Fraternity Cooler Painting 101 | Space, Place & Southern Grace (2024)

When I learned I would be attending my boyfriend’s spring formal for his fraternity, I also quickly learned about the tradition of cooler painting. Now I’m not a sorority girl myself, but my close friends have shown me that this tradition is creative and thoughtful and can mean quite a bit to your date, especially if you take the time to make it personal. I hope with this step-by-step post, I can help the cooler painting process be much less daunting for you!

Materials:

• Cooler
• Sand paper/sander
• Primer spray paint
• Mod Podge (I used matte finish as well as glitter)
• Weatherproofing sealant
• Pencil
• Sharpies (Fine point and regular)
• Paint pens
• Acrylic paint, many colors
• Stencils, Printed images

Project Duration:

In total, this project took one week to complete. I probably spent around 12 hours total painting and the rest of the time was left for the sides of the cooler to dry.

Step One: Purchasing Your Cooler

Your date may specify the style of cooler he prefers, especially if he has others from past formals. Your options include large and small sizes, coolers with wheels and those without, as well as round coolers and those with drains. For this cooler, I elected to use a standard Igloo cooler without wheels and a non-removable lid with handles. The one I purchased from Wal-Mart was an Igloo 48-Quart Breeze Ice Chest and retailed at $18.88, not too bad! See the cooler listing on Wal-Mart’s site here.

Ultimately, it’s your call which style of cooler to use. I have found that wheels are difficult to paint and often result in your hard work chipping off very easily as it is dragged around. Round coolers are also unique but they limit the types of things that can be kept in the coolers as well as the room for design you have.

Step Two: Choosing Design

How well do you know your date? My date for formal was my boyfriend of four years so I was comfortable choosing designs that I knew he would like. If you are going with a friend or someone you don’t know well, ask them! This is your special gift to them since they are taking you on an amazing trip so make sure you pick things they like!

At this point, I selected a color scheme before choosing the images I wanted to put on my cooler. I used acrylic paint I already had as well as purchased some new colors to create a vibrant, beachy color scheme overall. Next, I printed out images of some of his favorite things as well as traditional fraternity icons such as name brands like Southern Tide, Vineyard Vines, Costa, etc. If you are comfortable drawing these images and icons freehanded, be my guest. Generally, I printed the images I wanted to use on regular printer paper and cut them out to be mod-podged onto the cooler’s surface later.

While you’re free to choose whatever design you think your date would like, I would reserve space on the cooler for his fraternity’s name, flag, and motto as well as your date’s name, the location/theme of the formal, and his pledge class (example: Fall 2012). These items are extremely special to fraternity boys and they’ll appreciate having a token to remember this event. Other suggestions include his political party symbols, his favorite alcohol, beach scenes/sunsets, state flags, song lyrics, & much more!

Step Three: Getting Started

Before you begin painting, there are a few crucial measures you need to take before getting creative to ensure the durability of your cooler. First, use your sand paper and a sander (if accessible) to sand down all of thesurfaces of the cooler you plan to paint. Sanding will help the painting adhere better to the plastic. Dust off the cooler before applying any paint because it will have dust from sanding.Next, I took my cooler outside and sprayed its entirety with a primer spray paint. I used Krylon White Gloss Fusion Spray Paint, 15 oz (purchased at Wal-Mart for around $4) because this product is specifically made for adhering to plastic and making the surface paintable and long-lasting. See it here.The sides of the cooler should be covered completely and let dry for at least 24 hours before the detail painting begins. **It was also really nice having a red cooler to begin with because you could easily see when you’d covered all of it with the primer.**

Step Four: One Side at a Time

It’s finally time for the fun to begin! Painting the sides of the cooler is a tedious task because each has to be done one at a time to allow paint to dry. You can start with any side you like, I chose the top because it was a nice flat surface to begin with. I began by painting a solid layer of a background color all over the surface. I then added the images of the states I wanted to use after the paint had dried using Mod Podge as the glue. I hand wrote the lettering on the top with paint pens, some I outlined first in pencil to get it just right before making it permanent. In order to write my date’s name in a very neat font, I typed and printed out what I wanted to say and then used an exacto knife to cut out the letters. I Mod Podged them onto the cooler as shown in the photo. When the design was finished, I covered the entire side with another layer of Mod Podge and let dry over night. You can never really have too much Mod Podge over your designs because it will help seal your work and protect it from chipping off as acrylic paint tends to peel. I also recommend Mod Podging in a very well ventilated area – I did this entire project in my room and did not realize how bad the fumes were until I left!

Continue to paint/paste your images onto the cooler, side by side, without forgetting to Mod Podge each side when it is completed. Be careful around the lid of your cooler, you don’t want the paint to seal it shut! If you have wheels as well, paint around them with caution so paint does not dry in them and prevent it from being rolled! I advise painting well onto the bottom side of the cooler as well because the thickness of the paint you are applying makes it more likely to chip and peel off and having the paint extend toward the bottom of the cooler gives you more protection. Because each side of your cooler will likely be a different color, you will need some way to connect the sides without them looking slopping. I opted to paint bowties onto the corners to hide the lines where the colors of each side meet. Bowties are a very common corner trick and very simple to do – I have also seen golf balls, needlepoint belts, and more.

Step Five: Finishing Touches

After you have painted all sides of the cooler to your liking, one last coat of Mod Podge won’t hurt anything. I also painted a cute saying on the bottom of the inside of the cooler that read, “If you can read this, call a pledge” as a fun way to spice up the white inside. I also signed it there and wrote the date since this likely will not be the only cooler my boyfriend receives from me. As a final sealant against weather, sand, or whatever else your cooler might encounter, spray your cooler entirely with Krylon Clear Matte Finish that can also be purchased at Wal-Mart for around $4. See the spray here. Once your cooler has dried completely, hopefully 24 hours, fill it with goodies for your date and enjoy formal!