spray painting the un-spray-paintable: glossy surfaces

I don't know if it's the onset of summer, but I've been really craving white in my home lately. I want bright and airy both inside and out, and like most of my decorating whims, I've turned to spray paint to make it happen.

It started with a garden stool I picked up at Home Sense for a song. The shape reminded me of a much more expensive version at West Elm, and I knew that in the right shade of white it would be perfect for my space. The results made me so happy that I moved on to a nearby lamp the very next day. Here are both in their new homes:

And here they are in their original states (stool pic via Tiffany who bought the same one):

(P.S. the lamp pictured is actually the other half of the pair. It's still black and right there)

Until recently I was really afraid to spray paint glossy items for fear of them looking, well, spray painted. I didn't want to lose the professional looking shine. Then I did some pinteresearch (that's a word now, I'm inventing it) and discovered that getting great looking results is actually way easier than I thought it would be!

I mean, get a load of this sheen:

The secret - as outlined in this amazing tutorial via House of Fifty's blog - is in the product. Oh, and not half-assing it. I am the classic step-skipper, and even experimented with the stool (cough cough got lazy) to see if priming was really necessary to get the right results.

The answer is yes. Yes, you need the special primer. Yes, you need to sand and wipe in between coats. And yes, you need the glossy top coat. No, high gloss paint will not suffice.

So don't be like me. Don't end up with an empty spray can and a deck covered in peeling paint. But don't be afraid to transform old glossy items into something new and fresh either! With this knowledge in tow, I know that those lamps and their classic shape will be with me through countless room redos rather than finding their way to the scrap-heap. And that, my friends, is pretty much the greatest high this girl can get.

Till' next time pretties!