How To Paint Ceiling Fan Blades
So, you want to replace your ceiling fan with that sweet industrial-style fan that you saw your Facebook friend put in. However, that expense is so low on your financial priority list that it could be years before it happens.
What if you painted your ceiling fan blades in a color you like to make them fresh and new again?
We got our duster out and tried to dust our ceiling fan. Unfortunately, the grime was too much for the duster to handle, so my husband got out the 12′ ladder. He climbed up with soapy rags in hand to clean those fan blades, and I inquisitively asked how hard it would be to remove them. To my surprise, he said, “easy, I just need a screwdriver.”
Cleaning the fan turned into taking the fan blades off, scrubbing them well, and painting them a dark color that we liked better.
It’s incredible the difference it made!
What is the best way to paint ceiling fan blades?
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- Remove the blades from your ceiling fan. This is probably easier than you think. Be sure to keep the screws and washers in a baggie, so you’re able to reattach the fan blades easily.
- Clean the fan blades well. I was surprised to discover our fan blades were plastic that were made to look like wood so I used a scrub sponge to get the grime off.
- Lay face down on a drop cloth in a well-ventilated space. We used our garage with the garage door open.
- Spray the top side of the fan blades first. This is the side that faces the ceiling. Once dry, spray a second coat. The paint I used said to paint the second coat within an hour or wait 24 hours.
- Once dry, turn the fan blades over and give it two coats of paint with dry time between coats. Pay attention to the edges of the blades. For this step, we used Painter’s Tripods that we had on hand. The tip of the Painter’s Tripod fit inside one of the screw holes on one end and we let the other end rest on the drop cloth. (However, we didn’t let the top side fully cure because we weren’t patient so the tip of the blades stuck to the drop cloth. My husband gently sanded where the blades pulled up the fibers of the drop cloth but it wasn’t perfect. Thankfully, it was on the top so isn’t visible. That’s why I suggest painting the top of the blades first, in case your patience level is a bit like ours. You could also use Painter’s Tripods at the end of each fan blade to avoid this.)
- Once dry, reattach the fan blades.
- Look at your fan in awe of how easy it was to transform and wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!
What kind of paint do you use to paint ceiling fan blades?
We used Rust-Oleum Universal Metallic Paint & Primer In One good for any surface; wood, metal, plastic, and masonry. The color we chose was Flat Chestnut. At first, I thought it might give the fan blades a metal look but it didn’t at all.
With this paint, we didn’t need to prep the surface of the plastic blades. If your fan blades are wood, you might want to use a deglosser before you paint.
How long does it take to paint your ceiling fan blades?
With the proper supplies, you should be able to finish this project within one day.
We had this project done within one day but, as mentioned above, we didn’t wait for the top of the fan blades to fully cure before we turned them over to paint the bottom side that shows. Had we used Painter’s Tripods on both ends of each fan blade, it would have worked out well and not stuck to the drop cloth.
What supplies do you need to paint ceiling fan blades?
- A ladder that allows you to reach the top side of your ceiling fan.
- Screwdriver to remove the blades from the fan.
- Cleaning supplies to clean your fan blades. I used a scrub sponge and Dawn dish soap.
- Drop Cloth to paint the fan blades on.
- Painter’s Tripods so your blades don’t stick to your drop cloth.
- Spray Paint. We used Rust-Oleum Universal Metallic Paint & Primer In One good for any surface; wood, metal, plastic, and masonry. The color we chose was Flat Chestnut.
- A well-ventilated space. We used our garage with the garage door open since it was raining outside. Otherwise, we probably would have painted outside.
How much does it cost to paint fan blades?
If you had to purchase all of the supplies mentioned above, including a 12′ ladder, you would be looking at $300 – $400. That’s way too much. You likely have a few of the supplies on hand. If so, this could be a very inexpensive transformation for your fan.
Because we had all of the supplies on hand, except for the paint, we were able to transform our fan for the price of one can of spray paint!
What if I’m not comfortable using spray paint?
If painting isn’t your thing or if you don’t have a well-ventilated space to use spray paint, you might want to consider purchasing replacement fan blades. Just be sure they are the right size for your fan and you’ll be good to go!
Painting these ceiling fan blades was super inexpensive and easy to do. You may want to go all out and paint the ceiling fan mechanisms or even paint the fan blades to look like wood. There are a lot of options. We went for the simple way and are super happy with the results!
