Friend told me to stop sanding cans before painting them, I ignored him for months

My buddy Mike who does those big soda can wall murals kept saying roughing up the surface is a waste of time. I spent like 4 months sanding every single can with 120 grit before painting, took forever. Finally tried skipping that step on a 12 can piece I was doing for my kitchen. The paint stuck just fine, no peeling after 3 weeks now. I wasted so many hours for nothing. Anyone else get bad advice from tutorials that made things way harder than they needed to be?

2 comments

2 Comments

leohart1mo ago

Ngl you probably just got lucky, most spray paint needs a little grip to not chip later.

jade_hernandez1mo ago

Whoa hang on, you only waited 3 weeks to call it good? Dude that's not nearly enough time for the real test. I've had paint jobs look perfect for a month then start chipping at the seams right when you least expect it. Give it like 6 months of use with cans getting pulled out and put back and then see how that unsanded surface holds up. The oils from your hands alone can mess with adhesion over time, that's not something a quick test will catch. For real, I wouldn't toss the sandpaper just yet.