The ceiling fan in our family room was pretty dated with shiny brass accents. I knew I’d probably replace it one day, but for now I wanted to do a quick and easy spray paint job that was budget-friendly. It was so simple to do and amazing how such a small project could have such a big impact on our space! Today I’m sharing the step by step to painting a ceiling fan to make it look like new! (post includes commissionable links; for more information, see my full disclosure statement {here})
Let’s start by taking a look at our ceiling fan before. The white with brass accents screams 1990s:
Here’s how to give it a major glow up! First, cut power to your fan by flipping the appropriate breaker switch. Then, unscrew all five fan blades where they connect to the fan at the base. Once those are down, unscrew the brass pieces from the blades. For my fan, that left just the round brass piece on the base of the fan that had four screws connecting it:
These are the six brass pieces ready for some spray paint!:
Give each piece a light sanding using {this 220 grit sandpaper} while using appropriate eye, nose, and mouth protection. Then wipe off the sanding dust using a damp microfiber cloth and let dry.
Once dry, it’s time to spray paint! Pick a day when there is little to no wind outside and place your brass pieces on cardboard or a tarp. Then, after putting on the appropriate protective gear (eye protection, mask, etc.), shake the spray paint can thoroughly and apply your first coat. You want to hold the spray paint can about 12-16″ away from what you’re spraying, moving the spray can back and forth the entire time to apply just a thin coat. A spray can trigger like {this one} is really helpful for getting an even coat.
You’ll also want to paint the brass fan screws that you removed. I found that the easiest way to do that is to stick them into a piece of styrofoam or a small empty cardboard box to keep them upright while you spray the screw heads:
I used {this high-heat spray paint} in white simply because I already had it on hand from painting our recessed light trim. And I like that it doesn’t require the use of a primer before spraying.
After spraying 2-3 thin coats on everything (be sure you get all sides that will show)…
I let everything thoroughly dry and then reassembled the fan. It made SUCH a big difference! Here’s a reminder of the “before”:
and here’s the “after”:
It’s quite the glow-up, right? If you liked this spray paint project and want to see a few others, see my posts on how to paint recessed light trim and how to spray paint a brass fireplace. Let me know how your project turns out!
