An afternoon of spray paint. Part 1.

I'm a novice when it comes to spray paint.  I've only used it a few times and never with very good results.  However, I'm really lazy when it comes to my projects.  I like them to be quick and easy.  Hence the appeal of spray paint.  My Aunt & Uncle gave me some old wood chairs that came with the house they just bought.  They were pretty ancient and discusting but nice and sturdy, which is more than I can say for the Kmart chairs I have currently.

Many of the items in my kitchen are red.  I decided that would be a great color for these chairs especially to go with my black table.  As luck would have it I found 5 cans of Cherry Red, glossy, Krylon spray paint on clearance for under $2 a can.  I bought every can they had.  Being the lazy crafter that I am I decided I didn't need to prime.  I cleaned them up and sanded anything that needed it. Then I went for the glory.  It took me 3 coats of paint...

You can still see some of the wood grain but I think I actually like that.  It shows that the chairs are old and made of real wood.  They're also darker than I thought they'd be but I think they look pretty darn good, especially with the black table.  Only 3 fit around my table in my tiny kitchen or you can't walk past the island!

I'm going to be honest, they aren't perfect.  I'm sure I didn't get some places evenly coated and there are some drips.  I learned a couple valuable lessons here that I should have already known.

1.  Prime!  You will use a lot less paint and have a more even finish.
2.  Don't get impatient like I did and try to get it all in one coat.
3.  Keep the 6-8" away that the can tells you.  You don't want the ugly drips.
4.  Wear gloves.  I think my hands will be painty for days...
5.  It doesn't matter if you put down drop cloths, if it's windy there will still be paint everywhere.  I'm pretty sure I painted all the dust in my garage red.

This is an afternoon of spray paint part 1.  I painted until I had a rattle can blister.  I'll post some of my other projects later.