I've always used high gloss silver, copper, or gold spray paint for pine cones, etc.

Thanks rhizo 1 - do you know the brand of paint you use? I realized the paint I was using last year was wearing off by the end of the season. I bought some clear gloss finish and will try that out over the paint. I'm just trying to find a paint that won't wear off in bad weather over a month or so.

I'm thinking Rustoleum, but any good quality indoor/outdoor spray paint would work.

I have made outdoor fir wreaths for nearly two decades and use a spray paint from a floral wholesaler. It is quite water and weather impervious and has a pleasant aroma, unlike many of the household paints one finds in a hardware store. It also leaves a soft matte finish and is quite natural looking.

I have seen similar products in specialty chain stores (only at a higher price on the retail) in places like JoAnnes Fabrics and the Hobby Lobby. I do more than a little high end decoratives stuff at my growing facility to keep the cash flow going when the outdoor flower seasons end and this has been a good steady November/December supplement.

Thanks Calliope. Do you know the brand of paint you use and where you get it? I tried the regular primer and krylon metallic paint. It took 3-4 coats of each. So far it is staying on outdoors, but you are right about the fumes. The primer and paint ate away at styrofoam I was spraying over (nails in the styrofoam to hold the cones in place), so I can only imagine what it does to a person breathing it. I would still like to find a better solution!

Yes, I just happen to have the box of them nearby so I'll check. The brand I am using this year is called Design Master Colortool floral spray. There are various brands, but these are the ones my floral wholesale supply house is stocking this year. They are marketed to professional florists, but I have seen similar products at JoAnne's and other chains, who feature floral and craft supplies. They are quite weather resistant for greenery work, and do not seem to injure the picks or decoratives I used on the greenery. They come in a nice flat, velvety finish, so the designs are not shiny. I use the flat white to imply snow on the greenery and it sets off the cones and berries very nicely.

If you only need it to last one season, then go for the cheap stuff. I got some gold at the Dollar General for $3 and it works really well. Who cares if it's starting to wear off by the end of the season, doesn't that mean it lasted just long enough anyway? LOL...
If you pack pinecones pretty tightly upright in a plastic mesh flat (1020 mesh) and set it outside in the driveway, they won't blow over. Hit them with a coat, stand upwind when you paint them, and then go away from it, then in a few minutes hit them again. I think I ended up hitting them three times in about 15-20 minutes. They don't have to be completely coated to look good, just a little shiny works just fine. And it really doesn't matter if the base and all those parts are coated super well, unless your wreaths are really skimpy and then you have other things to worry about, anyway....