Once you figure out how to paint plastic the right way, you have endless painting and home decor possibilities. You can paint old patio chairs, revive “well-loved” toys and update just about anything. Here are a few of my favorite painted plastic treasures. These ideas have inspired me to renew my daughter’s plastic table that doubles as her “nail polish station” and paint my old plastic pots in new and vibrant colors.
Here is how it is done:
1. Pick Your Subject- Toys, décor, containers…there are a plethora of possibilities.
2.Clean The Surface- If you have a dusty or crayon covered plastic table, nothing will stick to it. Use a grease remover {like Dawn dishsoap} and water to clean the surface. Do not skip this step, I promise this will be essential for the end result.
3. Rubbing Alcohol- Pour some rubbing alcohol on a cloth and rub down the entire piece you’ll be painting. This helps break down the old paint or sealer.
4. Sand Your Object- This will rough up the surface and make it easier for the paint to adhere to the piece. I’ve found that using a fine grit sand paper so that the surface is still smooth and soft but the pores of the plastic are still open.
5. Prime It- Use a plastic primer from a home improvement store. You’ll be so grateful for this! This is a key step to getting the paint to stick.
6. Paint!- Use a latex paint and paint your surface. You can use a spray paint or a brush or roll on. I always prefer to use an airless spray gun, because it creates the smoothest finish of all the options and I think it takes a lot less time. You can finish it all off with a sealant or leave it. I prefer to seal all my projects, because I have found the ones that I seal end up lasting much longer.
Check out these amazing painted plastic projects:
This is from Positively Splendid, and I think it is positively splendid:)
Love the bright furniture, instead of the typical greens and browns you find at the store. This is from DIY Til We Die.
How cute is this? And I am sure it matches their yard a little better than the bright red and yellow. Great plastic up up-cycle by Young House Love.
I have actually painted dinosaur figurines to match a dino themed birthday party years ago. It turned out really cute, but I never took any good pictures! Here is a cute idea I found on Pequecio.