How to get an even coat of paint with spray cans 

The video is 4 years old and you are still replying to people. Thanks a million

I'm 68 and have been doing furniture refinishing for many years. I actually learned a couple of important tips from your video. Thank you......very informative.

"if your stroke is three inches,....don't take that in the weird way" fuck that made me laugh

"if your stroke is 3 inches, don't take that in a weird way" .... BAHHAA !! I am about to spray paint a toolbox pink for makeup .... . thanks for this helpful video...and the chuckle as well .... lol

With the way you showed the metallic, it gave a very good view of chasing the wet edge. Nice job.

Thanks. I'm glad at least a couple people found that one funny. I added a subtle joke at the end of one of my other videos and nobody seems to have noticed.

This instruction is right on the money. After several horrid attempts, I watched this video (and following the advice) I was able to get a passable coat/paint job on a Stanley exterior metal door. Bravo Brad!

After all the rattle can paint sites I’ve watched. YOU are the only one I watched that explains the problem I have and WHY it’s happening. For me you’re very informative. Now I know two things I must do. Practice, buy better paint. Last one I figured out.

I'm starting to take on projects that involves painting objects. Took an auto body course in school years ago but this is what I needed to brush up on my 3in strokes.. loved this vid, very informative n slight humor man. Oh.. And also timeless. Thanks!

I have been researching how to paint with rattle cans for a few weeks for a project I am working on. This was extremely helpful. Thanks!

Thank you! This is exactly the sort of video I needed. I plan to spray paint our letterbox tomorrow as it no longer matches our newly painted house and figured a spray can was an easy way to do it... but I have NEVER used one haha! Very helpful tips, including the cleaning of the can tip. That never occurred to me. Awesome work!

You're a great spray painter - I've used most every paint medium there is and I still find spray cans the most difficult to work with. Great job.

Glad I watched this video. I've never been quite able to get a really good finish with cans - would generally much rather use a roller, but I'll give it a go with these things in mind. Great video, thank you.

Thank you so much for posting this video. 👍🏿 I used your method on hifi equipment that I'm refurbishing and my work came out so much better than my original test sprays. Sending you & your family positive vibes 💫 from a viewer in the UK 🙌🏿

Thanks for your tips so much !! I have a forge and I have colleagues that laugh at the idea of coloring my knives but these tips will help me a lot !

9 years later and this is still top notch. :)

Great video dude, thanks so much.

Actually very helpful. Thanks.

Thanks! Not having the money to have a professional paint job doesn't mean we are lazy or want to drive a rust bucket. I'm really gratefully for your time & thoughtfulness! I was hurt @ wk. & after surgery & days in the hospital I was forced to retire & pretty much screwed!

Thanks to you, I finished a project, spray painting for the first time and was relatively successful :)

Another thing that will help with getting an even coat over a large area is first make sure it's not windy and second the temperature. If it's colder then it helps with keeping a wet edge longer however that means you have to wait longer between coats so patience is key.

I like the fact you're demonstrating the two colors I need to use

thanks for the help I really enjoyed this as I am making a business about scooters like refurbishments, repairs, resprays etc etc. thumbs up!

You just helped me rescue my dodgy painting of a pair of bi-fold metal closet doors. Practice makes perfect and you look well practiced.

His biceps though...

I guess my new bicep work out is shaking paint cans. Dude is jacked

By the time I turn to video tutorials, I'm pulling my hair out over a project. Thank you for giving all the details I've been looking for without making me feel like a moron in the process.

Thank you sooo much, I just learned how to avoid splotches and an uneven finish. I will practice my technique before I start redoing some furniture!

Thanks Brad very helpful tips.

"If your stroke is 3 inches dont take tht in a weird way" 😭🤣🤣🤣 im deaddds

I'm so glad you have these online. I'm going to have fun painting from now on! Thanks again..

I Learn something new today thank you It makes sense to push the wet forward before if you We’re pulling it back it would leave behind dry overspray... thank you 😊 I totally never thought of that when painting again thank you 😊

"If you're stroke is 3 inches" 😂😂😂 I caught it once you said dont take that in a weird way lol

Yea I used the metallic paint, tried to do a search of it on youtube and couldn't find any demonstrations. Not untill I was done with my project NOW I found this video lol Wish you would have put "Metallic Blue" Somewhere in the description or title. Would have been easy to find this video :) The metallic color usually never resembles the cap so I was taking a gamble when I selected this color. I was happy :).. Cool looking blue, but wish I saw this video before. This metallic blue takes a lot more patience but I like it because it's like satin/flash black the way it dries. But damn it takes a lot more paint because like you said "It's partially transparent" Thanks fr the video

My first attempt looks okay in the low light, but very pleasing in brighter light. I'm pleased with it. Your tips helped! Thank you

Thank you for your painting tutorials they are very helpful as I was planning to do a home project on a guitar I sent your sandblast video and a couple others thanks again

6 inch strokes. I always have a great finish. lol

Remember to clear your tip guys if you plan going back in later.

THANKS ALOT!!! YOU REALLY HELPED ME!!! I USED TO HAVE A BAD BLOTCHING PROBLEM, BUT NOT NOW!

This was great. I was doing some touch up on my airplane and messed it all up because of my stupidity. After learning from you I was able to correct my errors and do further spray painting on the horizontal stabilizer. Thanks so much!

heh, 3 inch stroke.

3inch stroke......

It depends on what finish you are going for. If I was just painting a guitar black with cans, I would apply 2 coats of primer, 2 coats of black (matte), and 3 coats of clear. Then I would asses whether or not to sand and clear again. With a metallic finish like this, I would put one or two coats of the metallic over the color (black in this case) before the clear. That is for enamels of course. If I were using cans of lacquer, I would apply more coats, but would try to keep them a bit thinner.

Short, sweet and to the point. This is exactly what I needed to know. Thanks for taking the time to put it out there.

Great video Brad, btw whats your work out regimen?

maaan...the muscles

This tips were immensely helpful! Thanks for taking the time to share!

Wish I would've watched this video years ago. I was never pushing the wet bead up consistently until I figured it out on my own just this past Saturday. But this video explained why I got some rough areas, now it makes sense after watching this. Also the tip of having it 50% on the next pass. My current project is a metallic so like you mentioned it's not as forgiving. I have some rough areas still but I'm not sanding them down, I'm hoping the clear will fill them up, I'll find out thos weekend. Thanks again!

great video...here is a complete guide for painting with spray cans... 1.SURFACE PREPARATION surface preparation is almost 50% of the paint job...any paint job...and why is that??BECAUSE PAINT THICKNESS CAN NOT HIDE ANY MAJOR OR EVEN MARGINAL SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS... a.if your surface is in really good condition proceed to light sanding and primer... b.if its not then use filler or surfacer to give the proper smoothness and uniformity 2.PRIMER primer not only gives the basecoat something to adhere to....it acts like an eraser for the previous paintjobs...now its like you have a totally blank white page to fill it with your drawings...!! after you put the primer ...always sand the surface...use 400-600 grit sand paper...not under 400 cause its coarce..not above 600 cause the base coat will not adhere easily...i believe the best is the 600...CLEAN THE SURFACE VERY WELL BEFORE BASECOAT!!! 3.BASE COAT when you use base coat follow the product instructions...PEOPLE THAT MAKE THE PRODUCT HAVE SPENT HOURS AND HOURS TO FIND THE CORRECT APPLICATION METHOD...AFTER ALL THEY WANT YOU TO ACHIEVE THE PERFECT RESULT AND BUY THE SAME PRODUCT NEXT TIME YOU WANT TO PAINT SOMETHING..if you dont know the 20 cm distance to keep from the object...stretch your fingers as far apart as you can and the distance between the thumb and the little finger should be your MINIMUM distance... shake the can well for 2 minutes then spray on a test surace until you get a uniform spray pattern.. if you have a large flat surface use the ''spray gun'' method by overlaping its pass by 40% little less little more ....well maybe 40 is a bit too much....if you have a round or difficult object use the valve as a ''push on'' button giving little strokes...the ideal if u have a round object is to have a tray to turn it and keep the spray can steady...CAUSE EVERY TIME YOU RELEASE THE TRIGGER-VALVE AND MOVE TO A NEW POSITION YOUR EYES COULD EASILY MISS A SPOT THAT IS NOT COVERED spray a fist very light and quick coat ...just to make the surface tacky ...and then 2 good coats...that is more than enough..wait 5-10 minutes between the coats or better follow the manufacturer instructions about time and spray pattern!!! NEVER SAND BASE COAT!!! 4.CLEARCOAT you can wait between basecoat and clearcoat or even leave it over night but you must protect the basecoat from dust and debris...because all that will be trapped in your clearcoat...just as the basecoat...a little light quick first application to become tacky and then 2 good heavy ones...the clearcoat is much more forgivable...avoid dripping because removing with a razor blade or other equipment is NOT as easy as it looks..!!! and now you have the final result that is nowhere near the professional job in a workshop!!THE ATOMIZATION OF THE PARTICLES THAT A PROFFESIONAL GUN PROVIDES LIKE IWATA SATA DEVILBISS IS EXCEPTIONAL FOR PRODUCING A SMOOTH GLASS LIKE FINISH.....THE ANSWER TO THAT IS....WET SANDING BUFFING POLISHING...BUT FIRST LET IT DRY COMPLETELY FOR DAYS...NOT HOURS ESPECIALLY WITH THE ''USUAL'' CLEARCOAT SPRAY CANS ...a good indication is that most if not all the varnish odor-smell will be gone!!! start wet sanding...with plain water or soapy water...soapy water JUST provides better lubrication and nothing more..sand in one direction although i havent noticed and major difference with the little circular ones..every method has advantages and disadvantages...if your paint job is fairly good start with 800-1000 all the way up to 2000 no need to go further...probably the best is 1000-1500-2000 try to produce a uniform haze all over the surface... and now that you did it worse...its time for the buffing wheel or if the surface is small just a clean cloth and a buffing compound...if you go all the way up to 2000 GRIT DO NOT USE A COARCE BUFFING COMPOUND...use a medium or a fine....you dont need to use all three steps coarse ..medium..fine especially if you are not a pro cause you can damage your work easily with the coarse one!in fact use only fine compound for two reasons... 1.when you go all the way up to 2000 grit fine compound is descent enough to produce an almost flawless surface without visible marks even in black color and under lamp... 2.THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE IS THIS...THE CLEARCOAT VARNISH ON THE SPRAY CAN THAT YOU NORMALLY GET FROM THE HARDWARE STORES IS SOFT AND NOWHERE NEAR THE ROCK SOLID 2 PART CLEARCOAT WITH THE HARDENER...SO IT IS VERY EASY ESPECIALLY IF YOU USE A BUFFING WHEEL NOT A CLOTH TO PENETRATE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE BASECOAT AND REALLY DESTROY YOUR WORK!!! FINAL STEP...now you must have a really shiny piece that you are proud of...use some proper polishing compound and a clean rag and thats all...!!! ALWAYS WEAR MASK AND ALL THE OTHER EQUIPMENT...I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL AND MY EXPERIENCE IS NOT SO GREAT.!!!!CHEE(R)S!!!

Brad would your please do your next video shirtless?

You did really good with showing how to move the wet edge, it was pretty satisfying honestly.

Here I am in 2023. FINALLY got to the cutting of rust off and welding the daily/project and this helped a BUNCH on prinering the daily/project Miata. For paint I’ve got a real gun. Thanks a million!

what do you paint on

i find it hard to focus. he's gorgeous

WOW!!!! I'm the type of person that ALWAYS goes to youtube first. Never crossed my mind that metallic paints would be different..AND then came to youtube after the fact that I painted and OOPS! TO MY SURPRISE there you are with a video using the exact same DARN blue metallic paint! Aghhhh! Anywho..Thank you very much for the video! I'll try again. 😁

Thanks, Brad! This was helpful. I’m ready to tackle my project tomorrow.

Wear a mask people......

Brad, Brad. It’s been 8 years, you still like and comment. That’s commitment. 🤯

I'm repainting my table with spray paint. This has been pretty helpful. Thank you!

Having prep'd a pair of carbon motorcycle silencers I'm looking to apply some clear lacquer by spray can. I've little experience in spray painting but your video here is so clear and informative that I feel ready now to get these silencers finished. Thank you!

I see this is an older video, but very helpful. Beautiful finish work. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you for this video! I was so frustrated with the blotchy shiny/matt spotting on a desk I was spraying gloss black. I needed to SEE how to do it. This works!

Great video! The painting sequence 5:30 onward is one of the most satisfying things I've ever seen

The blue showed well with walking the wet edge. good tips.

Thanks. I noticed my coats needed work and these tips really helped my technique.

this was really helpful, great video!

Awesome video. You've broken it down into the basic elements. Made me a much better painter. I now can see how it relates to welding. Thanks.

Hey Brad this video was VERY helpful for me! Im going to paint two of my basses with a metallic finish and this gave me a good idea on how to do it! Thanks alot!

Learned a good tip there after decades of my first aerosol paint job. ( the overlap method I have never done ). I'm respraying my Nissan NV200 back bumper today and hope it turns out a showroom finish ? Thanks Brad. Bill - Cornwall, England.

Thanks so much for this! I needed these tips as ill be spraying some "mirror chrome" on a gloss black.... here's hoping I don't screw it up!

8 years later and it is helping me! Thank you!

I love spray painting but I do make mistakes. Your video really helped me understand. What ever way I paint it has to be consistent. Thanks

Thanks for putting this out there. Helpful for my first time using a spray paint can.

Thank you. I hope it was helpful.

I have a lot of trouble spray painting this video helped me a lot thc a million bro

Hi Brad, another great video for us inexperienced folk! Thank you for another very informative video, you are a very good instructor as you describe why the things that happen which makes your videos the most informative. Keep up the great work! I look forward to future videos!

Great Job!!! I realized I was leaving too many dry spots. Thanks

Man that metalic blue...awesome

This was a great help thanks a lot 👍

Great video my man. Very helpful. Nice guns.

Thanks so much for answering my questions.now i gotta put the theory into practice .you make it look easy .but I know now that it isn't easy .thanks again brother.

Dude that was awesome!!

Great instructions, btw you're great at spraypainting... Thank you so much!

The blue panel did turn out pretty good.

Thanx for your time man!

Great info. Thanks!

This is really professional.

Spotless. Digging that metallic blue!

Great video Brad, thanks for the tips 👍🏻

I hope it goes well for you. If you get this technique mastered you shouldn't have to dust over anything after, but it's a good trick to know. Doing this in both directions should be sufficient to get you a nice even coating.

Great vid, thanks for posting it. Wish I had found it before I started painting my bike with automotive spray paint. Good, sound, basic advice.

great tips man. thank you.

Hi Brad, Thanks a lot for your great video, I learned a lot and it's really helpful. Mike/ Canada

I could've used this a few years ago when I was struggling with finishing a guitar and also a car bumper. I'm going to have to watch your previous vids for more nuggets. BTW great finish on Darrell's LP guitar kit.

Thanks for the tutorial My man is JACKED btw

Logged in just to say thanks. " ) Repainted a counter top table using Rust-Oleum's Ultra cover and your tips. Gets a little tricky extending beyond your normal reach and switching to a fresh finger. But it turned out great. " ) Continuing to move that wet spot with over lap, is what did it. Go Brad!

Killer painter! nice work and video! Thanks for the tips!

It sucks that whenever I want to spray paint it’s windy- but thank you for this! Have a car model I need to spray paint

Thanks for the demo. I will now try to correct the mess I made on my door.

Thanks for your idea it's really working ✌