Picture Frame Flip

4 Materials
$55
1 Hour
Easy
Here is a quick and easy method for transforming the look of a framed picture without having to remove the art.
Flip a frame in no time!
This is literally a 3-step process - Tape, Paint and Shimmer!
Before with gold frame
If you don’t have a Habitat ReStore in your area, you are missing out! I bought this awesome Monet print – The Basin at Argenteuil – at my local ReStore for $10 a couple years ago. I loved the beautiful colors and the nice heavy frame. 


Fast forward, I still love the picture but the frame doesn’t go in my new living room. Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint to the rescue!


This paint was designed with a super high adhesion rate and the ability to stick to a variety of surfaces, including those that traditional chalk-style paints cannot. It goes on glass, metal, wood, ceramics, over old paint, varnish or lacquer. So it was a perfect choice for this picture frame that had a kind of slick surface. 
Tape inner edges then start painting
TAPE AND PAINT


First I taped off the inner edges of the frame with masking tape. Next I brushed on one coat of Galvanized – a nice smoky gray that went on like silk!
Pearl Effects will give a light shimmer
PEARL EFFECTS


After the gray dried, I wanted to accentuate the lines of the frame and give the color some variation. I love the light pearlescent shimmer that General Finishes Pearl Effects give to a project, so I used two colors to get the look I wanted. Lightly dipping my brush into the glaze then dabbing it on a shop cloth saves your project from blobs of color. I alternated Bronze Pearl Effects and Argentine Pearl Effects until I was happy with the result. 


Normally I would add a topcoat at this step but since this will be hanging on a wall and not handled, it wasn’t necessary. 
After with new, updated frame
REMOVE TAPE & HANG IT UP!


Pulling off the masking tape made cleanup super easy and I didn’t have to scrape paint off the glass.


The picture with its fresh, updated color looks perfect in its new spot.


That’s all it takes to change up a frame in no time! 
 
Suggested materials:
  • General Finishes Bronze Pearl Effects   (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/general-finishes-bronze-pearl-pt)
  • General Finishes Argentine Pearl Effects   (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/general-finishes-argentine-pearl-pt)
  • Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint - Galvanized   (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/black-dog-salvage-galvanized-gray-furniture-paint-pintplus)
See all materials
Lori Haught Harper
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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