I have always been a spray paint fan lover. I had a couple little projects I was working on and a few readers suggested I use Rub n’ Buff for the projects. Sharing the good, the bad and the ugly! And my go-to favorite spray paint, the can I always have on-hand. Watch out, I might spray paint the exterior of our house next. Not, really but I actually would spray it bright white if I really could.
Brighter Gold- Rust-Oleum Pure Gold
Rust-Oleum Pure Gold is a brighter gold. I really love this color. I use this when I am trying to brighten up a space or match a bright gold. We have used this color a lot and it has held up REALLY well. It does not scratch or flake off. I have tried scratching it and haven’t had success, which is the result we want. Below are examples were we have the Rust-Oleum Pure Gold in our home.
The very first thing I spray painted gold was our light switch covers. They are just the cheap plastic covers you can get at any home improvement store. I did try a different brand of spray paint and within a month the light switch cover had scratches all over it. The Rust-Oleum Pure Gold has a primer built into it, I think that is the key. (This blog post should be sponsored by them. haha!)
Next I spray painted our mug rack. We use to have a gold bookcase in here on the other side of the chalkboard so I wanted to balance out the gold. I also like that the gold compliments our rattan tea cart– looks more cohesive. I also like to pull in the gold that is on our chandelier. (You can find details on anything in our home under “Shop our Home” HERE).
Used the Rust-Oleum Pure Gold on the cap of THIS Schoolhouse Light (affordable). I spray painted it before we installed the light and the glass, really easy to do. No sanding or prep required. I love how it pops with the barn door hardware.
Typewriter got a spray of the Rust-Oleum Pure Gold. It was a second-hand find and gift from Kevin! He spray painted it all on his own, knowing to go with the Pure Gold! And it was an instant facelift!
Darker Gold- Rust-Oleum Satin Bronze
Satin Bronze is a really pretty color- more of a darker gold. I switched to using Rust-Oleum Satin Bronze because it matched our sink faucet in the bathroom. And I ended up using it on several other things because I had it on-hand!
We spray painted the handles on our new vanity. I ordered this vanity knowing that I would spray paint the handles. We took them off and then spray painted them. The best way to spray hardware is to put it thru cardboard so it is standing up. Also if the hardware is shiny then you can lightly sand the handles so it will adhere, I personally did not do this on the hardware just because it took the spray paint right away. I honestly haven’t sanded anything and the Rust-Oleum has always adhered, even on plastic.
Our kitchen cabinets have THESE Gold Pulls (shown on the right). I just wanted to show the hardware on our vanity that has the Rust-Oleum Satin Bronze you can see it is a little darker color (on the left).
Before you toss out an accessory because it feels too country or not your right look- spray paint will give it some new life! Like our little bunny.
I was going to order a gold sconce for our kitchen for the “Magic Light Trick” but couldn’t find one that I loved that was under $50! So I ordered THIS Silver Sconce for $40 and gave it a coat of spray paint with the Rust-Oleum Satin Bronze. I really should have used the Rust-Oleum Pure Gold because that it is the brighter gold in our kitchen. But it works. Also spray painted those basic plastic alphabet letters with Rust-Oleum Pure Gold and they have held up for three years, some are starting to chip….might need to spray a new set!
Rub n’ Buff
Alright here is my thoughts on Rub n’ Buff. Notice the container is small? I think it is a sign that it should only be used on small projects! I actually had a really good experience when I used the Antique Gold Rub n’ Buff. It went on our light fixture really easily and smooth. I just rubbed it on with my finger and a small paint brush in some spots. I found my finger worked the best. The Antique Gold was a really pretty color. But I didn’t love it with the other gold tones I had in the room. It is more of a copper. And I did use the Antique Gold Rub n’ Buff to cover up the nail heads on a sconce and that was great too. But….
I bought the black Rub n’ Buff. And it was so bad!! It was really uneven, runny, chunky, did not go on smooth like the bronze did. It also stained my fingers way more than the bronze did. It really wouldn’t work with a paint brush. I tried using plastic gloves to rub it on then “buff” it out. Nothing worked. So we scrubbed it off with paint thinner. And we could just rub it off with a magic eraser too.
After we got it all off I tapped the light and went back to my favorite Rust-Oleum Satin Black. It went on way faster, looked even and so much better!
Moral of my story. I thought the Rub n’ Buff would be so awesome for lights if you don’t want to mess with the electrical or door knobs. I do recommend Spray paint for door knobs. The gold did turn out. The spray paint might just be as fast tho! (I also spray painted that hanging plant holder with the Rust-Oleum Satin Bronze.
Have you tried Rub n’ Buff before? I had several readers say that they had a bad experience with the black but the gold was great!
Tori says
Hi! I’ve used several shades of rub-n-buff gold, and the silver, with great results, including on vintage drawers pulls on my grandmother’s vanity, which my daughter has used for years. I think part of the secret to getting a good finish is to let it dry well and then buff. I’ve used it on wooden picture frames, a gold molded plastic mirror frame from the 60’s, etc. and it worked great. It’s great for vintage pieces that you don’t want to look spray-painted (a more solid coverage). As an aside, I actually really liked the gold on your bathroom light fixture. I thought it tied in with the woven shade nicely and didn’t draw the eye upward to focus on the fixture, with all the other pretty things you have going on in there!
It sounds like you got the same results with the black, that many reviewers on Amazon did also. I’ll be staying away from that one!
Will have to try your spray paint faves on some things also – maybe door hardware.
[email protected] says
Good to know! Thanks! I really did like the gold rub n’ buff too. I think it is just that black….
Connie casement says
I’ve used the gold rub and buff with great results.. but sadly the Black was not so great.:I agree spray paint wins hands down!
[email protected] says
Good to know!!
Amy says
Hi there,
Just curious, where do you do your spray painting in the winter months? I too am a lover of spray paint but live in Alaska so I end up saving most of my projects for summer when I can do them outside. Thanks
[email protected] says
It has been pretty nice in CT, so I just put on a coat and do it outside!
Emily says
Hey Brooke! Can you tell me what color you used on your kitchen floating shelves?
[email protected] says
they came that way! I bought them here- https://rstyle.me/n/cqudtrb5qwf
Emily says
Oh okay! I’m looking to make larger versions in my kitchen. Thank you!!
Amy says
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Did you use one of these spray paints on the letters on your refrigerator???
[email protected] says
yes I did!