Who doesn’t want to get shiny, the gold finish looks in their brass metals? Brass is a popular item for household objects like hardware, furniture, showpiece, and light. The brass object loses its shiny look as long as it is used for several months or years. The only solution to get back its real beauty is painting. Now the question that may arise in your mind is, “can you paint brass?”
Yes, you can paint over brass. You can use acrylic, latex, or enamel paint. As the brass has a slick and smooth surface, you must clean and prime the surface properly. Otherwise, the paint will not adhere to the surface. Also, sand the surface if it’s needed.
This article will discuss all the steps needed to paint the brass. The special guide and necessary information are also included to recover the difficulties during painting brass.
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Reveal the chemistry: Can you paint brass?
You may know all the metals are not easy to paint and brass is one of them. Also, the painted brass is a metal substance, so it is pretty hard and tricky to paint.
Often, it becomes difficult to make sure that the paint will adhere to the metal surface adequately. Although painting brass is challenging, but it can be overcome with some tricks.
1. Clean the brass metal surface:
Firstly you need to clean the surface from dirt, dust, or impurities because these particles can interrupt the painting process. Paint Brush Cleaner Rinse Cup is one of the best All-In-One cleaning tools designed to keep your paintbrush clean and safe.
2. Prepare the surface to get decent result:
The next step is preparing the brass surface ready to paint by taking the necessary approach. Once you prepare the metal paint brass through sanding or priming, you can apply latex-based paint, enamel paint, acrylic paint, or a similar type of permanent paint.
Note: sanding and priming are the key parts that guarantee that the paint will get a stable environment to stick to the brass.
However, remember that different types of brass metal require other painting methods. For example, if you deal with lacquered brass (already polished and coated brass), you will find it even more difficult to paint than metal brass.
Technically, you need to work hard to make the surface well-primed or sanded if needed before painting such a type of surface.
Can you paint brass hardware black?
Yes, brass hardware can paint easily with the use of spray paint. Check out the following guidelines on how you can do the process step-by-step.
Step-by-step process to paint brass hardware black
- Firstly, you need to apply a suitable primer carefully for the knobs or handle of hardware.
- Before painting the hardware, you need to clean and sand the surface very well.
- Scratch it well so that the topcoat on the brass can be removed. Sand it with warm water and soap. This will ensure the paint easily sticks to the brass metal.
- After drying the object, place it on a newspaper and spray the light coat of primer.
- Then, paint it a black color and that’s all.
Can you spray paint over brass?
Yes, you can spray paint over brass. Although for the slick surface, spray painting on brass is challenging like other regular paintings. Spray paint is an effective way to get a new outlook on brass metal.
In this case, again, using the spray paint-friendly primer could bring a desired finish to the surface.
If needed, depending on the brass metal surface, you can sand the surface. But If you have already chosen a spray paint designed for metal, sanding is not required.
How to spray paint on brass?
To spray paint on a brass object, you need to follow some basic steps, which are given below-
Step 1: Prepare the necessary tools
The first thing you need to do is gather the necessary tools for a project. It will prevent mess and save your time during work. The tools needed for this project are-
A list of things you need to spray paint on brass:
| List of tools | Where to find |
| Spray paint | Click here |
| Spray paint gun | Click here |
| Steel wool | Click here |
| Clean cloth/cardboard | Click here |
| Metal primer | Click here |
| Toothpicks | Click here |
Step 2: Prepare the surface
The important part of a painting on brass is cleaning the surface because you will get a smooth result depending on the cleaning.
First, select a well-ventilated area to prevent hazardous fumes. Now, take a steel wool (grade 000) to scrub the surface. It will remove dirt, dust, and other impurities. Hence, the paint will adhere to the surface well.
Again, take a degreaser on a cloth and wipe the entire surface. It will remove oil and grease present on the surface. Next, wipe off the surface and thus clean it properly.
Step 3: Select a primer and apply it
In this step, you must choose a suitable primer for the brass surface. A perfect primer for a brass or metal surface is known as a self-etching primer or bonding primer. You can select this one.
Next, shake the primer well. Try to maintain a 6-8 inches distance from the surface when spraying the primer. Start spraying primer in a sweeping motion from one side to another. Apply a thin coat over the brass surface. Let it dry for at least 24 hours.
Step 4: Apply spray paint over brass
If you haven’t selected a spray paint, then select an acrylic, enamel, or oil-based paint of the preferable color.
Then, take a 6-8″ spray gun from the surface and spray the paint over brass. Let apply 2-4 thin coats.
Generally, It takes around 30 minutes to dry each coat properly. Then apply the other one.
Step 5: Apply a finished coat
Once the paint has completely dried, apply a clear coat over the brass. This coat will result in a shiny, glossy look on the brass surface. Mainly, it gives a finished look to the brass object.
Some best spray paint for brass
Although, there are so many brands of spray paint available on the market. But, when you’re specially searching for the brass surface, it isn’t easy to choose which one is better.
To select a beneficial one among the average spray paint for brass, you need to know the specific features of these brands. Let’s introduce the best spray paint for brass below-
1. Rust-Oleum Metallic Brass Spray Paint
Rust-Oleum Metallic Brass Spray Paint is one of the best brass objects. It provides great coverage of around 12square feet. Also, you don’t have to wait for a longer time to dry off the coat.
It takes only 15minutes to dry completely. After that, you can recoat the brass surface again. So, if you want to get ultra-brightness or glossy finish on brass material, pick it up now.
2. Krylon Fusion Vintage Brass Spray-Paint
If you want to make a paint project without any mess or extra effort, Krylon Fusion Vintage Brass Spray-Paint is the practical choice.
The good news is you don’t have to do sanding or priming when you’re using this special spray paint.
It provides the richest and even finishes than other spray paints. It dries in 20 minutes or less time (dry to the touch). With all these benefits, it’s the best one to select for painting brass objects.
3. Rust-Oleum Universal All Surface Antique Brass Spray Paint
Another spray paint from the Rust-oleum will surely fulfill your needs. Rust-Oleum Universal All Surface Antique Brass Spray Paint is a good choice for durability and versatility.
It only takes 20minutes to dry completely. The paint job of this paint provides weather and corrosions to resist coating. Also, you will have a shiny and brighter finish on the brass surface.
Can you paint brass with chalk paint?
Yes, you can paint brass with chalk paint. Chalk paint is easily stuck to the slick surface like metal. Here, the first coat should be dried for a long time; then, it should be recoated.
As chalk paint is not so durable; therefore, using this paint on exterior material can be a risk. However, interior furniture or objects can be easily painted with this affordable paint. A topcoat ensures the durability of chalk paint.
How to paint brass with chalk paint
There are a few basic steps which are discussed below to paint brass with chalk paint –
Step 1: Gather necessary tools
To save time and energy, you need to select the necessary materials and gather them. It will prevent mess during the painting project. The required tools are listed below-
- Chalk paint
- Sandpaper
- Rubbing alcohol
- Topcoat
- Spray gun
- Paintbrush
Step 2: Clean the surface
The brass surface can consist of dirt, dust, grease, or oil. If these impurities aren’t removed, the chalk paint will not stick to the object.
Take a rag or piece of cloth and wipe the brass surface to remove dirt and dust on it. Again, you can use a degreaser to remove tough stains on the surface.
Step 3: Remove existing finish
First, start with a scraper or putty knife to remove the existing finish. Randomly scrape it as much as you can. Then use rubbing alcohol on the surface.
You can try Solimo 99% isopropyl alcohol for technical users to get the best result. After a while, wipe it off with a rag or clean cloth. Smooth the surface with the help of sandpaper.
Step 4: Select a primer and apply it
Use a latex-based primer for brass objects. In that case, KILZ 20000 2 All-Purpose Latex Primer could be a great bang for the bucks. Never use an oil-based primer on a brass or metal surface.
After selecting a primer, apply it to the surface. Use a paint brush or roller and apply two thin layers of the primer coat. Let it dry
Step 5: Apply thin coats of chalk paint
Before applying a coat of chalk paint, make it thin. All-in-One Chalk Style Paint could be one of the best paints for doing this job.
Add ¼ cup of water to the chalk paint. Apply the thin coat to the brass object to paint evenly. You can use a paintbrush, paint roller, or a spray gun to apply coats in this step. To make the paint more durable, use a top coat of polyurethane. Let it dry.
Can you paint brass with acrylic?
Yes, you can use acrylic paint on brass. Acrylic paint is preferable to paint for brass or metal. It easily sticks to the metal paint if sanding and priming are done perfectly.
Seal the paint if required. Therefore, first, choose a suitable primer for this paint project. Then prepare the surface, sand it, and next, prime the surface. That’s it.
How to paint brass with acrylic
To paint brass with acrylic, you need to follow some basic steps, which are given below-
Step 1: Gather the necessary tools
To get the desired result in time, you need to prepare the necessary tools before starting to paint. In this project, you need the given tools-
- Spray gun
- Paint
- Piece of cloth
- Steel wool
- Primer
Step 2: Prepare the surface
Try to completely clean the dirt, dust, oil, and grease on the brass surface. Sand the surface before using steel wool. Then, rub alcohol on the surface. Next, use a degreaser to wipe the tough stain.
Step 3: Prime the surface
In this step, use a self-etching primer for the surface. Apply a thin primer coat with a spray gun. Try to cover the whole surface with a primer coat. Let it dry.
Step 4: Spraying acrylic paint
Once the primer is completely dry, you can apply the coat of acrylic paint. Use a spray gun and move it side by side to cover the entire surface.
Apply 2-3 coats one after another. Make sure the coat is fully dry before recoating. Seal the paint with a top coat if it’s required.
Conclusion
Brass objects are known for their shiny and gold color finish. To get it back, you need to apply paint that is not so difficult. Besides, ensure you don’t make any mistakes while following the instructions above.
Don’t forget to miss these steps. Anyway, as a beginner, if you are not confident enough to deal with this paint project, you can take the help of a professional.
It will save your time and energy. Hopefully, this article makes you more explicit about the painting on brass.
