How to Refresh an Old Wicker Basket With Chalk Paint

I honestly have no idea where this basket came from! I think someone gave it to me when I had my flower shop or maybe it belonged to my Mom. It really doesn’t matter where it came from, it is thyme to give it a makeover, don’t you agree? The basket is still in great shape but the green paint has started to fade in places.

If you don't already have a basket, this type of wicker basket is easily found at garage sales, tag sales or resale shops such as Goodwill.

I recently ordered a can of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in a color named French Linen. I decided to use this color for my basket refresh.

After making sure my basket was clean and free of cobweb or dirt, I was ready to get started.

After opening the can, I used a paint stirrer to stir the paint and made sure it was well mixed. Then I was ready to pour some of it into the black painter’s tray lined with foil and add a small amount of distilled water. I like to add a small amount of water so that the paint is easier to use.

I painted the inside of the basket and the handle. The initial coat covered the green color fairly well.

Once the handle was dry, I was ready to paint the outside of the basket. Again, the first coat covered the green fairly well but there were a few spots I missed.

I worked on a few other projects while I waited for the paint to dry.

Once the chalk paint was dry, I added a second coat to the inside of the basket and the handle.

A second coat on the outside of the basket completes the process.

Once you are finished painting, clean up is easy! Your brush can be cleaned with soap and water. Be sure to rinse well and let it dry. Simply remove the foil from the painter’s tray and dispose.

Once the basket is completely dry, you could use chalk paint wax on it. I decided to skip this step. If I was going to use the basket somewhere where it might be subject to a lot of banging around (like a toy basket for a child), I would use the wax to help protect the surface of the basket.

My plan for the basket is to fill it with plants or silk flowers or maybe magazines.

Before adding plants to the basket, I used a speed cover to cover the pots. A speed cover is a plastic lined cover that helps keep water from running thru the plant and damaging the basket.

I covered up the speed covers by tucking in several white and clear plastic plant covers. I have a bit of a problem with saving things. These plant covers once protected plants that I had ordered online.

I just love these tiny blue flowers! The basket is large enough to hold two growers pots.

Although I was happy with my first try, I decided to switch out the blue flowers for a bright red geranium and a pot of white peppermint vinca. I found this vinca at the greenhouse and I kept calling it baby vinca! We have some larger vinca in our garden that looks more like a shrub. This version is just so adorable!

To help protect the basket, I used the same speed covers and the leftover white plant covers.

For the summer, I added a small American flag. I set the basket on top of my vintage white wicker table on the lanai. Perfect!

Are you ready to try your hand at chalk painting a wicker basket?

I based my $6 cost on using approximately an 1/8 of a large can of chalk paint.