Spray paint? But, you say, you don’t want to write your name on a highway overpass to make a personal style statement. Nor do you want to wear a hardhat and orange vest to mark things for destruction. So why on earth would you go to the spray paint aisle?

Spray paint, you see, is the new faux - faux finish for people with little time and less money. If you haven’t yet explored the wide world of spray paint, you’ll be amazed at the wide range of possibilities that spray paint decorating offers. When you get to the spray paint section at your friendly local hardware store, you’ll see the usual bright fluorescent colors, traditional paint colors, and spray primers. But did you know that you can get spray paint that dries to a chalkboard finish? (And yes, it does work like the real thing.) There are also spray paints that are metallic – chrome and gold as well as colored metallics, and even hammered metals. Yes, that’s right hammered metals. I don’t know how it works – but yes, truly, it does. You can even get spray paint that will frost glass, or come out in a granite finish. And if you have a little extra money, plus a bit of extra time, you can buy spray paint kits that will help you achieve finishes such as pewter, rust, copper patina, and even leather. These kits cost about ten dollars, and take a little more work than a straightforward spray paint job, but if you can afford it, go for the splurge! Personally, I’ve found myself tempted by the leather kit, but unfortunately my boyfriend refuses to let me paint his car with it, despite my argument that his would be THE most original finish in the parking lot.

One of the easiest and cheapest spray paint projects is picture frames. You see them at the discount store all the time, incredibly inexpensive, but boring and bland, or even downright ugly. In this article, I’ve taken four of those cheap frames (two dollars a piece!) and given them a completely new look.