DIY Bronze Patina Makeover ~ $5 Pine Umbrella Holder Transformation | Youtube Video Coming This Saturday!

Hi creative SI family! Today’s project will make you think twice before passing up plain wood pieces at the thrift store. I scored this $5 pine umbrella holder and transformed it into a rich, old-bronze beauty with just five easy steps — no decades of aging required! All it took was patina paint, a little spray, and some DIY magic. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this finish!

*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.

It’s also the second Tuesday of the month, and this means it’s Trashy Treasures Tuesday! I’m looking forward to seeing what our TTT crew has created, and I hope you join me on today’s tour as well! I’ve included their before-and-after links down below.

Here’s the $5 thrift store pine umbrella stand I started with. I have a few of my Dad’s old umbrellas that I’d like to display, so I’ve been keeping my eyes out for one of these.

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

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Umbrella Holder  – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Sanding Sponge
WoodUbend Appliqué
Heat Gun
Bronze Patina Paint
Green Patina Spray
Gator Hide Topcoat

DIY BRONZE UMBRELLA HOLDER

Here’s how it all came together…

CLEAN & PREP

First things first—I worked on getting this umbrella holder cleaned and sanded. I gave it a thorough inside-and-out cleaning with a heavy-duty furniture cleaner, then scuff-sanded the exterior with 180-grit sandpaper and wiped away the dust.  Then I removed the dust with a fiber cloth.

APPLYING WOODUBEND

To fancy up this plain box, I picked a classic Woodubend design. You all know how much I love using Woodubend. The designs look amazing and are so darn easy to apply.  You can bend it. Cut it. Paint it. Gild it. Gold leaf it. Redesign it by piecing them together or cutting them apart. Here’s how I applied it..

1. Pick your Woodubend Design and where you want to place it.
2. Heat the Woodubend with a heat gun or hair dryer.
3. Add glue and press in place (or use clamps).
4. Heat the Woodubend to adhere.

They have so many gorgeous designs, large and small for any type of project. If you’d like to see how easy these appliques are to glue on, I have a full Woodubend tutorial here. I also have 14 Gorgeous WoodUbend Makeovers you can check out here!

PAINT BRONZE

Priming is optional, but if you have a slick surface, I strongly recommend using a bonding primer. For this project, because it’s for my own home, I skipped the primer but did give it a good scuff sanding.

I grabbed Dixie Belle’s Bronze Patina Paint and brushed my first coat on using a “bounce” method, lifting the brush rather than stroking it—this gives you texture, character, and gives your piece that imperfect, weathered charm. You don’t need perfection here. The more texture and uneven strokes you have, the better this is going to look. I let that first coat dry.

After my first coat dried, I added a second coat of this Bronze Paint in the same bouncy random style. No need for precision; remember unevenness is your friend here—it adds real depth to the final patina. Make sure your brush strokes vary a bit, and the finish isn’t flat.

PATINA SPRAY

Here’s where the “verdigris old world finish happens. While my second coat is still wet, I grabbed my Green Patina Spray and gave it a good shake (get those pigments mixed!), I attached the nozzle, and then sprayed some on a paper towel. I dabbed the patina spray onto the wet paint. I wanted a very subtle patina but you can add as much or as little as you like. You can even spray it on for a drippy look, like I did with this vase makeover here.

Now wait. Over the next 2 to 6 hours, your flat bronze becomes a gorgeous, authentic-looking verdigris finish—I’m talking dreamy blue-green patina that looks like decades of aging. This always blows my mind.

I was able to see how much I was applying because it turns darker right after its dabbed onto the wet bronze paint.

 TOPCOATING & PROTECTING

When I came down after 3 hours, I was happy with the green patina. I grabbed a chip brush and topcoated with 2 coats this Gator Hide. This won’t be a high-traffic piece so two coats is plenty. If you’re not into using poly, a nice wax finish would look equally nice.

PIN & SHARE 🤗

THE BIG REVEAL

Here’s the finished look…

The bronze patina is a classic and looks much more elevated (than the pine) for my space!

I didn’t have enough natural light to stage it in my foyer/entryway but that’s where it will be living.

Now I have the perfect spot to showcase my Dad’s old Fulton Umbrella. The Fulton company has been making umbrellas since 1956. I don’t think this umbrella is that old, but Dad used this umbrella for as long as I can remember. 🙂

I can’t wait to hear what you think of this faux bronze patina’s new’ look!

YOUTUBE TUTORIAL

I’ll have the full step-by-step YouTube tutorial for you this weekend. Our #siyoutubefamily has almost reached 54K so don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t done so already! So exciting, thank YOU! 🙂

And now for some Trashy Treasures FUN!

Below are the TTT ladies’ BEFORE photos. Visit the links below to see the amazing AFTERS and learn how they did it! I’m heading over to take a peek as well! x

1. CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL DIYER

2. ARTSY CHICKS RULE

3. SI (HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!)

Here’s another look at this thrift store umbrella holder upcyle. I hope it inspires you and sparks ideas for your thrift projects.

Thanks for joining us on today’s TTT makeovers. Have you ever tried a patina paint project? Let me know in the comments — I’d love to hear what piece you’d transform next! I always love hearing from you. It makes my day!! 🙂

Happy painting, my friends!

Denise x

RELATED POSTS:

HOW TO PAINT A FAKE BRONZE FINISH

DIY BRONZE FINISH

TRASHED TABLE WITH DIY BRONZE LEGS

BEGINNERS’ GUIDE TO GILDING WAX

UPCYCLED BRONZE THRIFT FRAMES

PIN AND SHARE! 🤗