How to Spray Paint Picture Frames

With the whole upcycling trend still in full swing (less of a trend now, more of an industry in its own right!), UK houses and internet browsers are full of repainted tables, dressers, rocking chairs and chests of drawers.  One of the cheapest and easiest upcycling projects – a perfect place to start if you’re new to repainting furniture – is to paint an old picture frame.

You can have fun with chalk paint and go for a distressed look, you can use a brush, or you could try spray-painting a picture frame.  The advantage to spraying is that you can achieve a flawless finish with minimal effort and time (and even if you mess up on your first attempt, you can wait for it to dry, sand it down and start again!).

Yes, you could go to the expense of buying a spray machine, or you could hire one from here.  But for a small project like a picture or mirror frame, aerosols are super-easy to use, give a smooth professional finish and there’s no cleaning up afterwards!  And these days there are some amazing “special effect” finishes available to turn you dull pine frame into something really fun and unique.

Tools and Materials Needed for Spraying a Picture Frame

• Picture frame (wood, metal or plastic).
• Aerosol spray paint in your chosen colour and finish.
• Tools for removing the back/picture/glass, or masking tape.
• Dust sheet to protect the floor.
• Sandpaper.
• Methylated Spirits and an old cloth.
• PPE – gloves and mask.  Probably not absolutely necessary, but better safe than sorry.

How to Spray a Picture Frame

Prepare your surface

Find a large well-ventilated space with no furniture nearby (or work outside if it’s dry and not windy).  Cover the floor (and any nearby furniture that could not be removed) with dustsheets for protection.

Prepare the frame

Remove the back from the frame, and carefully take out the picture and glass.  If this is not possible, use masking tape to tape up the glass, ensuring you leave no gaps (but also that the tape does not cover any of the frame).

Clean the frame

If there is any chance that it has had wax or furniture polish on it, clean thoroughly with methylated spirits and an old rag, then abrade the surface with sandpaper to help the paint to adhere well, and then clean again.

If there is no chance that wax or polish have been used, you can skip the first cleaning step and start with sanding. The aim of sanding is not to get back to bare wood (or whatever material the frame is made of) – it is simply to create a better surface for paint to stick to.

Prime if needed

If your wooden frame has knots in, treat these with knotting solution or a shellac-based primer such as Fiddes Full Stop.  If the wooden frame has had a wood stain or a coloured varnish applied previously, I like to prime with a stain-block such as Zinsser Cover Stain, which not only provides excellent adhesion, it also helps prevent these stains from bleeding back through your paint.

Allow the primer to dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step.  If you don’t have knots or bleed-through to worry about, and you choose an aerosol paint that doesn’t require a separate primer, you can skip the priming stage.  For example, Maston One will stick to all sorts of surfaces including wood, metals and plastics (so it’s ideal for picture and mirror frames) without the need for priming first.

Spray the frame

Shake the can well, spray a little first onto some newspaper or other waste material to check that there are no blockages in the nozzle, and then spray your frame.  Hold the can about 15cm (6”) away from the frame and spray in light, even strokes, working your way round the frame. 

It doesn’t matter if you don’t achieve perfect coverage on your first coat; it’s better to do three fine coats than one heavy one, because if you apply too much paint, you risk it sagging or dripping.  And if you’re using Maston One, for example, because it’s water-based it only takes 15 minutes or so to dry, so you don’t have to wait long to apply your second or third coats.

At the end of the day, when your picture frame is looking perfect on the wall, nobody is going to care if you did three or even four coats; all that matters is that it looks amazing!  Just make sure you allow each coat to dry properly before applying the next.  To be on the safe side, I tend to leave it overnight after applying the final coat, before refitting the glass, picture, and back to the frame.  That’s probably not necessary, but I like to play it safe!

A Video Demo

FAQs

Can you spray paint plastic frames?

Absolutely, I’ve done it myself.  Just make sure you choose a paint that specifically says it is suitable for use on plastic surfaces (because some struggle with adhering well to plastics).  Maston One (available online here) is a great choice and has the added bonus of being water-based, so it’s quicker drying and environmentally friendlier than other products.

How long does spray paint take to dry?

It depends on the type of aerosol.  It can be as little as 15 minutes, while others are more like an hour to reach a “touch dry” state, and up to a week to reach fully-cured hardness.

Do I need to sand a frame before painting? 

Yes.  The aim isn’t to remove all the previous paint (if there is any); it’s simply to provide a better surface for the paint to adhere to, and to smooth out any minor imperfections in the surface.  Skipping this important step is a risk, as it may reduce the adhesion of the paint.

Final Thoughts

Using an aerosol paint like Maston one on a picture frame is so simple and affordable, it must be the easiest and cheapest way to dip your toe into upcycling.  As well as One, which is their water-based paint suitable for multiple surfaces, they also have an even harder-wearing 2K paint, and all sorts of fun finishes like metallics, stone-effect, concrete-look, rusted metal…. You’d need a whole art gallery to try them all!  Or, because it’s so easy and affordable, you could change the look of your picture frames with the seasons!