Montana GOLD spray paint: a complete guide for artists and makers
Spray paint has a complicated reputation in the art world. For decades it was associated almost exclusively with graffiti — a medium for walls and underpasses rather than studios and galleries. That association has not entirely disappeared, but it has been thoroughly complicated by the rise of street art as a recognised and widely collected form of contemporary art, and by the development of artist-grade spray paints that meet the technical demands of professional studio practice.
Montana GOLD is the product that sits at the centre of that shift. Developed in Germany in close collaboration with professional graffiti and mural artists, it is now the spray paint of choice for street artists, muralists, studio painters, illustrators, and creative makers worldwide. It is not a compromise between aerosol convenience and artistic quality — it is genuinely artist-grade, with the colour range, pigment quality, lightfastness, and precision of application to prove it.
We stock Montana GOLD spray paint at £9.95 per can, alongside the Montana Level Cap Set 1-6 at £3.99 and Montana Acrylic Markers at £5.70 at Craft and Canvas.
What Montana GOLD actually is
Montana GOLD is a nitro-acrylic lacquer in an aerosol can. The formula is built around a unique NC-acrylic base that is quick-drying, exceptionally high-covering, and completely non-bleaching — meaning colours do not shift, fade, or yellow after application. The solvents in the formula evaporate rapidly once the paint is applied, leaving a clean acrylic paint layer that is lightfast, weather-resistant, and durable.
The brand was founded in Heidelberg, Germany, in the mid-1990s, born out of the needs of the most demanding street artists of the era — artists who needed a spray paint that would hold colour accurately on outdoor walls in all conditions, provide genuine control at the nozzle level, and stay as vivid years after application as it was on the day it was sprayed. Montana GOLD was the answer to those demands, and it remains the benchmark against which all other artist spray paints are measured.
The low-pressure valve system is one of the defining technical characteristics. Most consumer spray paints operate at high pressure, which makes them fast-covering but difficult to control — the paint comes out in a wide, aggressive spray that is hard to place precisely. Montana GOLD uses a specially developed low-pressure system that slows the output and smooths the spray, giving considerably more control over where the paint goes. The result is reduced overspray, improved precision, and a much more forgiving experience for anyone working at a small scale or attempting detailed work.
The colour range
Montana GOLD is available in over 200 colours — one of the largest and most coherent colour ranges available in any spray paint, developed with artists rather than for industrial use. The range is divided into several categories.
Standard colours form the core of the range — a comprehensive palette covering the full spectrum from clean primaries and bright secondaries through to earth tones, neutrals, pastels, and deep shades. The colour naming system reflects the brand's origins in street art culture: alongside conventional colour names you will find Banana Joe, Shock Blue, Vampirella, Dirty Apricot, and Make-Up — names chosen to describe the character of the colour as much as its technical classification.
Shock colours are exceptionally bright, high-saturation colours that produce maximum visual impact. They are the colours most associated with the bold, graphic quality of street art at its most distinctive.
Transparent colours allow underlying colours or surfaces to show through, enabling glazing effects, colour layering, and the creation of visual depth that opaque colours alone cannot produce.
Fluorescent colours glow under UV light, opening up possibilities for installation work, event art, and any context where UV response is part of the intention.
Metallic and chrome colours produce highly reflective metallic finishes — Gold Chrome and its equivalents are among the most striking colours in the range.
We stock individual colours at £9.95 per can — come in or contact us to discuss which colours are currently available.
The Level Cap system
One of the most practical aspects of Montana GOLD is the interchangeable cap system. The standard cap fitted to each can produces a medium spray output, but Montana produces a range of interchangeable caps — called Level Caps — that can be swapped to change the width and character of the spray.
We stock the Montana Level Cap Set 1-6 at £3.99, which gives you the full range from Level 1 at the finest end to Level 6 at the broadest. The progression is:
Level 1 is the finest cap — producing a very narrow, precise line with minimal spread. Used for fine detail work, line drawing, and calligraphic marks.
Level 2 and 3 are medium-fine caps suited to detailed work that needs a slightly broader line — lettering, medium-scale illustration, and precision coverage in confined areas.
Level 4 is the standard medium cap — general painting, medium coverage, the most versatile all-round cap for most applications.
Level 5 and 6 are broad caps suited to covering larger areas quickly, creating smooth gradients and fades, and background work where speed and evenness are the priority.
The ability to swap caps between cans means a single collection of Montana GOLD cans becomes enormously more versatile. The same can used with a Level 1 cap for fine line work can be fitted with a Level 6 for broad background coverage within the same session. Almost all Montana caps are interchangeable across the full GOLD range.
What surfaces Montana GOLD works on
Montana GOLD adheres to an unusually wide range of surfaces — one of its great practical strengths. Canvas, wood, concrete, metal, glass, ceramic, cardboard, and flexible surfaces such as leather and synthetic fabrics all accept Montana GOLD without priming, provided they are clean and dry and free from oil or grease.
For the best and most consistent results on porous surfaces such as bare wood, bare concrete, or unprimed canvas, a light primer coat helps the paint key to the surface and improves colour consistency. Montana produces its own primer range, but a standard acrylic primer works well too.
The paint can be overpainted with acrylic or oil-based tube paints once fully cured — typically after 12 hours. This opens up a mixed-media workflow where spray paint is used to establish backgrounds, gradients, and broad colour areas, with brush-applied paint adding detail, texture, and precision on top. Many studio artists use Montana GOLD in exactly this way, combining the speed and coverage of spray with the control of brush.
How to use Montana GOLD
Before spraying: shake the can vigorously for two to three minutes before use, ensuring you can hear the mixing balls moving freely inside. Remove the nozzle and tap out the safety ring, then replace the cap. Test spray on a piece of scrap material or cardboard before moving to your actual surface — this clears the valve and allows you to check that the spray is flowing cleanly and evenly.
Distance: hold the can 15 to 25cm from the surface depending on the effect you want. Closer produces a denser, more concentrated application; further produces a lighter, more diffuse spray. Moving the can while spraying — passing it smoothly across the surface rather than holding it stationary — prevents pooling and drips.
Application: spray in smooth, even passes. Light, overlapping passes build up colour gradually and produce the most even results. For fades and gradients, reduce pressure and increase distance progressively as you move through the colour transition.
Drips: caused by holding the can too close or moving too slowly. If a drip occurs on fresh paint, it can sometimes be carefully lifted with a cloth immediately. Once dry it must be sanded back before respraying.
After use: invert the can and spray briefly onto a rag or scrap surface until only clear gas comes out — this clears paint from the valve and prevents it drying and blocking. Store cans with the nozzle attached.
Ventilation: Montana GOLD is solvent-based and should always be used with adequate ventilation — outdoors or in a well-ventilated space with good airflow. A respirator mask rated for organic vapours is recommended for extended use.
Montana Acrylic Markers
Alongside the spray paint range we stock Montana Acrylic Markers at £5.70. These are water-based acrylic markers with a metallic finish — designed to extend the Montana system into marker work, allowing fine detail, line drawing, and lettering on top of or alongside sprayed areas. The acrylic formula is opaque, high-coverage, and water-resistant once dry, and the markers work on paper, canvas, wood, metal, glass, and plastic.
The 0.7mm tip produces a fine, controlled line — useful for signature details, outlines, calligraphic work, and any mark-making that requires the precision a spray nozzle cannot provide. The metallic finish gives the markers a distinctive character that sits naturally alongside the Chrome and Metallic colours in the Montana GOLD spray range.
Who Montana GOLD is for
The honest answer is that Montana GOLD is for anyone who wants to use spray paint as a genuine artistic medium rather than a covering tool. Its technical quality, its colour range, its precision, and its compatibility with other media make it equally at home in a street art context and in a fine art studio.
For muralists and large-scale painters, it is the professional standard. For studio artists exploring mixed media, it adds a dimension — speed of coverage, scale, the particular quality of the sprayed mark — that brush-applied paint cannot replicate. For makers and craftspeople, it transforms surfaces quickly and beautifully on wood, ceramic, glass, and found objects. For anyone interested in graffiti art, lettering, or street art aesthetics as an artistic practice, it is the obvious starting point.
The Level Cap Set at £3.99 is worth buying alongside the paint from the start — the range of mark-making possibilities it opens up, for less than the cost of a single additional can, is immediately significant.
Frequently asked questions about Montana GOLD
Is Montana GOLD the same as Montana BLACK?
No — they are distinct product lines. Montana BLACK is a high-pressure paint designed for fast coverage and is favoured for large-scale graffiti work where speed is important. Montana GOLD is a low-pressure paint with a broader colour range and greater precision, designed for more controlled artistic work. We stock Montana GOLD.
Can I use Montana GOLD indoors?
Only with very good ventilation — the formula is solvent-based and requires adequate airflow. Outdoors or in a well-ventilated workshop is strongly recommended. An organic vapour respirator mask is advisable for extended sessions.
How long does Montana GOLD take to dry?
Touch-dry in minutes under normal conditions. Ready to overpaint with further coats of Montana GOLD after approximately 12 hours. Can be overpainted with acrylic tube paints once fully cured.
Can I use different nozzles on the same can?
Yes — almost all Montana caps are interchangeable across the GOLD range. The Level Cap Set 1-6 we stock fits Montana GOLD cans and gives you the full range of spray widths from a single set of caps.
How far does a 400ml can go?
Coverage varies depending on the surface, the cap used, the number of layers applied, and how much primer has been used. On a standard smooth surface with medium cap, three coats of Montana GOLD from one 400ml can covers approximately 1 to 2 square metres. On porous or textured surfaces, coverage is lower.
Is Montana GOLD lightfast?
Yes — Montana GOLD uses high-quality European pigments with added UV blockers, formulated for lightfastness and long-term colour stability. It is rated for outdoor use and designed to resist fading over many years in normal conditions.
Shop Montana at Craft and Canvas
We stock Montana GOLD spray paint at £9.95 per can, the Montana Level Cap Set 1-6 at £3.99, and Montana Acrylic Markers at £5.70 at Craft and Canvas in Hebden Bridge and online at craftandcanvas.co.uk.
Craft and Canvas | 3 Carlton Street, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8ER | craftandcanvas.co.uk