DIY: How to Spray Paint Plastic

One of my favorite parts about redoing my bedroom is organizing everything! However, storage bins can get pricey, especially when I can’t handle them not matching, so I can’t reuse old ones, unless they match. OCD wins again! But, I found a solution while looking for ideas for my classroom next year on Pinterest. The ladies over at Pinkadots Elementary created a wonderful tutorial for spray painting plastic, I had to try it! And you know how Pinterest goes, I somehow ended up finding a blow dryer and straightener holder, and wanted to try that out as well! I had a lime green bin I found at my parent’s house, which definitely didn’t match my color scheme, but would be a great addition to my room. So, I went over to the local hardware store and grabbed some grey spray paint and the PVC needed for the blow dryer and straightener holder.

Materials Needed:

-Plastic spray paint (about $4.00)

-Newspaper, or something you don’t care about to spray paint on (drop cloth, plastic tablecloth, etc.)

-Sandpaper, this is going to depend on what the plastic looks like that you are planning to spray paint. If it’s a glossy finish, I recommend sanding it to rough it up a bit before spray painting it. My dad, aka Bob the Builder, gave me this recommendation and it worked wonderfully for the blow dryer and straightener holder.

You’re gonna wanna do this outside where there is ample ventilation. I was able to do this in my family’s garage because my dad built it to be used for this kind of thing (I told ya, Bob the Builder!). Then, I laid out all the newspaper and my supplies. I sanded down the PVC, just enough to make it a little rough and get some of that glossy finish off. After, I began spraying the PVC and the container. Make sure to spray a light coat, move your hand quickly. I suggest making some test sprays on the newspaper to get a feel for how the paint is coming out. I don’t spray paint too often and this was a suggestion my dad had for me to get used to it, it worked really well! Now, it’s time to let them dry before doing one more coat. I loved them already and just wanted to put them in my room!!

After I let them dry, I went back and did one more coat. Of course as soon as they dried I had to put them in my room. I love the way they turned out and it was so cheap! This was so much better than going out and buying a new container or a stand for my blow dryer and straightener. Ironically, I was at BJ’s and saw a stand the night before I was planning to make this, $15.00 for something that does the same exact thing! I was one happy girl with one happy budget 🙂

Have you ever spray painted plastic? What kinds of projects have you done?