Metallic paint is the popular thing now, with is smooth finish and sleek appeal. Before you decide to do a metallic paint on a piece of furniture, it’s important to understand a few things before you even buy the paint. Read to find out if a metallic finish is right for you.
Know What The Final Finish Will Look Like
There is a huge difference between what silver colored spray paint looks like on furniture and what silver-leafing looks like. Depending on the kind of paint you buy, it can be the difference between those plastic gems you find at the dollar store and a real diamond. If you buy cheap, silver colored spray paint at the hardware store, don’t expect it to look like the picture above when it’s finished. Granted, there are techniques to make silver spray paint look better, with glazing techniques, clear coats, etc. But, know how to get the look you are going for before you start. Look at dried samples of your paint, before you decide.
Know Your Options
Your main options with a metallic finish on painted furniture are as follows:
Spray Paint
This is the easiest of the options to use. Just prime and spray the paint on. It’s pretty straight forward. You should be able to sample the color of the paint in the hardware store by spraying onto a testing card in the store.
Metallic Latex Paint
Metallic tinted latex or enamel paint would need to be applied with a brush, roller or paint sprayer. There’s no special application needed. Martha Stewart has a great line of metallic paints. But, know that these metallic paints are a little pricier and you can’t get $3 samples of them, so there’s no real way to test them ahead of time. They usually cost about $22 per quart – YOW! But, I recommend this option or using another
Silver or Gold leafing
This is the real thing. This is a little more of a tedious process involving applying
So, depending on what kind of finish you are looking for and how much you are willing to put into it. This should help you weigh the pros and cons on the type of finish you want to do.
