5 Ideas for Using Spray Paint in Home Improvement

Let's get this out of the way first: spray paint itself isn't eco-friendly. There, I said it.  Now that we've agreed on  that, let's move on to the idea that spray paint does have green value in that it can impart new life to things that otherwise might just get dumped into a landfill. Here are five ways that we have used spray paint for home improvements:

1. Our old fireplace doors went from smoke-stained and outdated  to simple and lovely.

2. Our retro kitchen cabinet doors had layers of chipping paint and lacquer, loads of decorative trim, and possibly lead paint on them, meaning that sanding was out of the question. Textured spray paint was an easy way give them a new lease on life until we have a more defined plan for the kitchen.



 

 

3. When we bought our house, we had to refinish every single thing (as everything was covered in filth and roach droppings). To minimize cost and waste, we decided to wash and spray paint hinges and hardware rather than buying a whole-house's worth of new ones.

Leftover floral foam works well for holding screws.

4. For the basement remodel, we freshened up old door handles purchased at ReStore so they would match our oil-rubbed bronze vibe. (We would have been wise to add a coat of lacquer.) (Painting helpers: a shipping pallet and the same trusty piece of floral foam, three years later.)

5. Going with flush-mount lights rather than recessed was one way we could save money on the basement remodel. Finding six matching, attractive, amply-bright lights for cheap was tough, though. Enter Craigslist. We found a lot of lights with a nice motif for a mere $35, but they were a terracotta orange-ish. Once again, spray paint came to the rescue.

 

 

There you have it: five ideas from our home. But, there are tons of other possibilities. What is something you saved with spray paint?