more room for the fun part {and the LITTLE things!} with this list of tips and supplies.

{2} outdoor furniture

i got these hard plastic adirondak chairs from my neighbor for $5 a piece. they were very sturdy, a lot more so than the lighter weight plastic ones we already had. but the color was a bit shabby. i think i am the third neighbor to own them. so i brightened them up with spray paint. i have to admit, i wasn’t sure spray paint would be durable enough for the snow and rain. we do not have room in our garage to move these in for the winter. i took a gamble. each chair took about 1 and a half cans, which is still cheaper than buying new chairs. plus, i got the exact color i wanted because spray paint comes in a million colors. this is our second summer with the chairs and they sat out all winter. still no chips and i never even used the protective top spray i thought i would need.

{3} signs and decor pieces

lately, instead of buying new decor to style shelves or fill wall spaces, i’ve been reimagining some of my current pieces. i bet you can probably do the same at your house. i have a small stash of decor goodies in my basement, most with the trailing thought of if only this were a different color. for example, we’ve had a black family sign since back when we lived in florida. my husband has always liked it but it did not match anything in our new house so it’s been in the basement for four years.

i recently splurged on some shelves from homegoods so i was determined to style them with items i already had. you know, to justifying my purchase. i thought of the family sign, and how it would be perfect if it were a different color. i had some white and some aqua spray paint left over from another project so i took 10 minutes to spray it. the gold crate on the bottom shelf is also spray painted.

this sign you see on the shelves above was also a spray paint project. if you don’t have decor around your house to refresh, most certainly the clearance aisle at your closest hobby lobby or target does. a couple months ago, my friend jenny and i made a date to make fun signs for our houses. i scoured the clearance aisle for existing signs i could spray paint and reword. this i love us sign started out saying the kitchen is the heart of the home. i think it was $2.99. if you are a regular reader, you know the original quote is not so true for my house. i am the worst cook. my least favorite room is the kitchen. but i liked the shape and size of the sign. a LITTLE spray paint, paint pen, and glitter did the trick. now the quote fits our family perfectly. i love us.

in addition, i found some other fun pieces in the clearance aisle, i’ve priced arrows like the one on the top left before and they are at least $20. and even then, they might not be the right color. this one was $6.00 and an additional percent off {maybe 50%}. i didn’t love the mirrored look and black didn’t work for what i wanted. so i spray painted it navy to match our new laundry room.

i also purchased one more square sign {bottom left} that day. i think it was about $2.00. i needed one more small piece for my husband’s office gallery wall {pics on right}. i spray painted this one black and then used paint pen to write don’t worry be happy, a song he loves to sing with the kids.

all of the white frames in this gallery wall are also spray painted. just take the glass out, spray, and replace. other decor ideas for spray paint might include lamps, lamp shades, baskets, crates, mirrors, candle sticks, mason jars…the possibilities are endless.

{4} small tables

tables like this are often on clearance at places like homegoods. but sometimes they have a chip or, like this one, don’t match anything in your home. i bought this when we lived in florida, when our furniture used to be all black and distressed {remember that style?!}.

in our new{er} house in indiana, it didn’t match anything. when i redid K’s room, i decided to spray it aqua to coordinate with her decor. now it sits in front of her window, matching just perfectly.

{5} trays

i have recently gotten into trays. i am always on the hunt for a new one to help corral decor {or in my son’s room, legos}.

this tray {top right} was perfect for the halloween season. my mother-in-law gave it to us. i liked it for halloween but wished i could use it all year. i decided to spray it white. i added some gold feathers to make it more fun! now i can use it from season to season. that’s what i love about trays. they can easily move from room to room to switch up the decor every now and then.

i forgot to take a before pic, but this pink tray used to be covered with fat LITTLE chefs in a red and white checkered pattern. i got it on clearance at homegoods. homegoods ALWAYS has clearance trays. i spray painted this one pink for K’s room, easily covering up the old design. when she had a fish, it was perfect for that. now that our fish are in toilet bowl heaven, it is on her dresser for whatever her latest collection might be. i know, having a girl, that this collecting and displaying will continue, but at least i have somewhere to put everything so it makes me a LITTLE less crazy.

spray paint is easy. it is cheap. it is super fast. if you’re worried about what kind to use, click here for a list of all my favorite paints, including spray paint {or if you’re already a subscriber, check out the DIY section of the resource library}. while you’re in the LITTLE printable library, don’t forget to grab your DIY project planner to keep yourself organized in all your DIY adventures! getting prepped and started is always the hardest part. make it easier on yourself with this CUTE printable so you can spend more time focused on all the parts of DIY that bring you JOY!

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