HOW TO UPCYCLE AND UPDATE THRIFT STORE FRAMES THREE WAYS | YOUTUBE VIDEO

Hello, sweet friends, and thanks for joining today! We’ve all donated outdated frames to the thrift store — but have you ever considered buying them to give them a fresh, stylish update? Today, I’m transforming three unique thrifted frames into stunning upcycled décor. These before-and-after makeovers will inspire you to rethink old frames and turn them into beautiful, budget-friendly pieces for your home!

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. There are affiliate links in this post to other companies/products I use and love as well.  You will never be charged extra when you purchase through these affiliate links. If you purchase from my links – A BIG thank you for supporting me and the #siblog! To see my full disclaimer, click here.

I’m also joining my Trashy Treasures Tuesday (TTT) crew and sharing links to their projects below. I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ve created. I hope you join me on today’s tour as well!

Here are the three very different thrift frames I started with.

THIS POST IS SPONSORED/CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE.  YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Thrifted Frames  – SALVAGED
Chip Brush
Bonding Boss Primer
Golden Ash Gel Stain
Chocolate Chalk Mineral Paint
Woodubend Applique (similar)
Bronze Patina Paint
Bronze Gilding Wax

FRAME #1  – HOW TO UPDATE A FRAME USING GEL STAIN

Here’s the first piece of thrift art I updated. I love the floral print and the width and texture of the frame. I even like the vintage vibe of the green matte and gold highlights — but I didn’t like the light tone of the frame.

The wood finish looked very ’80s to me.

So, to change the color of this frame, I started by cleaning it with a sponge and white lightening.

As I mentioned, I liked the gold trim detail on the frame. To keep this intact, I masked it off with painters’ tape and used a craft knife to cut the corners perfectly.

Now for the fun part… creating a richer-looking frame by adding some darker gel stain! The two stains I tested were this Walnut and Golden Ash. Golden Ash won, hands down as it was the exact look I wanted. Warm and weathered, yet not too dark.

To apply the gel stain, I used an inexpensive chip brush. I gave it a good stir and then applied a generous coat and then wiped it back with a shop towel. I waited 24 hours before I went downstairs to check on the tone. I wanted it slightly darker so applied another coat of gel stain.

Once the second coat of Gel Stain was applied, I removed the painter’s tape. You can do this while the stain is still wet (as I did) or wait until the stain is 100% dry. I cleaned the spatter on the glass with some glass cleaner and this frame was complete!

FRAME #1  – THE REVEAL

Here’s the updated WARMER look. For now, I have it hanging in a corner of the bedroom.  The frame looks so much better now.

The gel stain highlighted all the frame’s texture even better than I imagined it would.

And I think the gold detailing around the edge looks like it was made for this Golden Ash Gel Stain!

FRAME #2  – HOW TO UPDATE A FRAME WITH FAUX BRONZE

Next up is this set of curvy plastic frames.

I bought the set of three for $3 over 20 years ago! I was planning on donating them to the thrift store but thought, hey, why not try giving them a new look instead?

I grabbed an inexpensive synthetic chip brush and painted on a coat of Bronze Patina Paint. If you want an authentic-looking metal look, these patina paints are awesome and worth a try!!! I’ll add a few makeovers in the “Related Posts” of a few other projects I used these on at the end of this post.

After the one coat of patina dried, I used an all-natural ‘cheap and cheerful’ chip brush and dry brushed Coffee Bean over the Bronze Patina Paint. There is no right or wrong way to do this. I dry-brush it on randomly, so I have some darker areas. Below, you can see the difference the dry brushing makes on the right frame.

I also used a Bronze Gilding Wax to hit the tops of the details. This gives this frame set some glitter and shine, especially when the light hits them just right.

I found this book at the thrift store with gorgeous florals and picked out three botanicals I liked. I cut them to size, offsetting the design to add more interest. Then I reassembled the 3 frames.

FRAME SET #2  – THE REVEAL

I LOVE the way this frame set turned out! Aren’t they adorable?

Here’s a close-up.

I probably should have left the glass out of the frames for the photoshoot (because of window glare) but I was too excited to see how they looked all assembled. 🙂

 

FRAME #3  – HOW TO UPDATE A FRAME WITH FAUX WOOD APPLIQUE

Here’s the last frame I restyled. This was the mirror off a thrift dresser.

I started by disassembling the stand from the mirror frame and then gave it a good cleaning and light scuff sanding.

I centered this floral decor molding to the top using Titebond glue and clamps. The goal was to get this applique to look like wood and match the rest of the frame for a cohesive design.

Once I glued and clamped the applique on (you can find a similar one here), I primed with this Bonding Boss in clear.

The next day I painted a coat of Chocolate onto the frame and the floral molding. I used a good brush because I had to pounce it into all the nooks and crannies to make sure the full applique was covered.

Once the Chocolate was dry, I dry brushed a lighter color to highlight the florals and create a uniform wood grain. I’m sharing how easy this is to do in the Youtube video below!

FRAME #3  – THE REVEAL

And here’s a closer look at how matchy-matchy the applique is to the frame.

 

 

PIN AND SHARE 🤗