Can You Spray Paint Any Surface? (Quick Guide & Resources)
Spray paint is one of the most versatile products in your home improvement arsenal, and it’s a great way to add color or texture to almost anything.
But can you spray paint any surface?
You can spray paint on wood, metal, plastic, glass, ceramic, concrete, drywall, plaster, masonry, and even cardboard! When buying spray paint, be sure to check the label because it will indicate what type of material or surface the paint should be used on. Different paints work best on different surfaces.
In this article, we will look at whether we can spray paint any surface.
Can you spray paint any surface?
Though spray paint can be applied on almost any surface, including paper, plastics, metals, ceramics, glass, concrete, brick, stone, etc., some surfaces cannot be painted with spray paint.
We must also remember that spray paints may contain chemicals and other substances that are very harmful to our health. These chemicals if inhaled or digested, may cause severe health issues. So, we should not use spray paint on the surfaces where we eat, drink, and sleep.
If we spray paint an item on which we eat food or drink water, say, for example, a plate or glass – the chemical used in the spray paint may stay on these items even after the spray paint dries completely. These chemicals may get inside our bodies and cause serious health problems.
Related: Can you spray paint in the rain?
What materials can you spray paint?
Spray paint can be applied on many different types of materials, such as wood, metal, plastic (including PVC), cement, fiberglass, glass, ceramic, plaster, masonry, and more. However, there are certain limitations when using spray paint on each material. Let’s see what they are:
Wood
You can easily apply spray paint on wooden objects, but before applying spray paint on wood, make sure that the object has been properly prepared. If the surface is dirty, then first clean it well with soapy water.
After cleaning the surface, sand it lightly with a fine-grit sandpaper. Sanding helps to remove all the dust particles from the surface. Once the surface is ready, apply primer, followed by two coats of the finish coat.
Metal
Metal is another type of material that can be sprayed with spray paint.
Before spraying the metal, make sure that the surface is free from rust. Clean the surface with soap and water. Then, sand the surface with 120-grit sandpaper. Apply primer and then two coats of finish coat to prepare the surface for spray painting.
Plastic
Plastic is another type of material that can be painted with spray paint without any problem. Just follow the same steps mentioned above for preparing the surface. You must know that spray paint will stick to all the surfaces mentioned above, but to achieve the desired long-lasting result, you must prepare each and every surface very well before spray painting them.
Materials on which you can not use spray paint:
As I mentioned earlier that there are some surfaces that we can not spray paint. One of those surfaces is Styrofoam.
Styrofoam is made up of polystyrene, and it is lightweight and easy to handle. It is widely used in packaging, insulation, construction, shipping and transportation industries. But, Styrofoam is not suitable for spray painting because it melts if we use spray paint on it.
Apart from Styrofoam, we should not spray paint the items in which we eat food or drink water, like plates, bottles, and glasses. Also, we shouldn’t spray paint anything where we sleep or the products that we touch frequently.
Conclusion
Spray paint is one of the most useful tools in the modern world. It is a great way to decorate your home, office, vehicles, boats, etc. Spray paint is extremely versatile, and it can be used to create amazing designs on almost everything.
In this article, we have discussed whether or not we can spray paint any surface and the materials that can and can not be spray painted.
It is true that you can use spray paint on almost any surface, but there are still many surfaces that we can not spray paint.
FAQs
What kind of spray paint will stick to anything?
Most all-purpose spray paints will stick to pretty much everything but certain surfaces are harder to get a clean and smooth finish on, depending on which spray paint you choose to use.
Does spray paint stick to plastic?
Yes, spray paint sticks to plastic very well. Just make sure to prepare the surface well before starting to spray paint.
Can spray paint be used on paper?
Yes, spray paints can be used on paper as well but be careful not to spray so much paint that it bleeds through or soaks the paper.
Why does my spray paint look different than what I expected?
Your spray paint may look different because the color of spray paint varies depending on the brand, model, and type of product.
