How to paint a large object without leaving gaps where the supports were?

Question

I need to spray paint the parts of a large and heavy bed and I'm trying to figure out the best way to do this. I'd like to paint the headboard by standing it up and then just painting the whole thing, but it would be too unstable for that. So I think it needs some kind of support to keep it upright while painting and drying.

But then if I paint it with a support, the part covered by the support won't get painted, and I'd have to do another coat later, which is at best annoying, and the paint might not match perfectly.

What's the best way to paint something like this?

Answer 1

I've used several strategies for things like this.

• Lay the headboard on saw horses or other stands. Use blocks or spacers (such as plastic bottle caps) so that the only points of contact are inside the bottom face. Spray the top and side surfaces, let dry, and flip to finish.

  Use something smooth and soft to protect the paint when you do the second side.

• Install eye bolts in the bottoms of the legs and suspend the headboard from garage rafters, etc. You could use a rope to make its height adjustable for easier access.

• Bolt the headboard to support boards with lag screws run into the bottom of the legs. Use washers or other spacer to minimize contact with the support board. Spray away.

  If your headboard truly is too large or heavy for this, put a small screw in the bottom of the lower rail and run twine down to the ends of the support board to act as diagonal braces. The screw hole will probably be hidden, but you could fill it and touch up if you like.

Answer 2

I either paint one side at a time, or if I can find some spots where the dimples won't show, I use Painter's Pyramids. They're like jackstands for paint projects :) but they're going to leave a dimple where the tip touches.

Answer 3

My father-in-law has long used a solution similar to what Opifex suggested, but a bit easier to come by: a bed of nails

He takes some 2x4s and drives 3" nails into them. This pokes out quite a ways in the other side. He then lays the 2x4s across sawhorses with the nail side up. You can then lay whatever you want to paint onto this bed of nails and paint away. The tips of where the nails were will be hard to notice and easily painted if they are still visible

Answer 4

and I'd have to do another coat later

If you're looking to do a good job of this, you need at least two coats anyway. If you lay the paint on thickly enough to not need a second coat, you're going to get runs/drips and the whole thing is going to look a bit rubbish. Alternate spraying front then back then front then back, and it'll all just come together.

The sides of the headboard are going to get extra paint compared to the front and back, of course, but if you're alternating front and back then it'll look fine.

Answer 5

This might not work for everyone, but I have quite a big stock of old ICs laying around that are of no use to anyone anymore.

I lay them down on their back (with the leads upwards), paint one side of the object and lay it down on that side so that I can paint the other sides.

Because the leads are so small, the marks they leave behind are minimal. For most purposes this is okay. In your example: you could place the side with the tiny marks towards the wall.

Note that the bigger (and heavier) the object, the more of these ICs you will need.

Answer 6

I'd normally paint front and back separately, but you have another option. In your comments you mention the headboard's legs. So quickly make a jig (frame) to support the legs. A pair of triangular legs should be enough, but you could link them.

I'd use rough sawn 2x2 because it's cheap, sturdy, and easy to work. Brace diagonally and put together with long woodscrews. Here's a sketch with 2 diagonal braces, one in front of the butt-joined horizontal and vertical parts, one behind. The diagonals might need to be mitred. Yes, you could use fancier joints, or T-plate brackets, but 2x2 is thick enough that you can screw into the endgrain for this sort of thing

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Answer 7

Can you hang the piece off something solid, using the whatever mounting holes it have? An appropriately sized wire threaded through will do.
Check if the mounting points don't have a tight tolerance thread, as you probably don't want to get paint in there. A large diameter screws won't mind though.