If you’re looking to spruce an old item up, spray paint is the way to go! It’s the quickest and easiest way to get any job done. With so many different spray paint products and colours available, you’ll be sure to find something that will meet your needs. For this particular project, I tested out Rust-Oleum’s new line of Ultra Cover 2X spray paint (and no, this is not a sponsored post). I chose this spray paint simply for the fact that it bonds to plastic and metal with twice the coverage.
You might ask yourself, where I found this old cooler. Well my “other half” brought it home. He insisted that I re-paint and do a blog about it. Sweet move! Although I questioned his motive. Is he supporting my painting habit or did he just want a really cool-looking cooler on wheels?!
The Pros and Cons of using Rust-Oleum’s Ultra Cover 2X Spray Paint:
Going into this I knew I wanted a bright in your face colour. So I chose something that screams SUMMER to me, the colour Real Orange in a glossy finish.
I also purchased a clear high gloss finish spray paint to make this brilliant colour shine even more (and of course, to protect it from the weather conditions).
The Rust-Oluem’s Ultra Cover 2x colour selection was great. They had plenty of different colours to choose from. One of the most important things to me is that the nozzle did not clog up. You can literally spray paint with this can upside down and it will still come out perfectly. As for the colour, it sprays on even. You really can’t mess up with spray paint unless you hold it too long in one spot. All you need to remember is back and forth movements and you’re golden! The coverage was good and I was really impressed with the cover up of the small rust spots.
For the cons, I only had two issues. The real orange spray paint made a mess! I do all my spray painting in a well ventilated area, my garage! I placed the cooler in the corner of my garage on a large piece of card board to catch any excess paint from getting on the floor. By the time I was done and removed the card board, I had a translucent film of orange spray paint all over my entire garage floor. I could not believe it, it was a first for me. This has definitely given me new insight on the term ‘double coverage’. However, it was nothing that a little wash down couldn’t get rid off.
Secondly, I was a little disappointed with the gloss coat. I was hoping for more of a high gloss finish. The stainless steel parts turned out fantastic but the plastic didn’t seem to hold the same gloss finish.
Overall, I was quite pleased with the product and the ease of use was probably my fave part.
Has anyone else tried Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover x2, what are your thoughts on this product?
16 Comments
I recently discovered his paint in Aqua at my local Home Depot. I loved it. The color as well as the coverage was fantastic.
This is my “go to” spray paint. Love it!
I just painted 8 chairs using this ultra cover x2… I loved the aqua (light blue), lagoon (dark turquoise), and I think I used colonial red, loved the red… I put down 3 sheets of canvas and much to my husbands dismay when we finished the project and opened up the garage door all the way, we could see a film of aqua blue all over the floors… it was like a chalky residue, I’d love to find out why the paint did this :S lots of dry mopping for me after that project… but overall I found these paints to be awesome!!! I did all satin finish and found it a tad bit glossy but ended up liking the look… I was trying to decide which finishing spray to use to protect the chairs when I stumbled on your blog. I would definitely use these paints again but cover my whole garage in plastic. Also was going to say I found the red and lagoon stuck better then the aqua.. I had difficulty with my aqua dripping a bit, but just had to do extra light coats and just do a couple of extra coats than with the other colors.
Thanks for comment Joyce! I had the same problem in my garage and it took me forever to clean! Overall, I really did like the finish on my cooler. It has been outside all summer with no problems!
great makeover! I use this spray all the time and it’s great. My patio is in direct sun so every thing really fades and almost every summer I give it all a refresh and spray paint the pots, chairs, etc.
Love this! That pop of orange is so perfect for summer. Thanks for stopping by the Outdoor Extravaganza!
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OMG! Our neighbors gave us this old cooler. I’m a DIY’er and wanted to redo it. I wasn’t for sure if I could spray paint it because I wasn’t I didn’t know if it would adhere to it cuz it’s kind of chalky.. I googled something like chalky old cooler and your blog was the first thing that came up. And to my surprise, yours is the exact same cooler!!! I noticed you painted the handles and the bottle cap tray the same as the cooler. I was going to take them off, along with the bottle opener and knobs for the lid and spray paint them silver because they’re rusty,but I can’t get one handles off because it’s stripped. Guess I’ll leave them on and paint them the same as the cooler cuz your looks good. Did you take off the bottle opener and knobs and paint them? Also, was your cooler’s exterior kind of chalky? Wondering if I just wash it down really good or if I should prep it in any other way before I paint. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and thank you-now I know exactly what kind of spray paint to use!
Hi Sidra, That’s pretty awesome that you have the same cooler! Yes, I took off the knobs and bottle opener and sprayed them in silver. Everything was pretty much rusty on mine too. I definitely recommend you clean it down before you start spraying. If you’re worried about the chalky appearance, you can also prep using a spray primer. Believe it or not, this cooler has gone through three summers with all sorts of weather conditions and it has yet to fade! Good luck with your project!
I found one of these someone was actually throwing away. Mine doesn’t have the little shelf on the bottom. Can I make one for it? What would you use?
I also searched for painting aluminum cooler & yours came up & I love it! Your directions are awesome! I’m finishing this for my daughters new deck; think she was the bright blue!
A few questions before I start! How did you clean it first; did you tape it so the inside didn’t get sprayed & will the garage floor clean up ok & only on the floor, not walls?
Hi I was wondering how many cans of paint you needed for this project . I am doing this exact project today except in red. Thanks so much
Hi–Wondering how the paint had held-up. Also, did you sand or prime the cooler prior to spraying? Thanks
Thanks for all the tips 😀