

While it does help to prepare your canvas with a layer of gesso (a primer used to prepare surfaces like cardboard and canvases to achieve an ideal texture to help make the paint stick and retain its vibrant color, spray paints are generally a good wet medium that can work on canvas. And since surfaces are negatively charged, all of the paint particles will attach itself to the surface even in non-porous surfaces like metal. Because propellants have positively charged each particle, these particles repel each other, which is why the mist causes an evenly and uniformly painted surface. When released from the valve, the paint atomizes into tiny particles. However, there’s also a bit of propellant mixed in with the paint (hence the need to mix the can to let the pea mix the two). Some of the propellant in the can will push the paint down. Here’s where a bit of chemistry comes in. The paint then exits the nozzle in a fine and even mist. The dip tube serves as a straw where the paint travels upwards to the valve. The sudden change in pressure causes the propellant to expand, pushing the paint down and into the dip tube. When you press the nozzle of the can, you’re actually pressing the valve that keeps the can tightly pressured. The way a spray can functions is due to pressure.

It is sealed before a gas propellant is injected before the valve closes it, causing the can to be tightly compressed in the inside.

When spray paint is manufactured, cans are first filled with paint. Spray paint cans vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, but cans often have three main parts: the valve, the dip tube, and the pea. While spray paints are generally good for canvas surfaces, some may be too strong or too thin to achieve your desired effect. So, when painting on canvas, be sure to find spray paints appropriate for canvas. Spray paints in the market today are available in various finishes and designed for different types of surfaces. Compared to the other two methods of paint application, spray paints is faster to use and (if used properly) cleaner and more uniform. How Spray Paints WorkĪlso known as aerosol paint, spray paints generally work because the pressurized can contains paint and a propellant that, when sprayed, creates a mist of paint that can evenly coat a surface without the need for a paintbrush or paint roller. Some spray paint manufacturers would add a metal, marble, or glass ball (known as the pea) inside the can to help mix the paint when shaken. Seymour would go on to find his own company focused on spray paint, which more businesses adapted. However, it proved to be more useful than most people imagined as the spray paint can became a useful tool for painters and contractors in the building and construction industry. While most people at the time only saw it as a novelty product that wouldn’t last in the long run, he would patent the spray paint can technology two years later. In 1949, American Edward Seymour added aluminum paint to an aerosol can as a way to rapidly apply an even layer of paint. The aerosol can was invented in 1927 by a Norwegian inventor named Erik Rotheim. The spray paint device itself, however, would not be invented until 1949. This is the first known prototype of the spray paint, except it did not use pressure and aerosol that all spray paints use today. Joseph Binks, a decorations director for a retail business, created a hand pump that could easily spray white paint on the walls of the store. This article has been viewed 292,037 times.Spray paint origins stem back to the 1890s. In this case, several readers have written to tell us that this article was helpful to them, earning it our reader-approved status. WikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. There are 26 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Laura received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management, and her Bachelors in Journalism and Communication Studies with a minor in Fine Arts from the University of Oregon. She helps empower small and growing businesses to find their voices, share their stories, and grow their impact. She has over five years of experience in the industry and has worked professionally across venture capital, communications, the arts, and beyond. Johnson is a Mural Artist and the Owner of Laura Margo Murals & Custom Art in St. Johnson and by wikiHow staff writer, Janice Tieperman.
