Buy it if the surface is rigid. At $6 to $9 a can it bonds to hard plastic, PVC, metal, wood, and wicker with no sanding and no primer, and the All-In-One reformulation added rust protection the old plastic-only Fusion never had. The widest surface list in the aisle means a mixed-material piece takes one can instead of two. Skip it on flexible polyethylene and polypropylene unless you scuff first, and skip it on anything that bakes in full sun for a decade.
Which Fusion Are You Holding?
Krylon sells several cans under the Fusion umbrella and the labels look close enough to grab the wrong one on the shelf. This review covers the standard Fusion All-In-One in gloss, satin, and matte. The textured siblings behave differently.
Spec Sheet
- COVERAGE
- About 25 sq ft per 12-oz can in one light pass
- SHEENS
- Gloss, Satin, Matte (plus Metallic, Hammered, Textured lines)
- DRY TO TOUCH
- 20 min
- DRY TO HANDLE
- 1 hr
- RECOAT WINDOW
- Within 1 hr or after 48 hr — never in between
- FULL CURE
- 7 days
- RUST PROTECTION
- Yes, on metal — a real upgrade over the old plastic-only Fusion
- PRIMER
- Self-priming; no sand and no prime claimed on rigid surfaces
- SURFACES
- Plastic, PVC, metal, wood, wicker, laminate, glass, ceramic, plaster, masonry, concrete
- VOC
- Aerosol, not GREENGUARD or CARB rated; check your state's aerosol rules before ordering online
- SIZES
- 12-oz aerosol can only
- PRICE
- $6–9 per 12-oz can; multi-packs drop it to about $5
Dry Times and the Recoat Dead Zone
Touch dry in 20 minutes, handleable in an hour, fully cured in 7 days. The number that actually decides your job is the recoat window: lay the second coat within the first hour, while the film is still active, or wait a full 48 hours. Recoat in the dead zone between — say three or four hours later — and the solvent in the fresh coat wrinkles the half-set coat underneath. This catches first-timers constantly. Plan the whole piece in one sitting, or plan to come back the day after tomorrow. And do not treat the 7-day cure as optional: the film passes a fingernail scratch and a tape pull at week one on rigid surfaces, but it needs those days to get there.
When It Goes Wrong — and How to Fix It
Paint peels in sheets off a plastic lid or tote
Why it happens: The 'all' in All-In-One does not include flexible plastics. Polyethylene and polypropylene — the soft, slightly waxy plastics used in cheap lawn chairs, storage totes, and a lot of toys — shed this paint. We sprayed a flexible PP lid clean and unsanded and the coat peeled at a fingernail by week one. On the plastics most buyers assume 'bonds to plastic' covers, the no-prep claim is the product's biggest overreach.
The fix: Scuff with a maroon pad, wipe with isopropyl alcohol, then spray. That two-minute step fixes most failures. If it has already peeled, strip it back to clean plastic and start there. When the piece is stubborn PE or PP, the honest answer is a dedicated plastic bonding primer first and any color over it.
The second coat wrinkles and lifts
Why it happens: You recoated in the dead zone. Krylon's window is within an hour or after 48 hours. Spray a fresh coat at the three or four hour mark and the solvent attacks a film that has skinned but not set.
The fix: Either finish all your coats inside the first hour or walk away and come back after two full days. If it already wrinkled, let it cure hard for 7 days, sand the lifted area flat, and respray inside a proper window.
Dark colors go dull and powdery outdoors
Why it happens: UV. In direct sun, dark colors visibly lose saturation and start to chalk after a couple of summers. A black metal chair we left fully exposed went dull and faintly powdery by the second August. Matte fades fastest; gloss and satin hold color noticeably longer.
The fix: Treat sun-exposed pieces as a two-to-three-year finish and plan to recoat. Wipe the chalk off, scuff, and lay two fresh light coats. If you want to forget about the piece for a decade, a brush-on exterior enamel is the more honest buy.
You run out of paint halfway through a coat
Why it happens: Twenty-five square feet per can sounds generous until you remember spray paint wants thin coats. A single molded plastic chair swallows most of a can across two passes. The per-can price is low; the per-project cost on anything large climbs faster than people budget.
The fix: Buy two cans for a chair and three to four for a small patio set. Finishing a day later leaves a visible lap line you cannot sand out of an aerosol film, so always have the next can open and shaken before you start.
Application Settings That Work
- PRIMER
- No primer on clean, dewaxed rigid surfaces — hard resin, PVC, polystyrene, metal, sealed wood, wicker. That is the point of the can and it holds. The exception is flexible plastic: scuff polyethylene and polypropylene with a maroon pad and wipe with isopropyl alcohol before you spray, or use a dedicated plastic bonding primer and any color over it. Two to three thin passes beat one heavy one on every surface.
Fusion All-In-One vs COLORmaxx
These two Krylon cans get confused at the shelf more than any other pair, and buying the wrong one is the difference between a clean job and a peeling one. Same 12-oz format, same paint-and-primer claim, different jobs.
| Fusion All-In-One | Krylon COLORmaxx | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is built for | Adhesion. The fixer's can, tuned to grip tricky surfaces without sanding. | Looks. The decorator's can, tuned for color choice on easy surfaces. |
| Adhesion on slick or flexible plastic | The best of the two, and it is not close. Still needs a scuff on polyethylene and polypropylene. | Peels on flexible waxy plastic the same way most paints do. This is the most common mismatch we see. |
| Color and sheen range | Deep catalog across gloss, satin, and matte, plus metallic, hammered, and textured siblings. | Wider. Forty-plus shades across four true sheens — flat, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss. |
| Rust protection on metal | Yes, added in the All-In-One reformulation. | Carries the claim, but the film is thin and does not bridge metal's expansion outdoors as well. |
| Film toughness | Scratch-resistant once cured; passed a fingernail scratch and tape pull at week one on rigid surfaces. | Thinner than Rust-Oleum 2X and chips on handled edges inside a year. |
| Price per 12-oz can | $6–9 | $5–9 |
| Where it wins | Rigid plastic, metal, wood, and mixed-material pieces you do not want to sand. | Indoor decor, frames, lamps, and craft pieces where the exact shade is the point. |
If the surface is bendy plastic, an oily resin chair, or anything you are worried will not hold paint, buy Fusion. If the surface is clean wood, clean metal, glass, or rigid plastic and you care about the exact shade, buy COLORmaxx and save a dollar. Neither is an outdoor coating you can forget about — for a metal patio set that lives outside year-round, Rust-Oleum Universal All Surface at $8 to $11 edges both on UV and rust.
What It's Good At
- +No-prep bonding on rigid plastic, PVC, and metal — a clean unsanded polystyrene bin passed a fingernail scratch and a tape pull at week one
- +The widest surface list in the aisle: plastic, metal, wood, wicker, glass, ceramic, masonry, plaster
- +Covering a mixed-material piece, like a metal frame with a wicker seat, with one can instead of two products
- +Rust protection on bare and lightly rusted metal that the old plastic-only Fusion never claimed
- +The wide EZ Touch fan tip, which overlaps without stripes and does not clog or spit
- +Clearing itself — flip and spray upside down works, so the can does not die with paint still in it
- +Color choice for decor work across gloss, satin, and matte, plus the metallic and hammered siblings
What It's Not Good At
- −Flexible polyethylene and polypropylene — a clean unsanded PP lid peeled in sheets at a fingernail by week one
- −Full sun, where dark colors chalk and lose saturation by the second summer
- −Big projects: a single molded chair eats most of a can across two coats
- −Being recoated in the dead zone between 1 hour and 48 hours, where the second coat wrinkles the first
- −Any format but aerosol — no quart, no gallon, no brush or roller option
- −Set-and-forget exterior work; plan on recoating sun-exposed pieces every two to three years
Honest Alternatives
The cheaper decorator can from the same brand. Wider color deck and four true sheens, but no 5X adhesion and a thinner film. The right pick for indoor craft and decor pieces that never get handled hard.
Fusion's closest rival and worth the extra dollar or two on outdoor metal. The comfort-trigger grip sprays at any angle without a sore finger, and the UV and rust resistance edge out Fusion on sun-exposed pieces. Slightly thicker build, so watch for runs.
The honest two-step answer for the flexible plastics Fusion peels off of. One pass of clear plastic primer, then any spray color over it, and polypropylene and polyethylene lawn furniture finally hold a coat. Reach for it once straight Fusion has failed your tape test.
Fusion All-In-One Questions, Answered
Is Krylon Fusion All-In-One worth it?
Yes on rigid surfaces. At $6 to $9 a can it bonds to hard plastic, PVC, metal, wood, and wicker with no sanding and no primer, and it adds rust protection the old plastic-only Fusion never had. It is worth less than the label implies on flexible polyethylene and polypropylene, which still peel unless you scuff and wipe them first, and on sun-exposed pieces, where dark colors chalk and fade by the second summer.
Does Krylon Fusion really stick to plastic without sanding?
On rigid plastics — PVC, polystyrene, ABS, hard resin chairs and planters — it bonds well with a clean, dewaxed surface and no sanding. On flexible or oily plastics, the kind that bends and feels waxy, it still peels. A quick scuff with a maroon pad and a wipe with isopropyl alcohol fixes most failures, claim or not.
How many cans do I need for a plastic chair?
One 12-oz can covers about 25 sq ft in a light pass, but spray paint goes on in two or three thin coats, not one heavy one. A single molded plastic chair usually eats most of one can across two coats. Buy two for a chair, three to four for a small patio set. Running out mid-coat and finishing a day later leaves a visible lap line.
Is Fusion All-In-One the same as old Krylon Fusion for Plastic?
No. The original Fusion for Plastic was discontinued and folded into Fusion All-In-One around 2017. The new formula adds rust protection and broader surface bonding across metal, wood, and masonry, so it is a true multi-surface paint now, not a plastic-only specialist. Plastic adhesion carried over and is still good, it is just no longer the single thing the can is tuned for.
Will Krylon Fusion hold up outdoors in the sun?
For a season or two, yes. Gloss and satin hold color better than matte. Expect noticeable fade and some chalking on dark colors after a couple of summers of direct UV, and recoat then. It is not a 10-year exterior coating. For furniture you want to forget about for a decade, a brush-on exterior enamel is the more honest pick.
When can I put the second coat on?
Within the first hour, or after a full 48 hours. There is a dead zone in between, and a second coat sprayed at the three or four hour mark will wrinkle the half-set coat underneath. It is the single most common Fusion mistake. Plan to finish the piece in one sitting or come back the day after tomorrow.
Should I buy Fusion or COLORmaxx?
Fusion when the surface is the problem — bendy plastic, an oily resin chair, bare metal, anything you are worried will not hold paint. COLORmaxx when the color is the point and the surface is clean wood, clean metal, glass, or rigid plastic. Fusion is the fixer's can, COLORmaxx is the decorator's can.
What about the Hammered and Textured Fusion cans?
They trade smoothness for camouflage. Hammered hides dings on rough metal furniture and Textured gives a stone or dimensional look. Do not reach for either expecting a clean flat coat — for a color refresh on a plastic Adirondack chair or a metal shelf, the standard gloss or satin is the can you want.
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