Have you ever tried to paint wicker furniture? Or wondered if there is an easy way to paint Rattan or Cane furniture? Today I am sharing the easiest way I know to paint these hard to paint pieces!
*this post was sponsored by Wagner. All ideas, opinions and suggestions are all my own. There are affiliate links in this post as well, this just means should you make a purchase through a link I might receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!*
My mom bought some wicker trunks at a garage sale and she asked me to paint them for her. She sews, I paint. They are going to serve as extra storage in her house and while they were in great condition, the color wasn’t great for her décor. You can likely find a ton of beautiful rattan, wicker and cane furniture, baskets of accessories for next to nothing at garage sales and thrift stores. Most of the time they just need a little pick me up that only paint can provide. Hand painting these items is close to impossible. The paint gets gloopy and never gets in the cracks all the way. Spray paint is great, but some wicker soaks up paint like a sponge. I once used FIVE cans of spray paint on one chair! My finger about fell off!
My solution for the easiest way to paint wicker furniture is a paint sprayer. They sound technical and difficult and honestly they can be. I have a paint sprayer that attaches to a huge compressor of my husbands and it caused me to give up on the whole paint sprayer method. It sputtered and splattered, I couldn’t get consistent results and it was a pain in the neck to clean. This summer I attended a conference and got to test drive the Wagner Home Décor Paint Sprayer. It got me back on the bandwagon. As I watched a man in dress slacks and dress shoes demo the sprayer all day without getting a sloppy mess I knew I had to try one for myself. They let us practice there, and a few easy sprays later I practically begged them to let me have one for myself.
I knew this paint sprayer would be perfect to paint my mom’s wicker trunks. Here are some tips I have learned that will help you paint wicker like a pro!
Tips For Painting Wicker Furniture
Clean your furniture piece or accessory and make any repairs necessary. A good all purpose glue can hold pieces together.
Select your paint. I love painting with chalk type paint and used my own recipe on this project. The sprayer worked wonderfully with my chalky paint mix. Mix your paint and pour it into the holding tank. Be sure to thin your paint so it will work properly with the sprayer. If you are having difficulty spraying check for clogs or try thinning paint more.
Put your Wagner Home Décor Sprayer together, it take NO TIME at all! Be sure you are in a well ventilated area and you will want to cover around you for overspray. The sprayer is very neat, but until you are a seasoned sprayer, you may overspray some. Also watch the wind!
Select your spray angle by rotating the white nozzle to fan your paint in the desired direction.
Select your spray strength. One line is the lightest spray.
Practice on scrap wood or cardboard (or any vertical surface) if you are feeling unsure about how to spray.
The biggest tip I have is to hold the sprayer closer to the furniture than you would think. We are trained to hold spray cans 6-12 inches away. With this paint sprayer you want to be about 3-4 inches from your object.
The next tip I have is do not try to spray in cold weather. The spray gets to thick and almost freezes as it exits the sprayer. I know this from experience. 🙁
Move your painter in slow sweeping motions. It’s possible to get one coat coverage depending on your paint, but you will likely need a light second coat, so allow paint to dry in between coats.
Clean your sprayer as soon as you can after using with warm soapy water. I find if I wait too long in between coats I need to clean the nozzle before my next coat.
It really is that easy and now that I have this handy weapon in my arsenal I know you will be seeing it put to use often! Please let me know if you have any additional questions, I would love to help! Be sure to save this tutorial for when you’re ready to spray paint your first piece of wicker furniture!
Amazing and so fast!!!
YOU WOULD LOVE IT!
Hmmmm, maybe I will rethink wicker and spray paint! Enjoy your down time at the lodge!
thank you! It really is a game changer for wicker! and a million other things!
Good morning. I’ve been reluctant to try a paint sprayer before but intend on ordering this Wagner after reading this post. My question is about thinning the paint. What ratio of water to paint do you recommend?
Thanks
It depends on the paint and the measuring cup comes with lines, they have a recommendation in the directions. I’d say roughly one to 4 ratio. It seems like the paint would be to thin but it turns out. That’s one reason I say practice, you can always add more paint or water. If it’s to thick take the nozzles off, rinse, thin and try again. The set up is so simple and goes together easily. Once you do it a few times you will get a feel for it! Hope that helps, let me know if you have other questions!
I am a kindred spirit both in faith and creatively. Thank you for your encouragement towards a sprayer. Just needed an extra nudge.
Love to find a kindred spirit! The sprayer is a lot of fun and very helpful on a variety of projects! Enjoy!
Thank you for this! Perhaps I missed if a compressor is needed?
no compressor needed with the Wagner sprayers!!! woohoo