Getting Even Coverage with Aerosol Spray Paint

[J.A. Michel]

#1 is the cause. Paint drying too fast, and not putting enough on. You are correct. Rustoleum dries slower, and is generally glossier.

[J.A. Michel]

I prefer Krylon. Valves are the same as far as I can tell. It dries fast, and it cleans up easy. (just sweep and mop)

However, "glossy" Krylon is not as glossy as Rustoleum. Krylon needs a clearcoat to really shine. You can cover Krylon with Rustoleum, it won't lift.

You might want to re-think painting with Rustoleum inside. As mentioned, it dries slow. You will end up with a sticky mess on the floor.

[Greg O]

#1 would be my guess. Paint indoors, out of the sun and cooler temps will allow the paint to dry slower. Krylon will give a pretty good finish in these conditions.

Rustoleum will dry slower, it may take over night to set up. Because of this it also is harder to clean up because the over spray sticks to everything!

I painted a metal desk with Krylon a few years ago. I painted it in the garage, winter time, heat set at 65 degrees. I was actually surprised at how glossy it can out. Greg

[frank1492]

Several years ago I used aerosol spray paint to resurface a refrigerator door. I took the door off, laid it horizontally, and wth machine-like precision sprayed left to right then up and down. I repeated this several times and achieved factory- finish results. The work was done indoors. I could not be sure of what paint I used, but since I generally prefer Krylon, that was likely it. (Not sure however.) The other day, I attempted to do the same thing with a metal cabinet door. This time, I used Krylon in bright sun. The results were poor. Each pass would produce a narrow band of smooth paint, but with increasingly rough area getting farther from the center. Since every re-pass did exactly the same thing, it was impossible to get a completely smooth surface. Some possibilities: 1. The bright sun and warm metal caused the paint to dry too fast. 2. The valve was bad. 3. I didn't use Krylon on the fridge door. In most applications, I like the fast dry of Krylon, but don't pay much attention to smoothness. Maybe I used Rustoleum which is much slower drying? Your thoughts on this would be much appreciated. Frank

[frank1492]

Thanks Joe, not surprised. Are the valves about the same in the two products, or which do you prefer? If I were to go to Rustoleum (and do the job inside), would the Krylon lift? I'd guess it would be safe, though you would't want to put Krylon over Rustoleum! Frank

[User Example]

You might have been spraying too far away from the panel or too slow, or it could have just been drying to fast like you said, but you should be able to paint faster than it dries. Always spray into a wet edge and get a good look at the paint to see that it is going on wet enough as you spray. You are right that the rustoleum will dry slower. It is likely to be shinier but be careful that you don't get runs.

[frank1492]

Technique the same as on the fridge door I am quite certain. My light was excellent and I could see everything that was going on, just not able to correct it. Runs not likely because surface is horizontal.... Thanks. Frank

[Norminn]

Sounds like the outer perimeter of the spray pattern was dry before it landed. Don't spray in sun or wind.

[User Example]

This is obvious but another option is to ditch the spray cans and buy a paint gun if you have a compressor. A $50 Harbor Freight gun will do a much better job than any spray can and you can use it for other things as well.

frank1492 wrote:

[frank1492]

I'm sure now that this is EXACTLY what happened. It makes 100% sense. But you nailed it with your perfectly precise explanation! Thanks!