HOW TO TURN *ANYTHING* INTO FAKE STONE BY USING THIS EASY PAINT TECHNIQUE | GARDEN BUDDHA STATUE MAKEOVER | YOUTUBE VIDEO
Hello creative SI family, thanks for being here. Today I’m sharing an easy paint technique to turn anything into fake stone! No fancy tools or texture additives are required! My sister Andrea has been wanting a Stone Garden Buddha for the last few years and finally found one she loves at a local thrift store this past Friday. The only thing was she didn’t like the bronze finish on it. She asked if I could make it look like her inspo pic (I’m sharing below) and I think it turned out pretty darn close. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
It’s also Trash To Treasure Tuesday. I’m joining my T2T crew and sharing links to their projects down below. I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ve done and I hope you join me on the tour as well!
Here’s the thrift store Buddha Statue my sister found at Value Village selling for $19.99.
She pulled up the one she was going to buy and asked if I could make her thrift Buddha look similar. Below is the one she took a screenshot of and wanted to buy from Lowes.
Personally, I like the more traditional pose of the Buddha she found at Value Village… and I really like the bronze finish – but since this is for Andrea’s garden, CHALLENGE ON to paint it into fake stone.
THIS POST IS SPONSORED/CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE. YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Buddha Statue – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Cotton Chalk Mineral Paint
Baja Gray Silk Paint
Coffee Bean Chalk Mineral Paint
Paint Brush
Fine Mist Spray Bottle
Shop Towels
Easy Peasy Spray Wax
PAINTING FAKE STONE
CLEAN
I started by removing the price tag and giving this Buddha a cleaning with some White Lightning. Then I rinsed my sponge making sure to use clean water to remove any residue before painting.
PAINT
I gave this statue a coat of this Cotton Chalk Mineral Paint using an Oval Brush. When painting a stone finish, I don’t worry about a ‘nice’ coat of paint. It’s kinda fun because I get to slap it on any which way. The only thing I watch out for is that there are no drips or pooling of paint in the areas like the hands etc.
SECOND PAINT COLOR
For my second paint color, I used this Baha Gray but any gray that resembles stone will work. You can go as dark or light as you like but I wanted to keep this lighter as in my sisters’ inspo picture. I dabbed the gray on with my brush and then used a damp shop towel to blend the paint into the white. With the second coat, it’s already starting to look somewhat like a stone texture.
A fine spray mister bottle is really handy for this technique as it makes spraying the shop towel easy while not adding TOO much water.
FINISHING TOUCHES
To make the faux stone look as real as possible, I used a toothbrush and splattered on some darker paint. I took an old toothbrush, mixed a little Coffee Bean into my gray paint, and misted it with a little water. Then I dabbed the toothbrush bristles in, and then ran my thumb over the bristles. This leaves tiny sprayed speckles on this statue. It gives the appearance of little holes or divets like a real stone has.
TOPCOAT
Once the paint finish had dried, I top-coated this ‘stone’ statue. The topcoat took me five (5) minutes to apply. I used this Easy Peasy Spray On Wax which is great for outdoors. This wax repels dirt, grime, and water and can be used for outdoor furnishings. But the real reason I wanted to use it is because it dries perfectly matt. I didn’t want ANY shine on this faux stone finish.
FINISHED GARDEN BUDDHA
And here’s the finished look. I was worried I wouldn’t get the chance to stage it and take photos in an outdoor garden because it was raining all day.
But luckily it stopped raining around 4 pm and I hurried out to my herb garden before it started again.
I have to admit, now that this Garden Buddha is all painted, I think my sister was right. For outdoor purposes, it does look better with a faux stone finish.
And for 1/10th the price, she has a larger Buddha Statue (25 x 15″) than the original one she was going to buy.
Here’s a closer look and I can’t wait to hear what YOU think!
YOUTUBE TUTORIAL
Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on Youtube. If you have any problems viewing it below, feel free to watch it on my Youtube Channel HERE. Our #siyoutubefamily is already a community of 38.9K so don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t done so already! So exciting, thank YOU! 🙂
And now for some Trash To Treasure FUN!
You’re going to LOVE what my creative Trash To Treasure ladies do! 🙂 Below are the BEFORE photos. Visit the links underneath 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. GIRL IN THE GARAGE
4. PRODIGAL PIECES
5. SALVAGED INSPIRATIONS (HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!)
Here’s another look at this faux stone Garden Buddha before and after. I hope it’s inspired you and given you some ideas for your projects!
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS DIXIE SHINE! FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE… I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU. IT MAKES MY DAY! 🙂
Happy furniture painting friends!
Denise x
RELATED POSTS::
DIY STONE-AGED VASES
HOW TO PAINT GOLD ACCENTS ON FURNITURE
SUPER EASY COPPER PATINA
MAGNOLIA GARDEN DRESSER MAKEOVER
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Can’t get over how much this looks like real stone! You do such wonderful work.
I’m now inspired to try this on some of my terracotta garden items. Moving the updated items around my garden will sure be easier than real concrete pieces!
Oh I hope you do give this a try – it’s a lot of fun! And yes terracotta made to look like stone/concrete it’s so much easier to move around… your neighbours will think you’re WonderWoman!😆 Thanks so much Jewels! 😊
Très beau ton bouddha
Thank you Sylvie!🤗
Love it!! It looks amazing and so realistic! xo
Thanks so much Nancy! Enjoy your weekend! XOXO
Denise you are so talented. I absolutely adore what you did with this thrift find Buddha xox
Thanks so much Carole! I have to admit it looks AMAZING in Andrea’s garden. XOXO
As usual, LOVE it!
Thanks Donna!!!
Denise – amazing finish and looks terrific!! I have saved it to perhaps try on my own. Question is where to look for something very similar to this. We don’t have Value Village, so any idea as to where to look for a piece like this in the US? Thanks!
Thanks so much Penny! And ohhh, I wish I could suggest where you might find a similar statue in the US but I have no idea. It’s luck of the draw when it comes to what you find in thrift stores. I’m going to be keeping my eyes peeled as well – so I hope we find one!
Hi: what’s a good Canadian option to protect the statue outside? The wax you mention is US only and I live in Niagara. thanks!
Hi Heather! It sells here in Canada as well.🤗
This Buddha looks like he has been sitting outside for a long time. You did a great job! With the spray wax he will be able to sit outside another hundred years.
Hi Marian!!! Right!? This Garden Buddha looks like he’s right at home and doesn’t want to leave my garden.😄 My sister must have thought the same thing and drove over here last night to take her Buddha home. I’ll keep you posted on how long it lasts in our extreme weather here.
Your article randomly appeared in my Google news feed, and I’m ever so glad I clicked on it. I’m an artist, DIYer, and thing-rescuer, as well, and love turning “this into that.” Your technique for making the bronze look like stone is so clever! Saving this so I can try this on some of my old pieces. I’ve got some glass vases this might work on, even if they need to be chemically etched so the paint sticks.
And it really holds up outside in bad weather? We get a lot of rain where I live, and hot sun that beats down outdoors things.
Now I must go dig through the rest of your site and see what else I can learn. Have a groovy day!
Hey Madelyn… so glad you’re here and WELCOME! Ya, it holds up. I did these funky doll heads and my sister has the big one she leaves in her backyard all year long. We are in the Toronto area and have extremely cold and snowy winters all the way to hot humid summers. As for the chemical etching of the glass, that will work. I hate working with any sort of chemicals and find this Slick Stick primer is the bomb! Works on EVERYTHING (including glass!) with a slick surface!
Hi Denise. Great job making this Buddha look like stone. It looks amazing in your garden.
Thanks Monique! Have a super day! XOXO
Total awesomeness!
Thank you Imelda! XOXO
This finish looks so authentic – and perfect for a garden! Great work Denise! XO
Thank you Jen! XOXO
You totally nailed it, Denise! Awesome job ~ and so easy to do. Thanks for your clear, easy-to-replicate instructions too!
So easy right!?!😃 Thanks so much Suzy! XOXO
Your buddha is absolutely stunning. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful techniques. I’ve been ill for a long time and just when I feel like giving up my passion for creating you come up with something I just have to try. For that I thank you!
Oh, this means so much Jane, thank you.💜 I hope you never give up your passion for creating. 💕 The very act of creating something (big or small) can be so therapeutic and calming. The getting started is always the hardest part though isn’t it?… at least it is for me. XOXO
WOW!! It looks just like concrete!! You are amazing with your faux finishes! XOXO
Yay! And it was so easy and fast. I actually started painting it for this post yesterday morning! Talk about leaving it till the last minute, right?!😂
Love this stone look Buddha! I especially like the toothbrush paint trick, really made it look like stone. Great piece!
Thank you so much!😊
Your technique is great ! It Really does look like stone. It looks great in the garden.
My daughter would love a garden buddha. I’ll need to keep an eye out for one.
As others have said – I’ll bet this technique could have lots of applications.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much P! I hope you find one for your daughter! I’m going to be keeping my eye out for one as well. I’m kinda sorry I have to give this one away.😂
That’s so smart! Really great work.
Aw, thanks Lizzy! Enjoy your day.🤗
The painted stone finish looks so REAL! I can’t wait to try this on something!
Thanks so much Nicki! And if you give it a go – have FUN! XOXO
Awesome! I woulod have never known it WAS NOT stone! thanks for the tutorial!
YAYYY! Thanks so much Susan!😃💜
Wow! Buddha looks wonderful! Great find!
Thanks Janet! It really was a great find. I kinda wish I had found one for my garden too.😆
What a fun technique! I can see many uses for the products.
Super fun and meee too! Thanks my friend. XOXO
Very realistic!
Sheila
Yay! My sister hasn’t seen it yet so I’m hoping she thinks the same. Thanks Sheila!
That is amazing! You did a REALLY good job on that!
Thanks so much Cyndi!😃
Hi Denise! Wow! It turned out amazing!! I for one would have never painted over the bronze but I have to say you did an excellent job!!
I really liked the bronze finish as well 😃 and I was a little worried the stone finish wouldn’t look as good. But i think my sister picked a fabulous finish her garden. The faux stone seems like it ‘belongs’ there, don’t you think?! XOXO
I think you scored big time. Buddha’s are difficult to find cheap! I have one very similar to your finished piece! Mine sits across out little creek and is visible from my kitchen sink window! This ‘stone’ Buddha should move quickly!
Ya, it’s going to move quickly into my sisters garden!😂 I really like it in my garden so I’m kind of wishing I had found it before she did because just like you said, all the ones I’ve seen are usually between $150-$300 depending on the size.
WOW! Looks like real stone! Can’t wait to find something to try it on!
Thanks so much Susan! And ya, this paint finish would work on ANYTHING… glass, plastic, wood, plaster, terracotta, tiles etc so long as the surface is prepped properly.🤗