Wednesday, October 14, 2009

A spray paint lesson learned

It doesn't matter how old I am, there is always something to learn.

In my last post I showed off my garage sale finds and deals like this brass candleholder I got for ten cents:

I'm sorry Partylite but brass does not go with my decor. So I decided to paint it oil rubbed bronze. I know it is the thing to do in blogland but aside from a door handle I have yet to paint anything in my home that color. (I found my can at K-Mart for those of you still looking for that spray can of magic).


Not only does it now match my color scheme but it makes the candle detail stand out better as well.

Before I painted I cleaned the candleholder with soap and water and then wiped it with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol to remove any oils left by my fingerprints. I painted a thin layer and left to work in the garden. The garden had become a bit neglected since I was gone for two and a half weeks and was a huuuuuge project. I came back to the candleholder when I was done and added the next coat and this happened:

I went "Eeeeeee!"
"I cleaned it and did thin coats so what happened?" I asked my brother.

He asked me how long I waited between coats. It was several hours because, like I said, I was busy in the garden and really didn't give the candleholder any more thought until I was done.
"Ahhhh, there's the problem." He tells me. "You should wait 15 minutes max between coats."
Apparently when I went to apply the second coat of paint, solvents from the first layer had come up to rest on the top of the paint so when I sprayed the second coat the solvent and new paint layer reacted.

Oohhhhhhhhhhh.
So go ahead and learn from my mistake!

I'm not going to worry about my candleholder as it is, it looks rustic and shabby chic like I meant to do that and no one will know unless you tell them so keep it on the down low okay? ;)

So what does my brother know about painting anyway? Here are some examples of his work:
My favorite.

I love the wood grain texture he did. And yes, that is all paint.


He loves Mopar.

And this one looks like it has water droplets all over it. Pretty cool trick!

And some kind of skateboard he did for a friend.


I obviously wasn't the only one to get the creative genes.
Linking to:

12 comments:

Kim said...

I kinda like the crackled look Molly! Thanks for the scoop on that spray paint. And what a talented family!

M.L. @ The House of Whimsy said...

Wow, Molly!!! I can't believe the difference! It's awesome! And thanks for letting us know where to find the paint. I can't get over your brother's paint jobs. You're right...it runs in the family!!
Hey thanks for the link below. That was so kind to feature other Etsy artists! I hope you got your garden back up to par. They are always needing attention, but totally worth it.
Take care,
M.L.

Heather said...

It looks incredible painted!

Tell your brother thanks for the tip!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I love this idea! I got rid of so many brass items...I wish I had known you could paint them! What neat things your brother has done! Very impressive!

Brittany said...

Love that color!
And, I like the crackle look. :)

Maggi said...

Wow, he is so talented! And I like the effect your waiting created! lol Much better than brass!

Anonymous said...

Love it! Makes me wish I could dabble with garage sales and paint more often! How fun!

Such a Wondrous Place this Faery Space said...

Gorgeous! Love the board sooo much! See you at the party dear! blessings.

Rainey J. Dillon said...

May Magic Always Fire
in Your Heart
Great post...Have fun Deary!~*

Wugs (witchy Hugs)

~Rainey

Anonymous said...

I loved your hauntingly good hop my dear...you certainly are the LIFE of the party. Do come by my haunted blog and have a BOO at what I have in store for you!

Unknown said...

Great make-over on that candle holder! Your post was fantastic. Thank you for sharing!

Here is the blog link to my party http://fantasywhispersblog-ooak.blogspot.com

Vania

michelle@somedaycrafts said...

I like the crackles!! I am now glad that I am impatient and always think that I am painting to soon! Thanks for linking up!!