Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Shabby Metal Grate

I found this beautiful floral metal grate at a tag sale last summer. I'm really curious what it was originally used for. I loved the shape and intricate floral carvings, but the color was too dark and too mauve for my space. But, for just a few dollars, I knew that with a little paint, I could give it a new personality and really highlight the details I loved.

I brought it home and broke out my cheap sponge brushes (you can get them super cheap at craft stores and I always have a bunch on hand in my craft stash.) I used my .99 cent acrylic paint and first covered the entire piece in a creamy white. I did wipe it down, but since it had already been painted, I didn't need to sand to help the paint adhere. After the white paint had dried (maybe 45 minutes), I then used a darker khaki shade of paint to brush just the raised edges. In spots where too much paint went into a crevice, I just used a paper towel to remove the excess.

Here's the finished product hanging above the guest room window! I am so happy with how it turned out. (Click on the photo to enlarge and you can see the darker paint layered on top of the white.) A very quick & easy makeover!

3 comments:

Andrea said...

Amber, I totally love reading your blog entries about these amazing, crafty make-overs you do on things. I am so impressed! And, it makes me feel inspired to think more creatively. Thank you so much for sharing!

Cindy said...

that looks great!

I stopped by to say that a great place to find buttons is eBay. That's were I got mine. I did a search on "vintage white buttons"

Free Art Printables said...

I love that! what a great transformation! You should have it in the party on the 25th!