Cooler Painting Tips & Tricks

By: Plaid Crafts

We love the idea of adding a special touch to what's sure to be a centerpiece at any tailgate party - the cooler! We're sharing a few of our favorite DIY cooler decorating ideas, plus some tips and tricks on how to paint your cooler.

Cooler Painting Tips & Tricks

A cooler without wheels has more of a flat surface for easier painting.
Spackle any holes or dents if a used cooler, or if you don't want an indented logo. Sand smooth and wipe away any dust.
You can apply a plastic primer before painting with acrylic paint like FolkArt Multi-Surface Acrylic Paint
You can use stencil blank material, like a Simply stencil blank or a FolkArt Peel & Stick stencil blank, to cut your own stencil or image.
You can do a color block on the cooler instead or painting the whole thing and then put your design over that.
Seal with Outdoor Mod Podge or a polyurethane sealer.

Painted Tailgate Cooler

You can also paint on a soft-sided cooler!

Instead of painting your cooler, another way to decorate is decoupage! Learn how easy it is to use Mod Podge Dishwasher Safe and Mod Podge Fabric to make your own designs on a cooler.