Young House Love

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How To Spray Paint A Plastic Basketball Hoop

Hoop, there it is. File this under my weirdest “Dude, Get On That Already” challenge to date. Much like many of our other DGOTA adventures, this mini update involves something that sat around bugging me way too long + a trusty ol’ can of spray paint. But this time it’s not an animal. I know. Total shocker.

John actually laughed at me for this little tweak (and I’m fully expecting you guys to as well), but they say it’s the little things that make ya happy… and seeing a bright red and blue plastic hoop against the back wall of our carport every. single. time. we pulled into the driveway (it was so bright you could see it from the curb) did not a happy momma make. And I know it’s dumb, but I worried the neighbors may have thought it was junky and tacky to have a big colorful hoop in plain sight 24/7 (they all do such a nice job to keep their yards looking nice, and many have kids but their toys are tucked away by evening). So because I’m what my dad likes to call “a strange bird” (seriously, I’ve been weird since before it was cool – wait, it’s still not cool?), I’ll share my odd little DIYed hoop-redeeming solution. Just promise not to compare me to Monica from Friends (I don’t fold my underwear, I swear).

First of all, this basketball hoop is super important.

Hoop1

Why? Because it makes Clara a happy girl. And a happy girl = a happy momma. So I devised a way to:

  • keep the hoop right there in the carport (after trying several locations it’s the best spot for it)
  • keep it just as functional (don’t need to explain this one, right?)
  • make it simmah-down-now from the curb (in the slightly altered words of Jay-Z: we got 99 bright toys I love, but this hoop ain’t one)

That plan? A can of ORB spray paint. I mean, would you expect anything less from me at this point? I’m definitely not one of those people who thinks all kids toys should be neutral or white or should match the living room. Clara has a ton of brightly colored toys and I’m even the gal who painted her hand-me-down highchair bright yellow, made her a happy little dollhouse with cheerful furniture to match, and painted her formerly neutral wooden crayon truck sky blue…

Bright Kid Stuff

… but after four months of rounding the block and seeing that red ring of fury on that bright blue stem, I realized there had to be a solution that worked for Clara, the hoop, and the mom. I love that bright colors help with development, but I just decided that one item out of many (this girl’s got toys for days!) that’s not a bright color is OK since I’ve never sprayed anything else of hers a muted color (and have actually added color to muted things, like her high chair and her crayon truck… so hopefully it all balances out). And come to think of it, her very favorite “toys” are rocks and sticks, so ORB fits right into that color scheme.

Sadly I didn’t get a good shot of the basketball hoop in all of it’s primary color glory before my paint-fest (bad blogger, no Oreos for you) but I actually made this photoshopped rendering for ya. How nuts am I? Wait, don’t answer that.

Hoopfirst

In the “real photo” category, you can actually see it peering around the back of the table in this post. See, it’s even brighter in real life than the one in the rendering. Haha.

Furn Prep1

And you can see how he looked all naked and ready for a new suit in the back yard (I removed the net part for the spraying phase so it wouldn’t get all gunked up).

Hoop1

The thing was visible from space, I tell ya… and then it wasn’t.

Hoop2

Thank you ORB. For those wondering what I used or if it works on plastic, Rustoleum Universal All-Surface spray paint is made to work on plastic and hold up outdoors – it even has a built-in primer for a better hold (I used the oil-rubbed bronze color of course). Total cost: $0, since I already had half of a can leftover from another ORB adventure. And in the time department, it took under twenty minutes to knock this baby out. Fast and free. Why didn’t I do this four months ago?

Just as I suspected, Hooper is a total looker with his new finish. As for why I went with oil-rubbed bronze spray paint, it ties into the carport light and a few other dark accents around the outside of our house and hides more dirt than something lighter/brighter might. No more “Loook! I’m a little plastic hoop! Check me out!” – just chill aloofness and that “I’m cool enough to fall back and do mah thing without demanding everyone’s attention” vibe. And the contrasting white net makes it easy for Clara to slam dunk (it’s not all flat and dark, so she can still clearly see the basket).

Hoop3

Small personal projects like these are my favorite. They might seem completely crazy to someone else (or maybe everyone else, haha) but they really have the power to make your day. It’s kind of like how I’m a terrible baker and you probably couldn’t pay me to attempt a three layer cake but my BFF does that stuff FOR FUN (really?! for fun?!). To each his own (picture me raising a can of spray paint as if to say “cheers”).

Hoop4

So in summary: Mommy likes. And happily, Clara and Daddy like it too. See how he’s hardly visible from halfway down the driveway now? Life is good.

Hoop5

Way better than this, right? And there are still dozens of bright toys in our midst (seriously, you should see our living room right now).

Hoopfirst

The cutest part is that Clara apparently has a thing for ORB like her momma. She has even taken to calling it her “so so shiny hoop.” Love that girl. And of course she has a whole bunch of multicolored balls that go with it (they tuck away into that storage container next to it) so it’s not a sad little drab thing when it’s in action. Everybody wins.

  Basketball Clara Playing

Except for Burger. He can’t play basketball. Poor guy.

What small-slash-quirky-but-somehow-woefully-overdue updates have you guys been tackling (or planning to tackle)? Do you all think I’m crazy? Anyone else painting something outside? Or do you have a dog who plays basketball? That would be the most impressive of all.

Comments

  3. Tara H. says

    first, you are funny, but i would make the same changes for the benefit of the neighbors.
    second, folding your underwear is considered weird? i missed that Friends episode. um, i guess i will stop…wait no, my OCD won’t let me stop. i’ll be weird.

    Reply

  4. Lindy says

    You’re my hero, seriously! I realize that bold contrasting colors are good for children, but why do all of the good toys have to be massive plastic eye sores. Martha Stewart needs to start a toy line, she could dominate the toy industry, haha!

    Reply

    • Allison says

      I totally agree with you about a Martha Stewart toy line! She has it all right (style wise at least) =)

  5. Elise Reed says

    Love the ORB on the hoop! And thanks for turning me onto the ORB spray paint – I’ve been using it on tons of things. I would probably paint the dogs, but they are already kind of ORB-colored, so it would be overkill.

    Reply

  6. Shannon says

    I don’t think you are weird! Just two days ago spraypainted an annoying shockingly royal blue(doesn’t go with anything in my kitchen) booster seat a nice black that goes with my kitchen furniture. My husband thought I was crazy but all I can think when I see it now is ahhhhh…so much better!

    Reply

  8. Chris says

    I don’t have a dog who plays basketball but my sister’s dog, Harley, would get into their pool and sit in his floating chair and play volley ball with us…..how I wish I had recorded a game because he was so good at it!

    Reply

  9. Trisha says

    We were recently given a crazy colored plastic kid picnic table, totally in need of love…errr spray paint. Thanks for the inspiration. Now to consider color combinations.

    Reply

  10. Monique says

    I am SOOOO glad you posted on this. I thought I was the only one being driven nuts by all the garish colors of kid toys. I even felt guilty about it. Great solution. Cheers!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      They’re all nice and have kids themselves! But all of the crazy colored toys are out of sight every night, so this was a nice easy and free solution :)

      xo,
      s

  12. House Crazy Sarah says

    I’m with you Sherry! The bright (glaring) primary colors of outdoor kids “stuff” drives me bonkers. i hide all the kid junk out of sight. My mom says I am being too anal but my yard is in a historic district and tons of people & tourists walk by every day. So I like to keep a tidy yard – with no bright plastic tyke bikes in view!

    Reply

  13. Rebecca @This Nest is Best says

    I love that you incorporate Clara’s items into your decor – they needn’t be boring, but they don’t have to be jarring, clashing colors, either. Makes your home look so much more cohesive and makes her stuff look like it *belongs* instead of being transitional or “we’re in the toddler phase and can’t wait to get this out of the house”. I. love. it.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Rebecca. I never looked at it that way, but maybe that’s a good way to say it: it’s nice when Clara’s toys feel right at home, like they could live here forever- whether it’s the bright yellow high chair or the ORBed hoop. I love when they look at home (and not oddly temporary).

      xo,
      s

  14. Lyndsay @ that 70s house says

    okay, so clearly i am nuts, but i didn’t even realize that ANYONE folded their underwear. Didn’t even know that was a thing…except in stores. HAH! Clearly I am wrong based on all these comments and now i feel like a total slob!

    Reply

  15. alex says

    Speaking of driving…have you stuck with your resolution to drive more by yourself? I have been curious about such a quirky resolution. Ha. Memory of steel.

    Reply

  16. laura says

    I completely understand why you painted it. My mom bought a Fisher Price plastic picnic table for the grandkids from a friend for $5 and it is faded orange and yellow…I mentioned that we should paint it and you should have seen the looks I got from my mom, dad and sister! ….I guess us crazies are a breed all our own. Ha :)

    Reply

  17. Emily says

    Game-changer. This whole post, I mean. I was skeptical at the start – is Sherry for real (this seems a bit much), and how is she going to pull this off. But you did. Black (oil-rubbed bronze) – of course. Looks sleek and chique now and not odd. Kudos. Will this ORB paint hold up on the plastic? Even with the ball beating on it repeatedly? If so I gotta get me some!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, Rustoleum All-Surface spray it’s made for plastic and being outside, and even has a built-in primer! I’ll have to do an update in a few years, but I’m sure it’ll be going strong :)

      xo,
      s

    • Stephanie says

      By the way, I’ve also never seen this friends episode. I thought I’d seen EVERY friends episode. I’m a little upset.

      (And the one last night was the PIVOTTTT episode and I thought about you guys.)

  20. cindy says

    ummmm…I fold my underwear….and I’ve been nicknamed “monica” many many times over the years….embrace your inner monica Sherry, embrace her. oh yea, the hoop looks fan-orb-tastic! wish i had done this with my boys things when they were small. they might have issues with it now as they are 17 and waaaay bigger than me. my spray can is up in the air for ya!
    i am now working on spray painting a pair of pendant lights (just the base and stems) chrome since i am not a fan of the satin nickel finish. a girl’s gotta have a little bling!

    Reply

  21. Jill says

    Thank you for this post! I am due in less than 3 weeks with our first baby and although I don’t have panic attacks over it, I’m still concerned with baby clutter in the form of differing colored toys everywhere. This gives me the idea that not everything has to be a “stand-out” and can still be functional. Now just to convince my husband I’m not crazy when I want to spray paint some forth-coming baby toys! Ha ha

    Reply

  22. Morgan says

    http://livingyoungwildfree.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/end-of-summer-home-repair-list/

    I started this list a month and a half ago, and out of the 6 things I was going to do, I have only done 2 of the tasks. I gave myself a timeline so I would have these things complete by Labor Day. Well, it’s Labor Day weekend, and I am going to have DGOTA-palooza at my house! lol. Really looking forward to taking out the sliding glass shower door by myself (sarcasm).

    Love Clara’s hoop. Amazing what a can of spray paint will do. :)

    Reply

  24. Jane in STL says

    I spray painted the used Little Tyke slide play set this summer. It was faded and garish. It has held up really well. Have also sprayed the plastic hose reel cover thingee that now blends in better with the house.

    Reply

  26. Heather says

    Maybe I have some kind of super-hero laser eyes, but things that aren’t level drive me insane. The tile around the bathtub in our Master is crooked — and had they just installed the tiles one at a time around the tub with no cutting, it would have been level, but they actually cut the tiles right on top of the tub to create a charming totally-out-of-whack slope. It’s probably off level by almost a 1/2 inch. Actually, several things like this are crooked in our house — further proof that the whole thing was constructed by drunks.

    Reply

  27. Adina says

    Well that’s something I’ve never seen done before. We have that same hideous hoop. You sure are crazy with your ORB. Did you also spray the rest of the pole for when Clara gets taller? Would the paint on the inside pole last or would it wear away being raised and lowered?

    Reply

  28. Carmel says

    This is genius! Playskool should start a YHL line of plastic play equipment that blends in rather than shouting out its existence to the heavens!

    Reply

  29. Ashley says

    I absolutely love the underware discussion today :) you wouldn’t be the only FOLDER of that drawer! So I see nothing wrong with it! As for the hoop it’s amazing what little spray paint can do. Has anyone told little tykes that primary colors are so 80’s. I mean I know they’re coming back, but the colors seem to be brighter than ever! lol The change looks awesome & I love all the “girl” bonding in the blogosphere today :)

    Always a joy to read :)

    Reply

  33. Ashleigh says

    I love it, and it has totally made me open to painting a small tricycle we have for our little one. It has Barbie and what not on it which isn’t my particular preference, so I could just whip out a can of spray paint. In this case, I might actually make it a fun pink or green, but never would have thought to do it before this post! Thanks!

    Reply

  34. Callie says

    This is hilarious!! Totally something I would do, and my husband would laugh at! You and I are two girls from the same can of spray paint..er, cut from the same cloth…haha. It’s the little tweaks! Love Clara calling it her “so shiny hoop” – she is going to grow up with such an eye for color and style!

    Reply

  35. WendyMI says

    LOLOLOLOLOL… love it! I love that nothing’s safe or sacred at your house, and this is just so fitting. =) So fun.. did you remember to pull the hoop all of the way out and paint the extension, too?

    Is the storage box next?

    I have one of those long plastic drainage spout extenders that have draped behind my bushes in the front of my condo. I got green thinking that would blend in just fine and it does, in the summer. In the winter it looks blech, so I painted it a nice brick color to blend into the wall instead. Voila!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yup, I pulled the whole stem up so I could get to the blue that was hiding inside :) As for the storage box, it’s kind of cute as-is since it goes with the color of the columns and stuff, but you never know…

      xo,
      s

  36. Kellee says

    At first when I started reading this, I thought you were totally crazy but it turned out really nice!

    I’m a spray painting fanatic but it seems that if I were to spray paint that hoop it would take 2 cans compared to your 1/2 can. I try and follow the instructions (light coats from the suggested distance) on the back but I always seem to be using too much. Any suggestions?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      My tip would be to mist. I think the term “coat” sounds really heavy and you can waste a lot of paint that way. I literally just mist it once, wait a minute, mist it again, etc. Just a few thin coats build up to one good coat of coverage. Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  37. hollyloo says

    you are too funny. looks sleek and dare i say expensive now—like all hoops should. i can’t wait to see clara’s little toddler basketball team with jerseys sporting the rustoleum name across the chest. the (oil-rubbed) bronze bombers! ;)

    ps—you should orb the storage container next to it, too!

    Reply

  38. Patti says

    My first thought while reading this was, wait, is this a joke? Is it April Fools for something? But ya know what, it looks really good!

    Reply

  39. Michelle says

    I love every single thing you do, but no lie, I thought you had lost your marbles on this one a little bit. I kept thinking you had finally gone too far…but then I saw the finished product and I love it! You won me over completely. It’s actually brilliant, and I’ll admit those kid toys are usually hideous! I’m totally going to do the same thing one day!

    Reply

  41. kristi says

    Glad you posted this! My mom picked up a FP kitchen for free for my daughter and the thing must have been in it’s glory when I was a tyke. It’s sooo messy and will not clean up. I’ve been wondering what I can use to spruce it up. It;s the same ugly plastic crap as the hoop so it will work! YAY! Time to spray paint a play kitchen!

    Reply

  42. JeanEllen says

    So I like how the ORB definitely makes Hooper disappear when viewed from the drive, but I can’t help but wonder how he would have looked with colors that coordinated with the house (ORB post, white backboard and yellow hoop to tie in with the front door, perhaps?)
    Also, and totally unrelated: Am I the only one who noticed the sitting area in the driveway? Is this new? I don’t remember a post about it…

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh that’s just a weird little thing I plopped down since we sit there and watch Clara and her neighbor friend play in our driveway. The chairs are in terrible shape, so someday I’ll fix them up :)

      xo,
      s

  43. Lesley@ChaoticallyCreative says

    I’m literally in tears. This is my favorite post ever. I can relate to about everything in it. That little goal would drive me nuts. Right now it’s our garbage can that has been driving me crazy and to boot the garbage man knocked the top off of it last week so now it’s ugly and it stinks and fills with water. Talk about “hot garbage” Got to build something around it to disguise it soon. Love the post and the goal is awesome!!!

    Reply

  44. Bea says

    Oh Sherry, I love you guys however this is a bit extreme for the sake of keeping up with the Jones’s. I think when you have a child you have to accept the fact that their toys are not going to fit into your decor scheme most of the time and that’s OK. The basketball hoop looked cute and normal now it’s so dark…You are definitely dangerous with that bottle of spray paint. ;)

    Reply

  45. JMe says

    I am getting ready to paint a deck box (exactly like the one you have next to the hoop) black to match our fixtures and deck furniture. After how great the hoop looks, I’m surprised yours has been left unscathed :)

    Reply

  46. Katie says

    Looks good! Does the ORB paint have that disclaimer that it does stick to Little Tikes like the regular Rustoleum has? Or did you have to do any special roughing up the plastic first?

    Reply

  47. Gia says

    haha I can not believe you went there! Step away from the spray paint can!

    It does look good, please come spray paint my hoop!

    Reply

  49. Venia says

    I get this. I totally get this. And, yes, when I was single and childless I *did* fold my underwear. But, I never ironed my sheets. ;)

    Reply

  50. Lauren says

    Haha this is the most hilarious post ever. Clara is probably the only little girl in the world with an ORB basketball hoop.

    John should maybe consider holding an ORB intervention for you though :)

    Reply

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