embrace it. It's the best thing to come out of a can to date.
In my youth, I thought it was only used by delinquents looking to deface public property. In recent years though, my lack of patience and our grad school budget have lead me to it many a time, and we have yet to be disappointed--especially with the dawn of spray paint primer. Instant gratification at it's best!
My dear college companion, Molly, turned me onto it when we decided to give new life to this Salvation Army purchase. Little to no sanding, a coat of primer from a can, and this fabulous green. I also recovered the seat with left over upholstery fabric-- a nice change from purple pleather. Now it's my desk chair.

We are planning on painting our front door black and have been searching for the perfect door knocker. My sister and brother-in-law found this for us. It was originally a very cool cast iron, but it wouldn't really have stood out against the black door, so I gave it a coat of metallic brass spray paint, then sanded some of it off so some iron showed through. Then I sprayed it with matte black spray paint and immediately wiped off most of the black so that it only remained in the crevices, giving it a kind of aged-bronze look. I'm really happy with how it turned out. Can't wait to have a finished front door to hang it on.

I also updated a cast off chandelier from my in-laws by spray painting it matte black and putting on mini silk shades. It was brass but didn't fit our decor, however now that it's a clean, simple black we love it for our dining room.

The lady who sold me our
mantel surround headboard also gave me this pretty little bench.

It's suprisingly sturdy and comfortable, but the upholstered seat and mahogany finish had seen better days. so with a coat of spray primer, another coat of brushed on "Tidewater" paint, and a newly upholstered seat withg silver nailhead trim, it fits perfectly in our living room.

One of the best things about spray paint is it's durability. Most types are suited to adhere to metal and plastic, which aren't usually up for hosting regular wall paint long term. That being said, I've found that all spray paints aren't created equal.
RustOleum definitely makes the best paint, and I've had the best luck with their Universal Spray Paint, which sprays evenly at any angle. You can buy at it at any hardware store.
Ready.....aim.....TRANSFORM
*special thanks to Kathleen for inspiring this post. Good luck with your projects!