10 Best Spray Paints for Metal in 2020

Spray paint is a great, efficient way to get an even coat of paint onto any surface, changing a dull, plain surface into a bright, vibrant, colorful one in seconds without having to worry about brush strokes or cleanup or any of the many things that can get in the way of brush painting. However, not all spray paint is designed for spray painting metal. It’s important to think about how to spray paint metal before you start, and that’s why we’ve put together this guide to the best spray paint for metal on the market at the moment.

We’ve researched a range of metal primer spray paint brands to find the best available, and below we’re going to break down 10 of the best spray paint for metal surfaces available and explore the most important features of each one. We’ve done all the research, so you don’t have to, saving you the time and effort of searching for information on how to spray paint furniture.

We’re going to break down the important information about 10 of the best spray paint for metal options out there, and then help you to answer the important questions like “can you spray paint metal?” to help you feel confident with fast-drying spray paint.

Related; Paint for Wood.

View the Best Spray Paint for Metal, Below.

• Krylon K05160202 ColorMaster Paint
• Rust-Oleum 7251830-6PK Spray Paint
• Rust-Oleum 249123 Painter’s Touch
• Krylon K01010A07 Premium Metallic Spray Paint
• Rust-Oleum 7274830 Metallic Spray Paint
• Krylon K08986000 SUPERMAXX All-In-One Spray
• Krylon K08801001 Gloss Spray Paint
• Krylon K02203 General Purpose Spray Paint
• Rust Oleum 280721 American Accents
• PlastiKote Premium Enamel

1. Krylon K05160202 ColorMaster Paint

The ColorMaster Paint K05160202 from Krylon is a versatile spray paint for metal that’s also suitable for use on other surfaces such as wood, plastic, and many more. It’s durable enough to be a great choice for outdoor use as well as for spraypainting indoor items or areas and uses Krylon’s own Covermax technology for a smooth, even coat that won’t chip off or scratch.

The Krylon ColorMaster paint is available in a wide range of colors and is formulated not to fade in sunlight, making this a good option for spraypainting outdoor items in bright colors with no risk of fading and losing vibrancy. Once you’ve tried spray painting metal furniture with this best metal primer spray paint, whatever you’ve sprayed will stay that color for a long time.

This paint is also available in a wide range of finishes, meaning that it’s a particularly good choice of paint for metal surfaces, as the matt finish option will give a strong, anti-shine finish to cover any metal surface. This is one of the best paints for metal surfaces available.

The wide range of bright colors and finishes available for the Krylon ColorMaster metal paint make it a versatile option well suited for painting any metal surface imaginable.

2. Rust-Oleum 7251830-6PK Spray Paint

The Rust-Oleum Spray Paint comes in a handy pack of 6 cans, making it a great choice for spray painting large areas with no fear of running out of metal spray paint. This is a paint specifically designed for use on metal, and it has a range of important features that make it one of the best spray paint for metal out there on the market in 2020.

This metal spray paint from Rust Oleum provides a strong coating over metal surfaces, protecting them from weathering and corrosion. Its oil based composition means that it provides a strong level of rust prevention helping to keep metal surfaces fresh and in perfect condition as well as coloring them brightly.

This is a strong paint with resistance to abrasion, chipping and fading, ensuring that any surface spray painted with this spray paint for metal won’t need to be repainted for a long time.

The Rust-Oleum spray paint for metal is a fast-drying spray paint, becoming dry to the touch in only 20 minutes, and a single can is enough to cover an area of up to 15 square feet with no issues.

A strong, durable concrete paint option, the Rust-Oleum spray paint for metal is very fast drying, making it an easy option for anyone looking to get good coverage in a hurry.

3. Rust-Oleum 249123 Painter’s Touch

The Rust-Oleum 249123 Painter’s Touch spray paint is a combination paint, functioning as both a metal primer spray paint and a durable color coating to protect and seal the metal effectively once you’ve finished painting with this best spray paint for metal.

This means that you only need a single coat of this Rust-Oleum metal spray paint to securely cover any surface, as its metal primer spray paint function ensures that a single coat will bond effectively to the metal surface without needing to worry about how to prep metal for spray paint.

This spray paint for metal is easy to use, with a well designed can that can be used from any angle and provides a strong, durable finish. Its oil based spray paint formula is rust resistant and protects any surface from chipping, and abrasion and its incredibly vibrant colors are resistant to sun fading.  

The range of colors is impressive, ranging from white spray paint for metal and similar black spray paints to vibrant pinks, blues, and yellows, helping you to transform any metal surface into something bright.

The colors of the Painter’s Touch spray are brighter and more vibrant than anything else on the market and promise not to fade even in intense sunlight

4. Krylon K01010A07 Premium Metallic Spray Paint

The Krylon K01010A07 spray paint for metal is one of the most durable and best spray paint for metal options currently available. It’s easy and intuitive to use and provides an excellent finish with minimal effort.  This metal spray paint offers Krylon’s K01010A07 design, ensuring that it covers a wide area from a single can of spray paint, and getting paint into all of the recesses of any surface with ease. This paint is suitable for wood, plastic, and other surfaces as well as metal, but its durable surface and combined paint and metal primer spray paint features make it a great choice for metal.

Its ability to function as a metal primer spray paint ensures that a single coat bonds well to metal surfaces without needing any advance thought about how to prep metal for spray paint, while its paint finish is strong and durable, protecting the metal surface beneath from rust, chipping and abrasion with only a single coat. It is also notably fast-drying spray paint, drying in under 10 minutes to speed up your painting process substantially.

The Krylon K01010A07 spray paint has exceptional coverage, giving a smooth coating of paint over a large area of metal with ease.

5. Rust-Oleum 7274830 Metallic Spray Paint

As is the case with many Rust-Oleum spray paint options, the Rust-Oleum 7274830 Metallic Spray Paint is formulated to protect metal from rust, corrosion, and weathering. It's also suitable for other indoor and outdoor surfaces such as wood, concrete, masonry and more, but it's metal protection ability is impressive.

The oil-based formulation of this fast drying spray paint provides strong rust protection for the metal underneath, making this one of the best spray paint for metal options available.

A single can of Rust-Oleum Metallic Spray Paint contains enough spray paint to cover 15 square feet, and the paint is dry to the touch in only 20 minutes, no matter whether you're spray painting steel, wood, or any other surface.

Once dry, this paint is resistant to abrasion, fading and chipping, ensuring that once something has been spray painted with this metal spray paint, it won't need repainting for a long time, no matter what the weather conditions may be.

The Rust-Oleum Metallic Spray Paint is tougher and more durable than most metallic finish spray paints, offering a higher level of strength and security.

6. Krylon K08986000 SUPERMAXX All-In-One Spray

The Krylon K08986000 SUPERMAXX All-In-One family of spray paints for metal covers 32 different colors of paint available in 3 different finishes and 2 different tones. This is an incredibly versatile selection of metal spray paints that can help you to obtain the exact color, finish, and tone that you're looking for, no matter whether you're spray painting steel, wood, concrete, plastic, or masonry.

This type of paint comes in an ergonomically designed can with a spray tip designed for easy use, reducing finger fatigue substantially when spraying painting metal for a long period of time or covering a particularly large area. The paint itself has very high adhesion, allowing it to function as a metal primer spray paint as well as just a color, and its durable finish effectively protects any surface from rust, fading, chipping, or abrasion.

This is an easy to use spray paint that will protect any surface effectively without requiring repeat applications for a long time, even when spray painting metal that will be left outdoors in harsh weather conditions.

The range of colors and finishes available from Krylon Diversified Brands is astonishing. No matter what color you’re looking for, you should be able to find it here.

7. Krylon K08801001 Gloss Spray Paint

The Krylon Gloss Spray Paint is a dual function can of spray paint for metal, functioning as both a durable top coat protective metal spray paint and as a metal primer spray paint.

This means that a single coat can function both as a primer, bonding securely with any surface beneath it, and a top coat, providing strong, bright colors and a durable protective finish.

This paint is available in 24 different colors and finishes, ensuring that you can obtain exactly the color and finish you’re looking for within a single range of metal spray paints.

This fast drying spray paint for metal surfaces is also suitable for other surfaces such as wood, metal, ceramic, wicker, masonry or concrete, but it's metal protective power is significant.

The Krylon Gloss Spray Paint has a durable enough finish to effectively protect metal from weathering and corrosion and, if the coat of paint has sufficient coverage, can also provide a high level of rust protection to help your metal furniture survive for longer when kept outdoors in any weather condition.

A versatile option for spray painting a wide range of surfaces, the Krylon Gloss Spray is easy to use and provides strong protection.

8. Krylon K02203 General Purpose Spray Paint

The Krylon K02203 General Purpose Spray Paint comes in a range of high shine metal finishes for vibrant metallic colors on any surface. It’s only suitable for indoor use, and provides a surface that won't hold up to weather or sunlight, but is more than durable enough for indoor use.

This is ideal for metal and other household surfaces such as wood, glass, and plastic, but is only available in metallic finishes, making it one of the best spray paint that looks like metal options available.

The finished coating of Krylon General Purpose Metallic Spray Paint is relatively durable. It might not be suitable for outdoor use, but it’ll protect household metal items from chipping, abrasion and minor corrosion with a single coat.

This is a paint that will give a bright, high shine metallic finish whether spray painting steel, wood or any other surface, and will keep any item looking bright and shiny with minimal maintenance. As long as you’re sure to only use it for indoor items, this is a great spray paint for metal surfaces, offering a better metallic finish than much of the competition.

It might not be the strongest out there, but the Krylon General Purpose Spray Paint definitely has the most shine!

9. Rust Oleum 280721 American Accents

The Rust Oleum 280721 American Accents spray paint for metal is a versatile spray paint designed to provide excellent coverage and protection for a wide range of materials such as metal, plastic, wood, wicker, raw ceramic, and even plaster.

Its seal is strong, and it adheres effectively no matter whether you’re spray painting metal or any other surface. This is a spray paint designed for high coverage, and it easily lives up to its 2X Ultra Cover branding, comfortably covering a far larger area with a single can’s worth of paint than most of its competition.

It also features a spray tip designed so that items can be sprayed at any angle, making it far easier to obtain good spray paint coverage of those hard to reach corners, as well as an ergonomic design to reduce finger strain when spraying large areas or for long periods of time.

The protective powers of the Rust Oleum American Accents spray paint are also notable, as it provides a strong, durable protective coat of vibrant semi-gloss color to any surface.

The exceptional coverage of the Rust Oleum American Accents spray paint makes it an easy recommendation for getting into those hard to reach corners.

10. PlastiKote Premium Enamel

The PlastiKote Premium Enamel metal spray paint is one of the best spray paint for metal options out there. It’s a strong, durable paint that offers a strong, intense color finish no matter what surface you’re painting.

Suitable for metal, wood or fiberglass, the PlastiKote Premium Enamel paint provides great, professional high-gloss protection with minimal effort.

Suitable for indoor, outdoor or industrial use, this spray paint gives strong, bright colors and a high level of sealing and protection, ensuring that whatever your surface may be it is well protected from abrasion, scratches and water damage while promising a strong color that won’t fade no matter how much sunlight it is exposed to.

This is one of the strongest and longest lasting color options available, keeping spray painted metal fresh and vibrant looking for a long time with minimal maintenance required.

PlastiKote Premium Enamel metal spray paint is stronger and brighter than much of the competition, making it an uncommonly suitable option for spraying vehicles.

Spray Paint for Metal Buyer’s Guide

Indoor vs. Outdoor use

Some spray paint for metal is described as for indoor use only, while others are suitable for both indoor and outdoor spray painting metal. Indoor paints are generally less durable than outdoor paints, meaning they might be less resistant to water or UV sunlight. This means that the metal beneath the paint could rust, causing problems, or that the UV radiation in sunlight could cause the spray paint colors to fade if left outdoors, reducing the vibrancy of the color and requiring repainting.

Outdoor spray paint is usually designed to survive a wide range of weather conditions, from rain to sun, maintaining a high level of bright and vibrant color even if left out in bright sunlight for a long period of time.  In order to be sure you’ve got the most durable outdoor metal spray paint possible for spray painting metal furniture or doors or other such outdoor metal items, look for paint that is marketed as “rust resistant.” This feature usually provides a high level of protection from both moisture and UV radiation, helping to keep your metal items bright and vibrantly colored as well as rust free and in perfect condition, no matter the weather conditions in which they’re kept.

How to prep Metal for Spray Paint

It’s worth knowing how to clean metal for spray paint and how to prep metal for spray paint afterwards. Making sure you’ve followed the right steps in order to prepare metal for spray painting will make your paint stick better, and is an excellent way to stop spray paint from chipping off later. First, you should sand off all paint left on the surface and clean off any spots of rust. Then, lightly scour the metal with a metal brush and sandpaper to make it a little rougher, as smooth metal surfaces don’t hold paint well. Then finally wipe any dust and dirt off the metal with a clean cloth, and you’re ready to spray paint metal!

Preparing to Paint

Priming metal is important, as metal primer spray provides a surface that regular spray paint can then bond to. Plain metal is smooth and does not hold paint well, but primer spray paint is designed to bond to even smooth surfaces, providing a better surface for a color coat to bond to afterwards. Some brands of the best spray paint for metal, however, include paint primer as part of the paint formulation, which makes the task of spray painting metal much easier. Any that do not include primer will require a coat of metal primer spray paint before using the color paint over the top.

Once you’ve prepped the metal surface you want to paint, as described above in our how to prep metal for spray paint section, you should prepare your work location. Always spray paint outside, as the fumes can be toxic and you need a well-ventilated space for your own safety. Protect the area around your painting spot with a drop cloth or newspaper to avoid getting paint on anything other than your target, and you’re good to go.

How long does Spray Paint take to Dry?

The length of time it takes for spray paint for metal to dry varies greatly between different spray paints, although some of the best spray paint for metal can take quite a long time. Often, paint will be dry to the touch after about 20 minutes, making it possible to move the item you’re painting, but this does not mean that it is fully dry. Even the touch dry benchmark is variable, though, as the temperature and humidity of the air around it can affect drying times a great deal. As a general rule, it is a good idea to leave any spray painted metal item for a full 24 hours before you attempt to use it, as metal spray paint can take a long time to be fully dry enough for safe use.

Expert Tip

Make sure you shake your spray paint for a good 45 to 60 seconds before starting to spray in order to get a smooth coverage without spitting and clumping!

Did you know?

Spray paint is affected by the weather around you. If you’re getting poor coverage or a cloudy finish, try waiting for the weather to change and then try again. Most of the time, it’ll clear up nicely.