Spray & Pray: Wood Bead Finishing Part 2

Spray those beads!

Note to self: not meant for windy days.

Spray painting is my first suggested route to coating your beads. With practice the coat is even and you can cover a lot of beads in one spread.

And spray again... and then apply clear coat.

I say "one spread" but I really mean on one pass. As recommended you will want to pass the spray paint across the batch again once or twice later in the day. Very little is required by means of materials other than your beads, the cans of spray paint, and spatter surface. The toughest material to acquire (especially in New England!) is the weather ;-)

Con list for Spray & Pray:

• Color selection is limited by what's on the store shelf.
• A little hazardous - so either wait for suitable weather or you'll have to invest in ventilation and/or a spray booth. 
• Mess factor of 7 of 10: the nozzle should ALWAYS point away from you. ;-) Also, put down either a drop-cloth or newspaper... something you're willing to permanently mark with paint.
• To allow for dry time and multiple coats, this can be an afternoon project.

Pro for Spray & Pray:

• Paint coating itself is very fast. Even if you include the con of the drying time, you can get professional results with mere minutes of hands-on time.
• Clean even application.
• Pretty glossy sheen with minimal effort.

My paint tip: After the first spray layer dries (allow about an hour), turn all your beads to apply layer number two. This will ensure an even coat and catch any spots which may have been missed on the first pass.

I highly recommend the Spray and Pray method over others for large finishing projects. Again, try to blast the beads with a can of clear-coat to make them super-glossy and seal them from weather elements.

~Samantha