Step-by-Step Instructions to Paint Metal

For quite some time I had wanted to change our dining room chandelier, but lights are expensive, and I was busy, so it just hadn't happened. It really was not one of my favourite things in our home.

Enter the start up of Upcycled & Co., my furniture paint and furniture painting workshop business in 2016. About this time, everything started to get painted; and I mean everything!

It was after I launched Upcycled & Co. Furniture Paint in April 2017 that I took things up a notch, with even more painting projects getting underway. With my paint being an indoor and outdoor paint, and one that easily paints onto pretty much any surface, I now had the answer for our ugly chandelier. I would paint in it Upcycled & Co. Furniture Paint in Jet, our gorgeous black.

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Okay, so here's what I did step-by-step:
1. Clean well with a degreaser (prepsol or other) to remove all dirt and grime.
2. Apply one very sparse coat using the tiniest amount of paint and spreading it all over. You should still be able to see through this coat easily, and if you have the right amount of paint, it will dry as you are doing it. This gives the next coat something to stick to. 
3. Apply your second coat (and third if necessary) as normal. Depending on what colour paint you are using, and what colour you are painting onto, will determine how many coats you need. For example - if you're painting white onto a dark surface you will need more coats, as with any paint. 
4. Leave to dry and fully cure for 7 days (10 days in the winter months). You can also make a drying room in a spare room with a heater going to help with curing.
5. If you'd like extra shine (Upcycled & Co. Furniture Paint is a low sheen finish) or if you'd like added protection, you can add a clear coat. For this I used British Paints Spray Easy Satin Finish which is available at Bunnings.

This was such a quick and easy project that only took a couple of hours. Using a texture finish (see picture bottom left above) made it easier to get in and around all of the small pieces that meet at the top of the chandelier. 

For more projects and inspiration, come over and join my Facebook group.