Best Spray Paint for Plastic: Customized Storage

Looking for the best spray paint for plastic items or plastic objects? Then check out our number one recommendation, plus see our customized plastic storage project!

I have a confession to make. I am jealous. SO jealous. One of my guilty pleasures is peeping in to the studios of other crafters around the world through Pinterest, Facebook posts, blogs and video studio tours – and I am JEALOUS when I see people with custom built ins, or studios that have been curated for years and are filled gorgeous antique pieces that are just perfect…because when you move every two years or so like we do it just isn’t possible. This hack to customize plastic storage drawers is the answer to my nomad prayers!

LET’S TALK BEFORE WE START SPRAY PAINTING:  

As you can tell by the title of this post, I am going to be showing you how to customize plastic storage drawers using spray paint. However, before we get into the DIY project, I wanted to briefly go over three important topics. Those three topics are the following:

1. The reason I recommend using spray paint and not acrylic paint on plastic surfaces (or in this case, plastic storage drawers). 
2. My favorite brand of spray paint that I LOVE and always use in my projects. 
3. How to choose your spray paint.

SPRAY CANS VS ACRYLIC PAINT:

There are tons of different paints out on the market that you ”can use” when updating plastic surfaces or plastic household items. In my experience, I have found that spray painting plastic gives you the best results, appearance-wise, and saves you a lot of time in the long run. For example, when using spray paint, you can easily achieve that full coverage look and smooth finish by just applying a few coats of paint. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love using my paintbrushes and acrylic paints! But, when it comes to plastic, acrylic paint can be a bit of a hassle and can involve more DIY steps. Also, as a general rule, acrylic paint works better on porous surfaces (like wood). This means that if you used it on plastic, you would most likely need to sand, prime, paint on several layers of paint, and add an acrylic sealer. 

So, if you are looking for an easy application, quick dry time, and excellent coverage when upgrading your plastic items, then go with spray paint!

BEST PAINT: PLASTIC SPRAY PAINT OPTIONS

Being a spray paint girl at heart, I can easily give you a list of the best spray paint options out on the market! However, to make this section short, sweet, and to the point, my number one recommendation for spray paint is Rust-Oleum! 

Rust-Oleum has always been my favorite ”spray paint brand” because they offer a wide variety of colors, their paint works on different surfaces, and I always get even coverage the first time. Also, their paint works great for both indoor use and outdoor use, which is always a bonus! 

Now, if you can’t get your hands on any Rust-Oleum, you can also use Krylon. I have used Krylon in some of my craft projects and have found that their products also work great on different types of plastics. In addition, they do have a wide range of colors to choose from and offer different finishes (like satin, shiny, etc.). 

No matter what brand of spray paint you use, make sure you always check the back of the can to see if it’s the right product for your project. Also, don’t forget to visit different companies’ websites (like Rust-Oleum or Krylon) to learn more about their products and to discover the type of paint they carry both in stores and online.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR SPRAY PAINT:

Now that we know we are using spray paint and have a brand, we need to make sure that we choose the right spray paint for our project! This is important because you don’t want to do all this DIY work and not be happy with the final result.

Below are three questions that you can ask yourself to ensure you are choosing the right spray paint for your projects. 

1) What type of surface am I painting? 

The first step to choosing the right spray paint is to think about the surface you are painting. For example, wood, plastic, ceramic, etc. You also need to think about whether the item will go indoors or outdoors. 

Once you have that all decided, you can then pick out your spray paint type. Below are some of the most common types of spray paint with a brief description. 

• General Purpose – The paint can be used on a variety of surfaces.
• Rust Preventative – The paint is used to prevent surfaces from rusting.
• Acrylic – This paint is water-resistant and is usually used for automotive painting.
• Enamel – This paint gives off a high gloss shine and is known for its fast drying time and durability.
• Frosted – The paint gives the look of frosted glass. 
• Chalkboard – The paint transforms any surface into a chalkboard. 

In this case, we are spray painting plastic, and it will be going indoors (aka in my craft room)! So, I’m going with a general-purpose spray paint.

2) What type of finish do I want on my item?

Just like with the different types of spray paint, you also have different types of finishes. Below are some of the most common types of spray paint finishes with a brief description. 

• Flat – The paint has a matte finish, and there is no shine.
• Semi-Gloss – The paint has a finish that is between matte and gloss, but it’s not overly glossy.
• Gloss – The paint has a moderate shine finish.
• High-Gloss – The paint has a high-shine finish.
• Satin – The paint has a low-shine finish.
• Metallic – The paint has a metallic finish.

For this project, I decided to go with gloss. 

3) What color do I want my item to be?

This might be the hardest question to answer out of everything (LOL)! 

Spray paint comes in a variety of colors, so the possibilities are endless. The only thing to keep in mind is that the color might not come in the finish or spray paint type that you want. If that is the case, you might need to find another brand of spray paint or simply change your color choice. 

For this project, I went with the color Seaside (which is sort of an aqua color).

Once you have your spray paint picked out, it’s time to makeover your plastic storage drawers!

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Plastic Storage Drawers:

• Plastic drawers
• Valspar Primer for Plastic
• Rust-Oleum 2x Ultra Cover Gloss in Seaside

Tabletop:

• 3/4″ Plywood
• 1×2” Pine
• Nails

NOTE: The plastic drawers that we are using today did not come with a tabletop. Due to that, we built our own! This step is optional, but it does elevate the plastic drawers and gives them a more high-end look!

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE PLASTIC STORAGE DRAWERS

1. Remove the plastic drawers (I used three sets) and spray primer. We applied one coat of primer to each plastic drawer. Then, we set each one aside to dry.

Don did these outside on a sunny day and gave it about 30 minutes.

NOTE: These plastic storage drawers are the Iris 6 Case Rolling Scrapbook Cart from Michaels. These drawers came with wheels, but we did not add them. This is something to keep in mind because you don’t want to spray paint the wheels while they are on the cart. So, if you want to use the wheels, make sure you add them after step 2 or step 3. Also, you don’t have to use this specific cart from Michaels. You could use any type of plastic storage system for this project.

2. Spray paint the entire surface of your plastic storage frame with your paint color of choice. Then set it aside to dry. Depending on the coverage and look you want, you may need to add another layer of paint. 

For this project, we used Rust-Oleum spray paint 2x Ultra Cover Gloss in Seaside. We also did two coats, letting each coat dry for about 30 minutes.

3. To construct the top, Don used a half sheet of 3/4″ plywood and a couple of select pine 1″ x 2″s and did the following:

1. Measure the length and width of the three sets of drawers side by side, then cut the plywood to those dimensions and add 1/2″.
2. Cut and nail the 1×2” pine around the edges of the plywood for a more finished look, then fill all the nail holes.
3. Sand the wood, then paint the wood with a coat of white spray paint (our tabletop needed 3 coats of spray paint).

And voila! With a fresh coat of paint, we were able to give new life to some plain plastic storage drawers! 

Yes – we are STILL plugging away on the studio…progress is coming along slowly (having a brand new puppy has brought my productivity to a halt, I confess). But FINALLY having pretty matching storage has really helped me start to pull the room together. Can’t wait to show you what else we’re working on!

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Best Spray Paint for Plastic: Customized Storage

Looking for the best spray paint for plastic items or plastic objects? Then check out our number one recommendation, plus see our customized plastic storage project!

Author: Beth Kingston

Materials

PLASTIC STORAGE DRAWERS

• Plastic drawers
• Valspar Primer for Plastic
• Rust-Oleum 2x Ultra Cover Gloss in Seaside

TABLETOP

• 3/4″ Plywood
• 1×2'' Pine
• Nails

Instructions

PLASTIC STORAGE DRAWERS

• Simply remove the plastic drawers (I used three sets) and spray one coat of primer.

  NOTE: These plastic storage drawers are the Iris 6 Case Rolling Scrapbook Cart from Michaels. These drawers came with wheels, but we did not add them. This is something to keep in mind because you don’t want to spray paint the wheels while they are on the cart. So, if you want to use the wheels make sure you add them after step 2 or building your tabletop. Also, you don’t have to use this specific cart from Michaels. You could use any type of plastic storage system for this project.
• Spray your paint color of choice. We used Rust-Oleum 2x Ultra Cover Gloss in Seaside.

TABLETOP

• Measure the length and width of the three sets of drawers side by side, then cut the plywood to those dimensions and add 1/2″.
• Nail the 1×2''pine around the edges of the plywood for a more finished look, then fill all the nail holes.
• Sand the wood, then paint the wood with a coat of white spray paint (our tabletop needed 3 coats of spray paint).

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