One of our most popular blog posts to date (like...ever) was when we tested to find the best gold spray paint and it was due for an update because the pictures aren't great and we (I) only tested 4 spray paints. Ahh, the early days of blogging. Luckily, this was a fun little experiment and we’re so excited to share with you our top favorite gold spray paints...again. *drumroll*
We bought 12 cans of spray paint and 12 knobs (I know, we go all out), and got started right away. Once we numbered the bottom of each spray paint and knob we drilled holes in a sheet of wood and attached the knobs for easy of spraying.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
Each knob got a few coats of their spray paint buddy and in no time we were in gold hardware heaven...okay, some weren't great at ALL though. The obvious conclusion? No two spray paints are the same. The knobs were leaning towards all kinds of colors: pinks, greens, yellows. Sorting them into similar categories gave us a bit more clarity on our favorites.
The first group--should we call this the bronze group? I don't know if I would refer to these as "gold." 2 and 4 are labeled "champagne" so that much was expected, but I was surprised at 5 and 12 being labeled "metallic gold" and "antique brass." However, if you ARE wanting more of a champagne color, then 12 is the obvious winner in my opinion. She's perfectly sparkly and metallic while the others look more flat and beige-y.
We'll call this next group the sparkle group. These are just...a lot. The finish reminded my of my dad's taurus growing up. Like that gold sparkly car color. 1 is very shimmery. It's almost as if it has flecks of metallic in it and really doesn't match it's "vintage gold" name. However, the color is very true to gold and if you are looking for more of a shimmery finish than this could be for you. 7 and 11 are a bit more bronze and not enough metallic for my liking.
Ding, ding, ding, we have... 5 winners? The finish on all of these is gorgeous and the spray paint applied so consistently. Numbers 3, 9, and 10 are very true to a bright, brassy gold, and really you're safe with any of those if you want a more classic finish. If you want a warmer gold tone without being "rose-gold" then either 6 or 8 are perfect for you, as they lean every so slightly towards pink.
I'm ready to give out my roses now. The first rose goes to 10, Design Master. Who would have thought that almost 8 years since I first did this experiment, Design Master would still be better than any other gold spray paint we've come across? It really stood the test of time. The second rose goes to 3, Krylon premium metallic 18 KT gold, and third goes to Krylon Metallic gold leaf. To be far, 3 and 9 are just so close and just a hair behind first place.
Do you have a favorite? Do you have a favorite paint we missed? Do tell.
Leave a Reply
WE'RE CHRIS + JULIA
Portfolio
Projects
The comparison should include the evaluation on long run. I have tried around 4 different gold spray paints and they were beautiful initially but all changed appearance in few months turning progressively to an awful dark greenish color. I would like to know what paints haven't this problem.
thank you, did great job
M favorite is #10 but after your blog, now I want to try #6 and #8
Also crafters loves Montana™ Gold Acrylic Professional Spray Paint
Such a helpful blogpost! This cut down on my research by a lot! Great work.
This is SO AMAZING! Encore for chrome one day!
THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS! So helpful!
OMG. Before I began reading the article and based just on the pictures, I picked the EXACT same ones as my favorite. Those beigey ones gave me the heeby jeebies. Thank you for this comprehensive list.
6 is forever my go-to and has been increasingly hard to find recently. 8 is so similar though! As a gold girl, I appreciate you doing this. I appreciate and like some of the others, depending on how warm or sparkly of a look I’m going for!
Hi! This post couldn’t have come at a better time, so thank you! We are redoing our bathroom and the fixtures will be in brushed gold. I have a Crome light fixture that I was thinking of trying to paint to match so I was wondering if any of these are closer to the brushed gold?
This us super helpful! I'm planning to spray paint a mirror frame, a light fixture, and a plant stand and wanted the perfect gold. Thanks for doing the work for me!
Very helpful, thank you!
A polished nickel contest would be really nice.
Love this! I just referenced the old gold spray paint post a few months ago- so glad to have an updated resource!
Ok, so it's funny which winners your chose because #8 stood out immediately to me and then didn't end up being the winner. I wonder if in person it looks not as good? Either way, thanks for re-doing it- this was fun!
I would love a copper version of this test!
Just what I was looking for!!! Perfect timing! Thank you!
This is so helpful...thanks so much for doing the research and sharing!! And do you mind sharing where these knobs are from?! I’m looking for an affordable brass option for a restoration project we’re completing...and this has inspired me...maybe I just need to paint my own!! TIA!!!
This is such an amazing post.
Wow, how timely, I just referred to the old post this past weekend! The shiny chrome light fixture in the jack & jill bath works fines, but just isn’t the finish I want. I had Krylon Metalic gold (possibly #9 but the older can doesn’t say Gold LEAF), but it doesn’t have a sheen that I want. So I bought the Rustoleum Bright Coat Metallic Finish #8 and it is perfect!
It adhered to the shiny chrome finish with complete coverage in two coats! Perfect low cost solution for an economical fix.
Thanks for updating this post to include new gold spray paints.
My hands down favorite gold spray paint is Montana GOLD Chrome Effect Colors in Goldchrome (available online or at high quality art supply stores). As per the company's description, this paint is not abrasion proof and isn't weather resistant, so maybe not use it outdoors or on hardware you'll be touching everyday. That said, it is a perfect warm gold/brass tone in a semigloss that ends up having a bit of a "living finish" like unlacquered brass, picking up fingerprints and mimicking a hard-earned patina. I've sprayed inexpensive items like decorative objects, picture frames, and lamp bases and they've aged so well people are always shocked to find out they're resin and not brass. Worth a try! Just don't add a clear coat to try to make it more durable - it completely kills the shine, even with a gloss version. The Silverchrome and Copperchrome are also excellent shades in this line.
https://www.montana-cans.com/en/spray-cans/montana-spray-paint/gold-400ml-artist-paint/montana-gold-400ml-chrome-effect-colors
This is so useful! Thank you for putting this together :)
We religiously use 3,8, & 9 at work! Our favorites!
Yes, I picked every winner from the original large board! They were clear even there - 3, 6, 8, 9, 10. This is suuuuuch a great resource to have :)
PS I specified the Rustoleum Metallic Antique Brass (12) for our tiny house stair rail after having seen it in person, and it's definitely NOT brassy, but actually a very nice bronze color. (not oil rubbed, just.. bronze. You know, that brownish metallic color.) So if you want bronze that's a good one.
Let me stan for Rustoleum Gilded Brass for a second. It definitely has that brushed, champagne-like finish. Not too yellow or brassy. I may or may not be on my seventh can at this point with three more waiting in the wings. Kind of hard to find, though. Meijer is the only place I’ve seen it (MidWest4Ever!)
I'm not currently in the market for gold spray paint, but are there any differences in these piants in terms of what type of item they work best on? I guess what I'm trying to ask would all of these designed to work on an application like a knob?
I took a trip down memory lane and looked at old posts at your blog.
Just wanted to say that I miss your cabin. That was a really cosy, nice and well put together place. It looked so peaceful and lovely. And it is not even mine to miss! Anyway.
I feel so sorry for what happen to it and how that affected you.
Thank you for doing all these nice things and share it with us out here.
This is a public service! THANK YOU!
I am literally receiving a piece of hardware in the mail today that I planned to spray paint gold. This post is so helpful! Now I can just order a couple of different cans of paint to decide between. Thank you!