The Best Metallic Spray Paints for Edgy Effects

The ARTnews Recommends Editors
·4 min read

For some folks, spray paint might dredge up memories of late-night mischief and unfortunate run-ins with your middle school vice principal. (Or is that just us?) But for artists, spray paint is prized for its high coverage and brush-free application. Useful for coating everything from furniture to automobiles, it’s a user-friendly medium that gets the job done fast. Paints with a metallic finish lend a luxe vibe to any surface: Pick up a can and transform a boring Mason jar into a golden goblet, or turn a dusty wicker armchair into a silver throne. But which paint should you choose? Browse our roundup of the best options to find out.

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1. Rust-Oleum Specialty Metallic Spray Paint

This spray paint leads our list for its sheer verisimilitude. It comes in four classic metallic colors that avoid the artificial-looking hues and opacity of some competitors’ products. That’s because the paint is mixed with actual metal flakes, lending it depth and extra sheen. Be cognizant that this paint works well on wood, metal, plaster, stone, unglazed ceramic, plastic, and other materials, but be aware that it is designed for interior use. Being acrylic-based, it is also easy to handle and can be thinned out with water. One 11-ounce can covers up to 12 square feet; multipacks come with six cans.

Buy: Rust-Oleum Specialty Metallic Spray Paint

2. Krylon Premium Metallic Spray Paint

Another indoor spray paint worth looking into is this product from Krylon. Available in more color options than Rust-Oleum, this spray dries quickly (10 minutes) and boasts an ultra-shiny finish. At eight ounces, it comes in a smaller can than the other paints on our list, but you won’t break the bank with this paint, even if your freshly painted projects look like they did. The formula is lacquer-based, which means the results are scratch-resistant, and you can sand and polish your finished works.

Buy: Krylon Premium Metallic Spray Paint

3. Testors Painting and Drawing

This acrylic-based paint yields eye-catching results that appear to shift in color depending on the light or viewing angle! If you you use, say, emerald, you can expect to see variations from a bright green to a blueish green. You can also achieve different effects by applying additional layers, but be sure to apply at least two. Also make sure to apply a black basecoat to yield the best results, or try other colors for more drama. The paint showcases a metallic flecks of metallic flecks, and it is compatible on a wide range of surfaces, including metal, terra-cotta, and glass. It is a little pricey, which is unfortunate, as this is a paint you’ll want to experiment with to understand its full potential.

Buy: Testors Painting and Drawing

4. Montana Cans Spray Paint

A favorite of muralists and street artists, Montana’s products offer excellent coverage, easy application, and a nozzle that guarantees precision. Choose from more than a dozen metallic colors including shimmering Aztec Gold; the pigments are silver particles that are tinted a metallic color, resulting in high opacity layers. The acrylic-based formula dries to a matte finish and is compatible on essentially any surface, including canvas, wood, metal, and glass. The nozzle features six spray widths so you can achieve detailed strokes or cover good ground in little time. Importantly, this paint offers high lightfastness ratings and contains UV blockers. While not as pricey as Testors’ product, these 400 ml cans are about twice the price of our top contender, Rust-Oleum.

Buy: Montana Cans Spray Paint

5. Krylon Shimmer Metallic Paint

This line of enamel-based paints, also from Krylon, will catch the eye of painters looking to venture outside the precious-metals color scheme. It is available in a range of bold rainbow colors, from this grape-like purple to a primary blue. And unlike the paints leading this list, it works just fine on outdoor materials, from masonry to metal. As with Krylon’s Premium Metallics, its 10-minute dry time gets the job done promptly.

Buy: Krylon Shimmer Metallic Paint

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