Easy Faux Copper Finish on Old Tub

by Lynn @ Nourish and Nestle

2 Materials

In an antique store on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, I spied and swooned over an antique copper wash tub. But I just wasn’t sure I wanted to plunk down $120 for a tub not knowing what treasures awaited as this was the first of 10 days of antique/junk store visiting.
You know what I mean, it was just the first day of our trip and what if….? So, when I discovered a sad little metal tub (complete with painted duck) for all of $10, I was confident that I could jazz it up to look very similar to the authenic copper one and still have spending money for the rest of our travels.

easy faux copper finish on old tub, home decor, painting

This was a seriously simple project that also fell into the almost ‘immediate gratification’ category as well. A complete win-win, if you ask me. When I went to Amazon to get some paint as I had recently used up what I already had, I discovered a different brand that also had a related primer product, Modern Masters. I opted to go that route to make sure that my faux copper finish efforts weren’t for naught if the paint didn’t adhere to the surface. And while I did not want to go the oxidized route, they do have an oxidizing solution if you want your copper ‘thing’ to have that beautiful verdigris.

What you Need to Put a Faux Copper Finish on a Tub:

This is the link for the exact primer Modern Masters AM203-16 Acid Blocking Primer Red, 16-Ounce . (When I was putting this link in I realized that Amazon’s images/descriptions may be off. The picture for the Red shows the white primer and vice versa. I used the Red)

This is the link for the paint I used Modern Masters ME149-06 Reactive Metallic Copper, 6-Ounce .

Orbital Sander. This just makes every job so much easier, but regular old sand paper will work as well.

Small sponge roller. My go-to tool to avoid brush strokes.

Paint for handles. I used DecoArt Lamp Acrylic Paint and DecoArt Americana Glorious Gold.

How to Put a Faux Copper Finish on a Tub:

Depending on what you are working with, you might need to give your item a good sanding. I definitely wanted to do this as the existing finish was a bit rough and I wanted my copper finish to be much smoother.

After I finished sanding, I wiped the whole thing down well with a damp rag and let it dry.

Now came the fun part. I used my foam roller to apply 2 coats of the primer. The directions instructed that you wait 12 hours between coats, so…being the rule follower , I waited 12 hours…OK…maybe 10!

ust applying the primer made a HUGE difference and I was already feeling very good about my project. But now it was time for the REAL stuff…the copper paint.

I used my same sponge roller, which I had cleaned, and applied 2 coats of the Modern Masters Copper Paint, letting it dry well between each coat. The directions did not specify an amount of time to let it dry, but I went about 8 hours between coats.

Finally, I spiffed up the black metal and wood handles. I used DecoArt Glorious Gold for the metal brackets and DecoArt Lamp Black for the wooden handles.

I gave the entire tub a good spray of Krylon Clear Acrylic Spray.

AN YOU EVEN BELIEVE IT’S THE SAME TUB? CERTAINLY THIS IS A PERFECT ‘BEFORE AND AFTER’ OPPORTUNITY.

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2 questions

Ann on Sep 17, 2016
Was it originally a copper tub? If so did you think about just stripping it down to the copper? I like how it looks. Thanks for sharing.

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Randi on Sep 17, 2016
Approximate total cost of project? Love it and will be hitting up thrift stores to find a pot.

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2 of 41 comments

Maureen on Oct 05, 2016
Great job...looks like real copper!!!!

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Venia5578 on Oct 09, 2016
LOVE IT !!! I was just trying to think of sumthin to place wood/logs n 4 roasting marshmallows this fall/winter season ( Hurricane stay away , cool air I'm ready 4 ya. lol) Thx 4 the faux copper wash tub idea.

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