Create the Oil-Rubbed Bronze Look for Less
It's a simple fact that trends come on strong and fade out fast but what if that style trend item from the distant past held sentimental value? Do you store it in the garage or hide it in the attic? No silly....you just have to take a few minutes to dress it up for now with a lick of paint! I'm going to share how I did this for a friend's cherished plant stand. I'll take it from drab to fab with just chalkboard paint and metallic paints.
Step one is to completely cover the textured, pink paint with the chalkboard paint seen below. It may require two coats but it covers very well overall I found.
I left the stand to dry overnight just for good measure before starting step two, applying a metallic glaze. I combined Folk Art copper on the left with a brass color seen in the middle to give me the shade I was aiming for on the right.
The next step is to use the dry brush technique as seen in the video to add the metallic highlights over the flat black paint. I poured the paint into a container and used an artist brush to do the highlighting. I even used a lint free rag in some areas to remove some of the metallic paint before it dried if I thought it was applied to heavy.
I continued to work it all over the piece until it was completely highlighted. If you get too much metallic paint onto your brush just simply blot it off in a paper towel, you'll want your brush to be almost dry for this technique.
I placed the stand on an a glass block to make it easier to turn as I painted it and keep it off the floor while it was drying.
Here is the completed look, for the final step I applied 2 coats of satin finish water based polyurethane to protect the finish.
Here's the item staged as it is purposed to be used.
So for mere pennies and a few simple steps you can transform an outdated finish and continue to treasure cherished items. Please try this, you'll be amazed at how easy it is to fake the look of oil rubbed bronze!
For more inspiration on how to achieve this look please check out this previous post.
https://www.hometalk.com/diy/decorate/rooms/antique-bronze-vase-makeover-35546090
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This reminds me of a cactus. It is so unique and functional. I'd love this on my front porch. It is gorgeous!!
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Hahah, I see it too now! Thanks so very much it belongs to a friend, a cherished gift her mom gave her years ago that she didn't love anymore but didn't want to part with either. As always a lick of paint fixed it!
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Amazing!
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Thanks, you are so kind.
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Can you paint a refrigerator with chalk paint?
Why do you specify using chalkboard paint rather than either chalk paint or flat black? I don't understand why you'd need such expensive paint when the texture was the same, you did the highlights and sealed over it. Flat black or DIY chalk paint is far less expensive than chalkboard paint.
Where did you get this piece from??? It's absolutely beautiful!!!