spray painting crown molding

I knew when we bought our house that the natural wood trim that was everywhere would need to be addressed. The one part I was really not looking forward to was the the crown dental molding in the living/ dining area. I painted our fireplace mantel which had the dental molding and it took forever getting in all the tiny little spaces. I knew eventually it would just take me just getting fed up with looking at it and that day happened a couple of weeks ago. 

Here's what the living/dining area looked like when we first saw the house

My mom had come for lunch one day a while back and suggested spray painting it. I scoffed at the idea because I thought it sounded like a huge mess and I didn't know how good it would even turn out. But the more I thought about it {and after brush painting a 5 foot section that took 3 hours} the thought of spray paint was growing on me. I decided to google it to make sure I wasn't insane and it turns out others had tried it first and had success so I took the plunge. 

Since the moldings had been stained I decided to go with a white- oil based- low odor primer from Sherwin Williams. I taped off the area and added a strip of kraft paper underneath the tape to protect the wall. I also pushed the furniture away as I went and used drop cloths on the floor. I had the whole area done in about 3 hours including prep time. It was a breeze! 

 {btw- did you spy the new tolix chair knock offs from overstock? The verdict- they are an awesome steal for the price and I think they'll serve our family well with their durability. }

I'm so happy with the result and while I plan to add a topcoat someday this primer will do for now. It feels so much bigger with out the visual line confinement outlining the room and the fresh coat of paint on the walls helps too. 

A few $4 cans of spray paint who knew?

linking up to christina's adventures, my uncommon slice of suburbia, the shabby chic cottage, french country cottage, my romantic home, the shabby nest, designer garden, tatertots and jello, i heart nap time