How to Give Your Tools a Glam Makeover with Gold Spraypaint

Have you ever been so amazed at how wonderful spray paint is that you start looking for more and more things to paint?

I used to get frustrated when spraypainting but when I learned how to do it correctly, I fell in love. I started going through everything to see what else I paint, and went to town on several frames, brackets, baskets, etc.

It was during that frenzy of painting that I decided to give my prettify my tools as well. Read along for my tips on how you can also give your power tools the Midas touch with a few coats of gold spraypaint.

My power trio: Rustoleum Universal Metallic in Champagne Mist, Rustoleum Universal Metallic in Pure Gold, and Rustoleum Painters Touch 2X Ultra Cover in Matte Clear.

Read the can! I haven’t met a spraypaint that didn’t have fine print on the back. Here, you will find specific instructions on how often you can recoat, the time to wait in between coats, temperature, etc. I never paid attention to the fine print before but now see what a difference it makes.

Be patient. Summer in Ohio often means unpredictable weather, so after reading the directions on the back of the can, I made sure to stay within the guidelines of temperature and humidity. Yes, it may take two weeks to complete your makeover because of heat, rain, and humidity, but it will be well worth the wait.

Snap a pic of your tools before you dismantle them for painting. THANK GOD I did this before taking apart my cordless drill. I’m not sure I’d have been able to put it back together later on. dismantled cordless drill before gold spraypaint makeover by The DIY Homegirl

Consider the wear and tear of the tool. If it’s something that will be used a lot and with repeated force, you probably won’t want to paint it. I know, the can says “paint + primer in one” but trust me, it’s not that durable.

Instead, you can opt to only spraypaint the part of the tool that won’t endure a lot of force. For example, I only painted the handles of my hammers, scissors, and screwdriver.

Remove or cover any pieces you don’t want painted. Painters tape is a must! This includes foam or plastic parts on the tools. I tried painting some foam cushioned sleeves on my needle-nose pliers and it didn’t take. I was able to save the pliers by just removing them and painting the entire tool. :)

Finish up with a sealer. You can use a glossy finish to create even more glamor, but I prefer a matte acrylic spraypaint. I found that even after completely drying, some of my tools had a tackiness. Using the matte finish slightly dulled the sheen, but totally took care of the stickiness.

Here’s a sneak peak of the glam tools in my home office, which is also receiving a makeover: