Stuck indoors, how can I get a spray paint finish on glass object without dying form fumes?

January 26, 2011 5:02 AM

I need to paint a bunch of glass candle holders, but don't want brush strokes and can only do this in my 1 bdrm apartment. I tried building a spray paint booth, but the fumes were intense and I still managed to get spray paint everywhere. Looking into airbrush or spray guns but they don't seem very safe for indoor use either.

Even with a fan and all windows open, the spray paint was a bad idea.

Btw the glass candle holders I'm trying to paint look like this: http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/crystal-taper-candle-holder-483974/

I want something that won't be harmful if I use it indoors on a regular basis. I saw some airbrushes that said you needed to wear a mask while using. Don't want to go that route because I have a pet roaming around the house who won't have a mask.

anyone know how to paint glass objects indoors, without brush strokes? btw, the spray paint method looked great and stuck to the glass, it was just the fumes and overspray that killed it.

I saw this little cheap airbrush that uses compressed air. but it wouldn't be cost effective for the number of candle holders I plan on painting.

posted by wannaknow to Home & Garden (25 answers total)

Can you put a stick in it and DIP it into paint, turning so it coats evenly and then setting them upright on a grid to dry? Kind of like how one makes chocolate-dipped strawberries.
posted by pinksoftsoap at 5:20 AM on January 26, 2011

Can't you take some old tablecloths and do it outside? It's cold but there will be a sunny day soon...
posted by pearlybob at 5:26 AM on January 26, 2011

Response by poster: pinksoftsoap: i think it would be really hard to get a thin even-coat that way.

pearlybob: I'm not allowed to paint outside, per the rules of my apartment building.
posted by wannaknow at 5:42 AM on January 26, 2011

It would be very tricky to do this without spraying. I'd expect dipping give too heavy a coat, leading to drips. There might be some coatings that would flow out evenly if applied with a very soft, high-quality brush, but I can't recommend one. Spraying makes it easy.

You need a lot of air movement to keep the overspray & fumes going where you want them to. That means spraying directly in front of the fan that will push the fumes out the window. No air can leave the room unless it's replaced by air coming from outside the room. It's no good to open another window right next to the one that has the fan, because the fumes that get ejected get sucked right back in. Better to open the room's door and leave windows open on the other side of the house. You'll also have to leave the fan running for quite a while after spraying, because the paint's solvents will be evaporating.

But there are 2 other problems.

First, the spray might be flammable, and could be ignited by the fan's electronics (unlikely but very dangerous). The only cheap thing you can do about this on a budget is to use nonflammable paint, because explosion-proof motors are really friggin expensive.

Second, the fan blades will get covered with overspray. If it's a throwaway fan and you aren't going to be doing this for weeks on end then it doesn't matter. If you want to protect the fan, get some paper paint booth filters from an auto body supply shop.
posted by jon1270 at 5:43 AM on January 26, 2011

Sherwin-Williams (if you have one around you) makes a spray device designed to spray their ordinary latex based paint. It will have a lot less overspray than a can of spray paint, and it's latex based, rather than oil, so the fumes won't be as bad. You could pop in and ask them about it..
posted by Glendale at 5:43 AM on January 26, 2011

The problem with your spray booth was probably that you didn't vent it to an outside window. Have a look at this and see if you can retrofit what you built similarly with the addition of a powerful inline fan and a dryer vent kit. All of the solvent must be sucked out of the room and that requires a lot of air movement.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:47 AM on January 26, 2011

Hope this isn't a derail, but, even if you can get the paint to go on evenly, won't it become a fire hazard once you have a lit candle in the candleholder? I was at a party in December where they had some decoratively painted candleholders on the table, and when the candle had burned down to the nub, the flame expanded from just the wick to encompass the entire nub and the upper edge of the candleholder. I blew them out before the flames expanded any further, but it looked like the whole thing would have gone up and taken the tablecloth next.
posted by oh yeah! at 5:51 AM on January 26, 2011

won't it become a fire hazard once you have a lit candle in the candleholder

There are fireproof paints available; I assume (hope) that the OP will use them if the intent is to have candles in these things.
posted by dfriedman at 6:30 AM on January 26, 2011

If you use enamel paint and a fine grit sand paper then you should be able to get the smooth finish your looking for. Maybe ask for more details at the local hobby shop? A coat of gloss over the top will help too.
posted by madred at 7:03 AM on January 26, 2011

"You're" and also, don't know how fireproof it will be but as long as you're not taking a blowtorch to it, there shouldn't be a problem.
posted by madred at 7:05 AM on January 26, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks for your concern--they'll be used as part of a bigger project so they won't be holding candle.
posted by wannaknow at 7:33 AM on January 26, 2011

What about using a sponge or a sponge roller and doing it by hand? It may take more than one coat, but you'd avoid the brush strokes.
posted by soelo at 7:33 AM on January 26, 2011

Response by poster: I'm thinking of trying to use a dense sponge to apply the paint in a few layers instead of a paint brush.
posted by wannaknow at 7:34 AM on January 26, 2011

Response by poster: lol soelo. Great minds think alike.
posted by wannaknow at 7:45 AM on January 26, 2011

I use my airbrush indoors all the time. In fact, trying to use it outdoors sounds quite difficult.

Ventilate properly, venting to the outdoors, and there's no problem at all. I usually just open a window and point a fan out it.
posted by Netzapper at 7:45 AM on January 26, 2011

An airbrush gives a much much more controlled spray than a can of spraypaint, and there aren't propellant fumes to deal with, just air. I use mine indoors with just a dropcloth to catch the overspray and it's not too bad at all -- though I'm using acrylic paint, if yours is something more obnoxious you might need more ventilation than just an open window and a fan.
posted by ook at 7:51 AM on January 26, 2011

Can you go somewhere else to paint them? Spray paint dries to the touch much faster than regular paint - in under an hour. Could you go to a big parking lot somewhere, spread them out on an old sheet or some trash bags, spray everything, go grab lunch, come back and take them home?
posted by sarling at 9:12 AM on January 26, 2011

A small hobby airbrush with a small spray booth vented outside would work for this [I used to spray plastic models with acrylic paints in my unvented basement without any fume problems], but that's a fair amount of infrastructure to set up if this is a one-off project.

I'd second the "do it in a parking lot or at someone else's house" suggestion. Here in Minneapolis there's the Hack Factory communal workshop that might work for this [they have weekly free days].
posted by chazlarson at 9:22 AM on January 26, 2011

Where are you? There are sometimes workshops and art studios that will rent you space, or let you come use empty space, or let you in with a general fee for an afternoon.
posted by barnone at 9:23 AM on January 26, 2011

I've used a sponge for something like this and it worked quite well. I like to use cosmetic sponges; the wedge-shaped ones for preference, and tear off the bottom part of the wedge so that the dappling surface is irregular, so you don't get visible marks from the corners.
posted by The otter lady at 10:54 AM on January 26, 2011

I can't remember what they are called - possibly a stippling brush? it's a kind of painbrush that has all the bristles exactly the same length, and instead of brushing the paint on, you dab it on with repeated little stabs of the tip of the brush. You can get them in any art supply store. Pour your paint into a shallow tray, apply paint to the brush by tapping the bristles into the paint - make sure the brush isn't drippy - and dabdab dab it onto the candleholder spreading it evenly around. It will have a bit of texture, but not brushstrokes. A few coats will help to even out the texture as well.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:50 PM on January 26, 2011

Do a bunch at once with a quick light coat and a towel wrapped around your face and then go for a walk. Then come back and do another coat. You should be spraying in thin coats anyway.

Build a decent sized spray booth out of scavenged cardboard (from your apartment's dumpsters?) to contain fumes.
posted by carlh at 6:29 PM on January 26, 2011

I would take some spray paint, your candleholders and a bunch of old newspapers off your apartment property -- to a local park, or a neighbouring parking lot, etc.

I went to an arts school in an office building - we spray painted on the public sidewalk outside. We were careful not to get paint on the cement or block traffic, and no one seemed to mind. In a park, stay away from areas for kids/dogs, and it should be ok.
posted by jb at 7:58 PM on January 26, 2011

okay - we did this is may. January is less pleasant.
posted by jb at 7:59 PM on January 26, 2011

Maybe try a marbling technique? Not the kind used for wall treatments, the kind where you float a thin layer of paint over some medium and then dip an object in.
posted by VelveteenBabbitt at 8:21 PM on January 26, 2011