Friday, May 17, 2013

Cooler Painting 101

The joys of painting a cooler. We've all seen them. The beautifully crafted hand painted coolers that are popping up all over the likes of Pinterest and Instagram. Coolers in bright patterns featuring bold, flirty colors and now you want to paint one for yourself.  So first things first, supplies. 

what you will need

  • a cooler ( I got both of mine at Walmart for $20)
  • acrylic paint - some commonly used brands being Folk Art and Apple Barn
  • various sized paintbrushes 
  • sand paper 
  • plastic primer (I used Krylon brand spray paint for my coolers)
  • pencils and sharpie
  • paint pens (optional) 
  • paper towels
  • painters tape (optional)
  • Modge Podge
Now lets get started!! 

Cooler painting is not for the faint of heart. It is very time consuming and at times can be quite frustrating. However, if you are willing to put in the time and effort, the pay off if very rewarding. To begin start by sanding your cooler. The plastic primer will say that you do not have to sand your cooler before hand, but I do anyways just to insure minimal chipping. If you feel confident then you can skip the sanding part.
Next you want to start painting your cooler. There is no rules regarding what you can or cannot paint on a cooler. Choose designs that appeal to you and use your favorite brands and colors. If the cooler is a gift for someone else (or in the case of my examples; formal coolers) ask the recipient what they love. Do they have a favorite sports team? A favorite band or brand of beer? What are their favorite colors. If they counter with "Just paint anything, anything is fine." 
DO.NOT.DO.WHAT.THEY.SAY!  

You will end up (a) with a cooler that you love, made to your tastes that they will end up forgetting about in a couple of weeks or (b) a cooler that they absolutely hate and end up forgetting about in a couple of weeks. Instead, if they have no idea what they want on their cooler ask them what they do not want. While it may be hard for a person to know what they like, it is easy for  them to know what they do not like. This way you insure that they will love their cooler and use it for many seasons to come.
Starting to paint

Now the fun part, painting. I enjoy painting and I find it to be a great way to relax and unwind. However, cooler painting is not as glamorous and easy as people make it out to be. You will run into problems. Common problems are chipping paint in between coats, accidental smudging etc. Its important to take breaks and allow your cooler to properly dry in between coats. I chose to free hand my coolers, but if you find that free-styling comes difficult to you, try tracing. Print off an image that you find and lightly transfer it onto your cooler with tissue paper and a sharpie.  If you find that your design is very intricate try paint pens. 

(Although I personally do not like paint pens for cooler painting, some people find that it allows them better control as opposed to traditional paintbrushes.)

After you are done with painting your cooler make sure to Modge Podge each side to insure minimal chipping. 

And you're done 
You're done! Final thoughts: Remember to have fun painting it. (have a few drinks if you have to) Take breaks in between so you don't get burnt out. Remember to give yourself plenty of time to paint your cooler, (don't wait until the last minute) and remember to enjoy your cooler! Its finally ready for a tailgate, boat trip, picnic party or day at the pool. 
Happy Painting!!

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