I love scrolling Facebook Marketplace for free items that, given some TLC, would be good as new. I did a makeover on a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe (click here) recently, which left me wanting to add to our outdoor collection, so when I saw this basketball set posted for free, I knew I wanted it.
I can't wait to show you how well it turned out! And, how easy it was.
With any painting project, the first steps aren't glamourous or exciting.
That's right, clean, sand and clean again.
If you follow @GoCleanCo on Instagram it will come as no surprise that I used a bucket of hot water and powdered tide to scrub it clean before sanding it.
There are lovely little sanding blocks you can get at the hardware store that have less gritty and more gritty sides; that's what I would recommend, or an electric hand sander. But I was already in my project clothes and didn't want to leave my house to get some, so I used random left over sheets I found in the garage. Sand it until you think it's good, then sand a little more.
Cleaning this time is just to get rid of the dust created from sanding. If you spray paint over any dust the paint won't adhere and it will chip off. I used a fresh bucket of hot water and tide.
I covered the rope of the net with craft paper, since I will be bleaching it later and didn't want paint to get on it. Then I started priming. I love this white 2x coverage primer since it is a primer, obviously, but I also use it for the pieces I want to stay white and it covers really well. If you can't find this one, just make sure the primer/ paint you grab will adhere to plastic!
I sprayed 2-4 coats of primer in really thin layers. It was really hot out so I only needed to wait 10-15 minutes between coats. Once I was happy with the coverage of the primer I let it dry completely (overnight) before taping it off so the tape didn't chip the paint.
*Tip: if you spray too much and it starts to run, leave it, let it dry-dry, sand it a bit, and spray again.
I used painters tape to tape off the outline on the backboard, then paper from the recycle bin wrapped around everything I wanted to stay white. Since I had a few cans of blue spray paint leftover from the Cozy Coupe Makeover, it was an easy choice. It took 2-3 coats of paint and I waited 10-15 minutes in between coats. 15 minutes after my last coat of paint I took the tape off, if you leave it for too long it can chip the paint.
I think this basketball net makeover turned out so well! Since we had sand paper, primer and paint at home and the basketball net was free, this project didn't cost me anything!
MATERIALS:
- basketball net
- sand paper
- paint - primer and colour of choice
- painters tape
