How to Paint Shelf Brackets

A few weeks ago I installed new wallpaper in my dining room. It’s everything I wanted in the space! I looooooove it! BUT it did make me realize what else I want to change. The wallpaper is perfect so now everything that isn’t great is terrible. If that makes sense ;). So I thought I’d show you how to paint shelf brackets.

Since one of those things was the shelf brackets. They were black and technically fine, but for my house, they were too bold and stood out too much. I figured gold would pull in the chandelier color so I decided to paint them. I’m trying to enjoy the smaller DIY’s where I use what I have on hand to upgrade my house and aren’t that complicated. This is one of those projects! 

how to paint shelf brackets- supplies

• Gold spray paint
• Spray Paint Primer
• Shelf Brackets– I have the ones in black, but they come in gold too if you just want to skip this tutorial- lol.

step 1

Start by clearing off the shelves and removing the brackets. This took me less than 3 minutes.

To be honest, one of the reasons I’ve held off on doing this project is that I was worried that by removing the brackets. I was concerned they might not go back up as sturdy as they originally were. BUT I was super careful taking them down and all the anchors stayed in place.

I found that one screw was broken during the first install, so (spoiler alert) they ended up being more sturdy in the end since I replaced that screw! 

step 2

Next, it’s spray paint time. I was super patient with this project and the spray paint application. You know, instead of spraying to much too often and getting drips, I took my time! I did one coat of primer first.

Hint, with spray painting I always bring a paper towel or soft cloth with me outside. Then, if I do get a drip, I quickly blot the spot. Once it’s dry, I do another coat an you can’t see where the drip was.

step 3

Once the primer was dry, I did thin coats of gold. I’d make sure to fully spray the bracket and then headed inside so I wouldn’t be tempted to keep painting. I can be so impatient, but doing lots of thin coats of paint (probably 4-5 coats) made all the difference!

After the last coat was applied and I thought that I had good coverage, I left the brackets outside to dry. They sat for 3 hours before I could handle them without them feeling sticky. If you want to be super careful, wait 24 hours for them to dry.

step 4

Finally, I re-installed the brackets. Well, my husband did while I made dinner. They went up nicely. Which, thank goodness, since I was worried I’d mess with the anchors by taking them down. Then I played my favorite music from the early 2000’s (Ben Folds- thank you very much) while I restyled the shelves. 

after

Here are the finished brackets all installed! I looooove them! They are light and soft and match the chandelier and all the decor better. They really go with the wallpaper and now this corner is a pastel dream. 

I wanted to point out the newest addition to my Lenox spice village family- the Cookie jar. It was a gift from a reader- thanks Amy!

Also, side note, I needed one more spice jar- Parsley to complete my collection. I found one on eBay last night for $8 shipped so I snagged it! My birthday is coming up in early April so it’ll be a gift to myself ;).

Lucy isn’t sure about this corner (look at that cranky face), but I love it! 

wallpaper

I thought I’d tell you more about the wallpaper in this corner. It’s the Bird and Branch Peel and Stick wallpaper in the color way Peach Sunrise from Muse Wall Studio. The wallpaper is peel and stick and the install was super easy! I’ve put up a lot of paper and this one gave me zero issues.

It was quick to put up and since its peel and stick it’ll be quick to come down if I ever tire of it (which I’m obsessed with it, so zero worries there).

Above is the full image of the mural, I have a section of that since my wall wouldn’t fit the full image. I love that it has citrus and local Florida birds so it feels perfectly authentic for this home. Though I do think it’d work anywhere.

I’ve been planning on this wallpaper since December and I’m happy to report that it doesn’t disappoint! They have it in a few color ways and they have a similar tiger wallpaper that I almost choose too. Below are the links to those in case you want to do some wallpapering.

Muse studio has free shipping right now so it’d be a great time to order some wallpaper! They offer a service for $3 where you can get a reduced sized sample shipped to your house. So you can see how the colors work before committing to a full mural.

So now you know all about the wallpaper and how to paint shelf brackets! I hope you enjoyed this post. Are you into these smaller DIYs are do you only want bigger projects? Let me know in the comments!

P.s. this is where Lucy sits most of the day waiting to go outside. Then she goes out for 5 minutes before she cries to come in. It’s a super exciting ritual we do allll day long.

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