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Home » Before and After » How to Repaint Dated Decor

How to Repaint Dated Decor

August 30, 2017 Brittany Bailey 74 Comments

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How to Re-Paint Dated DecorWant to know How to Repaint Dated Decor?

Raise your hand if you are a thrift shopper? No, what about yard sales? Have you ever seen any ugly ceramic decor items that shouldn’t have survived the 70’s or 80’s? Nodding your head YES? I thought so. Today I’m going to show you How to Repaint Decor. Those dated monstrosities can look like something you bought from Ballard Design or Pottery Barn! Don’t believe me, well check out this groovy pair (emphasis on pear. LOL.)

Would you believe this is the same fruit duo?

Yup! I scored them both for $5.

Now, have you seen these deliciously rustic pears from Ballard Designs? Yes? Did you happen to catch the price tags? $49 each!

Umm, no thank you, I’ll stick with my $2.50 fruit—Thank you very much. Let me show you how you can paint any ceramic, pottery, or china decor item to give it a new updated look. You’ll need a few things first.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

  • Rustoleum Spray Primer
  • Rustoleum Heirloom White Spray Paint (satin finish)
  • Drop cloth, newspapers or craft paper
  • Fine Sandpaper
  • Acrylic paints
  • Palette knife
  • Paper plates
  • Fan brush
  • Glaze
  • Dry rag

Optional: Rustoleum Comfort Spray Paint Handle (saves your fingers from cramping!)

Instructions:

Clean your decor item with soap and water. Dry thoroughly.

Lightly sand the surface to give a little roughness.


Lay your decor item(s) on paper and spray with several thin coats of spray primer. Allow the primer to dry.


Spray several light coats of Rustoleum’s Heirloom White spray paint. Allow to dry.


If you want, you can leave the base color white. But, if you want to color your item, mix a base color with the acrylic craft paints. Using the fan brush use a “cross-hatch” pattern to apply the paint onto your item. (This gives more depth and interest than painting on a thick coat of paint.)

Next mix your glaze by combining acrylic paint (Mix raw sienna (dark brown), burnt sienna (red brown) and yellow ochre until you have a nice golden brown antiquing color.) Pour a small circle of glaze material onto your plate. Dip the fan brush into the glaze medium and then into the mixed acrylic paint. Dab off some paint onto the paper plate (you don’t want your brush to be saturated.) Brush the glaze onto the item and use the fan brush to blend the glaze around. Feel free to use the same cross-hatch pattern you did earlier.

Work in small areas and brush the glaze around until your brush doesn’t have any more glaze on it.
Then use a rag to dab around the decor item until you are happy with the results.

Paint any features onto your decor item (stems, branches, faces, etc.) To paint the pear’s leaf, try a dark brown (raw sienna) and a yellow ochre for the highlights. Acrylic paint is really forgiving. If you don’t like it you can paint over it.


I couldn’t be happier with the results of my repainted home decor! I saved myself about $95 for two decor items!
This fruit decor is perfect for any season . . .

But, I like to bring them out in the fall.


Happy thrifting y’all! Never leave cheap dated decor behind again.

Did you see that ladder above? It is the other half of this ladder and I added shelves to create my own ladder display shelves!

Ladder Shelves

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arts and craft, Before and After, Decorating, Goodwill, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, ReNew, Stashbusting

Comments

  1. Lorna says

    August 31, 2017 at 4:04 pm

    It turned out so nice! And the size! Perfect!

    Reply
  2. Christina says

    August 31, 2017 at 2:21 pm

    Those are adorable! I have a ton of aging decor, I love the concept of knockoffs that look amazing yet won’t break the bank.

    Reply
  3. Ivory says

    August 30, 2017 at 10:40 pm

    Wow, beautiful! You never let your followers down, because you are just that great in your creativity

    Reply
    • Brittany Bailey says

      August 31, 2017 at 12:28 pm

      Thanks Ivory. Hope you find some dated decor to paint soon!

      Reply
  4. Colleen Taylor says

    October 8, 2013 at 12:16 am

    I’ve seen those in Ballards & Yes can’t agree more, outrageously priced! These are wonderful, great job on the painting…now to just find something like this! Great Post Brittany & thank you!

    Reply
  5. Kathy says

    September 28, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    Lovely. We’re these ceramic or that foamy stuff?

    Reply
  6. MONICA says

    May 21, 2012 at 3:22 pm

    Those look great! Many years ago my mom used to do ceramics as a hobby.. I remember how she’d stain patina on the items. I’ve never done it, only the times I watched her. I wonder if I could pull it off. They are so lovely!

    Reply
  7. julie link says

    September 11, 2011 at 10:42 pm

    impressive! i’ve always liked the pear!

    Reply

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Hi, I'm Brittany aka Pretty Handy Girl. I like the smell of coffee and sawdust in the morning. I live to break stereotypes and empower you to take on your own DIY project.

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