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How to: recycle with PlastiKote spray paint

If you’ve vowed to create less waste this year but are itching to change your décor now that all the Christmas bits have been put away, use PlastiKote spray paint to recycle and revamp what you already have and give your home a whole new look. Spray paint a table, chair, chest of drawer, vase, lamp, frame – the list is endless.

chest of drawers makeovers

This little chest of drawers had seen better days when it was picked up at a local charity shop for a few pounds around six years ago. It was a solid piece of furniture but not very attractive. Given a  makeover using Twist & Spray paint in pretty pastels, it was used in a girl’s bedroom. A couple of years later, a more sophisticated look was requested and out came Chalk spray paint in Cappuccino, Dark Hessian, Old Hessian, Pale Rose and Vintage White. More recently, the chest of drawers has been moved to a different room and is now a stand-out piece having been sprayed in Dusty Coral, again from the Twist & Spray range.

Here’s how to do it:

  • Prepare your spraying area with dust sheets, newspaper or cardboard. Set up in a well-ventilated room or preferably outside on a warm, calm day.
  • Lightly sand to remove any flakes of paint or varnish and wash with warm, soapy water to get rid of any dirt, dust or grease. Allow to dry.
  • For any bare wood surface, always use primer. PlastiKote Twist & Spray Primer is ideal. If your item has already been spray painted with PlastiKote, you can just put your new colour over the top but if you want to ‘kill’ the existing colour, ie if it is dark and you’re going light, or you’re not sure what paint or varnish was previously use, priming will give you a good base to start on. Priming also gives added durability.
  • Once primed, follow instructions on the can of your PlastiKote spray paint to apply your colour coat.
  • Allow to thoroughly dry. With high usage items, it is recommended to let the paint ‘cure’ for a good 48-72 hours before putting in to use.

Here are a few more upcycled items that might give you some ideas for your own projects:

more furniture makeovers

This stool and cabinet have both had a Chalk makeover, the stool in Pastel Green and the cabinet in Pale Rose.

more furniture makeovers2

The nest of tables was rescued from a trip to the tip with a colourful makeover using Twist & Spray in Pink Burst, Smoke Infusion and Yellow gloss spray paints. Patterned wrapping paper was used under the glass tops to add interest. The dining chair was sprayed with Daffodil Satin. PlastiKote Twist & Spray is a great all-rounder, quick and easy to use and can be applied to most surfaces.

These are simple makeovers which hopefully have inspired you to have a go. We’d love to see your recycled projects – share with us on Facebook or Instagram#plastikoteuk.

If you’re unsure about using spray paint, watch our vlogs for tips on spray painting and inspirational projects (look on the right-hand panel for the vlog category).

For more inspiration, check out our YouTube or Pinterest page. 

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Reader project: a creative Christmas with PlastiKote spray paint

We’ve had great fun – and been inspired – looking at the creative ideas that our Instagram followers have come up with for Christmas using PlastiKote spray paint. We thought we’d share a couple of our favourites here on our blog.

Let’s start with Anna @makinghomematter. She says:

“I am currently fixing up our home with a rustic farmhouse style and I share all my home decor and DIY inspiration.  My aim is to inspire people to make a house a home on a budget which involves lots of fun, creative projects.

Before and after houses

I made these from reclaimed wood and finished with Vintage White Chalk spray paint.  These houses make up a winter village on my open shelving in the kitchen.

charity shop candleholders

I always look out for unique pieces in charity shops that I could put my own stamp on.  Originally red, this candelabra was a great find and the spray paint covered in one coat.

3 vintage white chalk projects

I spray painted three bottles white, distressed one with fine sandpaper and printed letters on the others.

I found a very cheap decoration in silver, took it to pieces, spray painted the bells and added cord to create single white baubles for my white and copper themed Christmas tree. The wicker star was another charity shop find.”

We love the rustic look of all Anna’s projects. Using PlastiKote Chalk Vintage White paint has allowed her to achieve that lovely ultra matt finish.

Sian, who can be found on Instagram at insideno.46, lives with her partner and two children. She says:

“I am always looking for ways to improve our home decor, whether this is buying new furniture or making little discoveries at a car boot sale. On my Instagram page, there are lots of posts showing the transformation of items I’ve either already owned or I’ve bought secondhand that have not matched my colour scheme – I’ve been able to do this using PlastiKote spray paint.

sian projects 1

My most recent festive upcycle has been two candle stick holders that were purchased at a car boot fair. Originally, the candle sticks were a dark wooden colour but with just two coats of paint, they are now bright white. I have added these into a garland on my mantlepiece.

 sian projects 2

I’ve been looking for a tree topper but was unable to find one I liked. I found some Halloween twigs on sale and had the idea to use these and some of my spare baubles to make my own. The twigs were a natural brown colour and the baubles were red but both finished really well with a couple coats of PlastiKote and now that they’re dry, they have made the perfect addition to the tree.”

Sian’s mantlepiece in classic white and silver looks very pretty but we love her wacky family Christmas tree. Bet her children love it too!

We featured Mrs_Roobottom_Home from Instagram in our September blog and she had already started on her Christmas decorations. In case you missed it, here’s her pretty pine cone dec.

christmas dec

The satin bow adds that je ne sais quoi to a simple sprayed cone!

 

If you have spray paint projects you’d like to share with us, email info@spraypaintideas.co.uk. If we feature them on our blog, we’ll send you some spray paints as a thank you.

For more information and inspiration from PlastiKote, follow us on Instagram here.

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PlastiKote Christmas 7 - Fast Dry Enamel Flat White or Twist & Spray White Matt

How to: dream of a White Christmas with PlastiKote spray paint

Reuse and recycle for an eco-friendly Christmas this year with a little help from PlastiKote spray paints.

Christmas is traditionally a time of excess and we all love to buy an extra decoration or two to add to our collection but to avoid spending out on more plastic ornaments, we’ve come up with a few ideas for making your own decorations on a limited budget and as environmentally-friendly as possible.

Use PlastiKote Chalk spray paint in Vintage White to create a White Christmas theme to your decorations. Chalk spray paint is water-based with 90% less solvents than conventional spray paint and therefore much kinder to the environment. So, go for a brisk walk in the countryside to collect pine cones, leaves, ivy, twigs and you’ll be set to create your own winter wonderland.

 

Christmas trees - in post

Create a mini Christmas tree using either a potted tree or twigs.

If you buy a growing tree and it’s in a plastic pot, spray the pot as well. Put a black sack over the tree and tuck in around the trunk while you spray the pot. Whilst the pot is drying, spray lengths of ivy, building the colour in fine layers. When both are dry, remove the black sack and drape the ivy around the tree. Add a string of fairy lights for a bit of sparkle.

Equally easy to do is our twig tree decorated with sprayed pine cones. Screw small metal eyelets into the top of the cones to hang them. If you want a more natural look, lightly spritz the cones and twigs with white Chalk paint to give the effect of a light dusting of snow.

 

4b wreath after

This pine cone wreath is quick and easy to make. Take an old willow wreath and spray paint with Chalk in Vintage White along with a selection of pine cones. Several layers of white have been applied to give this wreath a solid white colour but if you want a snow-dusted look, a light spritz will do. The thin, long cones were given a light coat of Fast Dry Enamel in Gold Leaf as a contrast to the white. When everything is thoroughly dry, use a hot glue gun to stick the cones to the wreath.

 

Plastikote paints

Large leaves make great place settings when sprayed. Either add a tag as shown or use a marker to write on the leaf.

 

step by step tree

One final thought regarding an eco-friendly Christmas…

There has been much discussion in recent years around having a real or artificial Christmas tree in the home. An artificial tree can be brought out year after year, making them a budget friendly option and saving a real tree from being chopped down. The over-riding argument AGAINST an artificial tree is very basic: they are made of plastic – usually from PVC, a plastic which is notoriously difficult to recycle because it requires specialist equipment. However, circumstance or, indeed preference, may mean you have an artificial tree. The advice if you do have one is to keep using it as long as possible. If it’s starting to look bedraggled or you want to change your Christmas colour scheme, spray paint it to ring the changes. This gold tree didn’t look right in its new home, so a couple of coats of PlastiKote Super spray paint in Black gave it a fab new look and it’s seen several Christmases since.

 

These are very easy ideas which hopefully have inspired you to have a go. We’d love to see your Christmas spray-painted makes – share your projects with us on Facebook or Instagram#plastikoteuk.

If you’re unsure about using spray paint, watch our vlogs for tips on spray painting and inspirational projects (look on the right-hand panel for the vlog category).

For more inspiration, check out our YouTube or Pinterest page. 

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colourful dining featured

How to: colourful summer dining with PlastiKote spray paint

Make your summer dining table dazzle with colour using PlastiKote spray paint!

Create a colourful outdoor dining  area to welcome your visitors, whether for a family barbecue or friends for afternoon tea –  it’s perfect for a themed summer party – Club Tropicana anyone?

It doesn’t have to cost a lot. Gather old candlesticks, glass bottles, jugs, baskets, cake stands, tin cans and jars and use Twist & Spray colours to give them a new lease of life – it’s a good way of using up left-over spray paint if you have any. Go bright or pastel, whichever suits your vibe. Just make sure the item you’re spraying is clean and dry, then follow instructions on the can.

colourful dining in blog 7

To achieve this colourful table setting, we’ve sprayed a mismatched collection of candlesticks and some cola bottles in glossy New Yellow, Orange, April Green, Pink Burst, Bright Red and Exotic Sea. The garden chairs were sprayed with Garden spray paint in Azalea and Surf Green. The clash of colours works really well against the green backdrop of the garden.

colourful dining in blog 5

Using coloured candles to complement the candlesticks adds another pop of colour!

colourful dining in blog 2

For ‘cheap as chips’ table mats, use paper doilies. Apply a couple of fine layers of the spray paint of your choice and allow to dry. Simple! We used Fluorescent Pink and Green for a zingy table setting.

colourful dining in blog 3

Stained Glass spray paint was used on bottles and glass jars to create inexpensive vases and tea light holders. Wrap elastic bands around the bottles before spraying to achieve the stripy pattern.

colourful dining in blog 9

Spray paint on a glass cake stand gets in to all the grooves and highlights the pattern of the glass. An old metal watering can looks pretty sprayed in Cameo Pink and makes a great container for summer blooms.

colourful dining in blog 8

If you prefer pretty pastels, you’ll find several in the PlastiKote Twist & Spray or Chalk spray paint range. Cameo Pink, Baby Blue and Daffodil Twist & Spray have been used on the jugs, cola bottles, tea light holders and cake stand. The cutlery basket is sprayed in Pale Rose Chalk.

If you’re unsure about using spray paint, watch our vlogs for tips on spray painting and inspirational projects (look on the right-hand panel for the vlog category).  This month’s vlog is an instructional video on using Chalk spray paint.

Hopefully, we have inspired you to have a go. Share your projects with us on Facebook or Instagram#plastikoteuk – we’d love to see them.

For more inspiration, check out our YouTube or Pinterest page

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Hobbycraft comp pic

WIN: a £50 Hobbycraft gift card with PlastiKote spray paint

Here’s your chance to win a £50 Hobbycraft gift card from PlastiKote spray paint.

Our vlog this month is a step-by-step guide to using Chalk spray paint. If you love the flat matt finish chalk paints give, you’re going to love our Chalk spray paint! It’s quick and easy to use – great for giving a vintage vibe to a piece of furniture or home accessory.

To help inspire your own Chalk project, this month’s competition features three of our favourite Chalk spray paint makes: Project A – a wicker basket sprayed in Chalk Frost Blue, Project B – a recycled key cupboard sprayed in Chalk Vintage White and Project C – an old stool sprayed in Chalk Pastel Green with a new fabric covering on the seat pad. These projects were all completed in an afternoon.

comp pic July in body copy

To enter our competition, just tell us which is your favourite. Email your answer A, B or C together with your name, address and phone number to competition@spraypaintideas.co.uk and put JULY COMP as the subject. We’ll pick one lucky winner at random after the closing date of 31st August. Good luck!

Entrants’ email addresses are added to our database to receive our monthly newsletter. If you wish to enter our competition but do not want to receive the monthly newsletter, please state NO MARKETING in your email.

Thank you to everyone who entered our May competition. Congratulations to Margaret from Coventry who spotted there were three differences between the two Dusty Coral pictures, shown below. Did you spot them all? Lucky Margaret has won a £50 Etsy voucher.

spot the diff in body results

For terms and conditions for the July competition, click here.

Want to know more about PlastiKote spray paint? Visit our website here for more information about the product or pop over to our Pinterest page for lots of inspirational projects.

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comp pic 1

Competition: win a £50 Ikea gift card with PlastiKote spray paint

As this is written, the sky is blue, the sun is out and the birds are twittering – Spring is on its way! And with Spring comes the thoughts of decluttering and cleaning the home. The words ‘spring clean’ may conjure up visions of cleaning cloths, mops and a lot of elbow grease but for us, it’s a time to give tired favourites a refresh with PlastiKote spray paint. Here are three easy projects to illustrate what a couple of coats of PlastiKote spray paint can achieve. Which is your favourite?

chalk cabinet before and after

A – Cabinet sprayed with Chalk in Pale Rose 

table before and after

B – Table sprayed with Twist & Spray Colour in Black Gloss and Metallic Gold

baskets before and after

C – Baskets sprayed with Twist & Spray Colour in Pink Burst Gloss and Orange Gloss (vases also given a makeover to include Bright Red Gloss). Actually, had a proper spring clean with these shelves – decluttered and cleaned!

To enter this month’s competition, just tell us which is your favourite ‘spring clean’ – A, B or C – and you could win a £50 Ikea gift card.  Email us your answer together with your name, address and phone number to competition@spraypaintideas.co.uk and put MAR COMP as the subject. We’ll pick one lucky winner at random after the closing date of 30th April. Good luck!

We run a competition every month and entrants’ email addresses are added to our database to receive our monthly newsletter. If you wish to enter our competition but do not want to receive the monthly newsletter, please state NO MARKETING in your email.

Thank you to everyone who entered our January competition. Our congratulations to Jackie from Hayling Island, who has won a £50 Hobbycrafat gift card. She chose French Grey as her favourite new colour from the Twist & Spray Colour range – a great neutral that goes with just about anything!

winner

For terms and conditions for the March competition, click here.

Want to know more about PlastiKote spray paint? Visit our website here for more information and lots of inspirational ideas

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sbs featured

How to: Create stylish storage with PlastiKote spray paint

You can never have enough storage and baskets are a great way of keeping things tidy! These inexpensive Ikea baskets can be used for a whole host of storage solutions and, with the help of PlastiKote spray paint, look good too!

sbs all baskets in body

Using pretty heritage colours from the PlastiKote Chalk range – Frost Blue, Pale Rose and Pastel Green – we sprayed three baskets, choosing to paint one half of each basket to keep a rustic feel.

 sbs green basket in body

The Pastel Green basket found its way to the kitchen. It works well (and looks great!) as storage for fruit and veg on the counter top.

sbs blue basket in body

A useful addition to the bathroom, the Frost Blue basket holds toiletries and cloths for overnight guests.

 sbs pink basket in body

A handy container to take cutlery and napkins out on a sunny summer’s evening for dining al fresco, the Pale Rose basket has yet to find a permanent home (though thinking it may work well in the bedroom to hold hairbrushes and straighteners…).

Are you inspired? It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

  1. Make sure the basket is clean and dry.
  2. Use Chalk spray paint in the colour of your choice, following instructions on the can.
  3. Allow to thoroughly dry before putting into use.

If you do spray your own baskets, do tag us on Instagram #plastikoteuk or send in via email info@spraypaintideas.co.uk – we’d love to see them.

For more interior projects, check out our Pinterest page.

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