How To Paint Glass Vases

June 24, 2024 by Denise - 55 Comments

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HOW TO TURN CHEAP GLASS VASES INTO TRENDY HOME DECOR USING PAINT AND WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE IN YOUR KITCHEN! | HOW TO PAINT GLASS VASES

Hi, sweet #sifamily! Today, I’m sharing how to upstyle your cheap glass vases into trendy home decor. All you need for this DIY project is some glass, paint, and some inexpensive ingredients you already have in your kitchen! Here’s a step-by-step on How To Paint Glass Vases so your gorgeous new finish STICKS and STAYS PUT while you showcase these beauties.

**This post was originally published on July 13, 2021. 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 buy from my links – A BIG thank you for supporting me and the #siblog! To see my full disclaimer, click here.

It’s also Trash To Treasure Day! I’ve included links to my T2T crew’s makeovers below and I can’t wait to see what they’ve done this month. The before pics look interesting!

Here are the inexpensive thrift glass vases I started with.

Here’s my new faux Pottery Barn terracotta paint finish! What do you think?

I used kitchen items we ALL have on hand to create this look!

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

SOURCE LIST

Glass Vases – SALVAGED
Chip Brush
Shop Towel
Slick Stick Bonding Boss (Adhering Glass Primer)
Baking Soda | Cinnamon
Fluff Chalk Mineral Paint
Manatee Gray | Gravel Road

WHY UPCYCLE GLASS

Do you have old glass vases hanging around? I have a fair share I’ve collected from thrift stores, garage sales, and glass vases I’ve kept from romantic bouquets Nick has bought me over the years. And even though I’m a fan of glass, mine rarely gets used. Ucycling the glass we already have is eco-friendly and makes for stylish home decor. It can also make for a heartwarming one-of-a-kind gift. I love salvaging and reducing waste by giving new life to old items.

CAN YOU SPRAY PAINT GLASS?

Yes, you can spray paint glass vases! In fact, it’s a quick and easy way to give your vases a new look. Just make sure to clean the vases thoroughly and use a spray paint that is designed for glass or multi-surface. It’s a great alternative to give clear cheap glass some color, stain, or create faux milk glass like I did here – Best Spray Paint for Glass.

HOW TO GET PAINT TO STICK TO GLASS

The key to painting glass is getting the paint finish to STICK. Some spray paints are specifically made for glass. I created a full article here – Best Spray Paint for Glass. It works well and gives you a smooth flawless finish. If you’re after a textured clay or pottery look, spray paint isn’t the way to achieve it. Instead, investing in a Bonding Primer like this one will ensure ANY paint you have on hand will adhere to your glass.

WHAT KIND OF PAINT STICKS TO GLASS

ANY PAINT can and will stick to the glass if you first prime the glass with a bonding primer. Once you’ve followed the directions and waited the required time for the primer to dry, you can go ahead and paint glass with latex, acrylic, mineral paint, chalk paint, or any water-based craft paint you may have on hand.

Here’s the step-by-step I took to achieve this textured look.

STEP 1 – CLEAN

I cleaned these glass vases with vinegar and water to get all the grease, dirt, and dust off them. A warm water wash with Dawn dish soap (or any soap) would have done the trick as well.

STEP 2 – PRIME

The key to painting on glass is this Slick Stick BONDING PRIMER. This is a bonding primer for glass, plastic, laminate, metal, tiles, and pretty much anything with a super slick surface. And you can’t get slicker that glass, right?! Once it’s primed, you can paint any faux finish you like. Update – Slick Stick is now renamed and updated to Bonding Boss.

STEP 3 – MIX PAINT FOR TEXTURE FINISH

To get a faux Pottery Barn-inspired look on these upcycled glass vases, I used what we ALL have on hand in our kitchen — Baking Soda. Back in 2013 when I was mixing my own Homemade Chalk paint, I compared four ingredients to make my own inexpensive chalk paints. Baking soda was my least favorite because it gave me the roughest finish… perfect for this faux clay Pottery Barn finish!

I used approximately 1 cup of this Fluff paint and 1/2 cup baking soda and mixed it thoroughly. It was thick with the consistency of heavy buttercream icing.

STEP 4 – BASECOAT

I applied a basecoat of this Fluff mixed with Baking Soda using this chip brush. I wouldn’t recommend using your good paintbrushes for this because it can harden quickly and may ruin them. Check out all this gorgeous texture!

STEP 5 – LAYER PAINT

To create patina on this faux clay vase, I dabbed some of this Manatee Gray in random spots. You can stop there because it looks great! But I wanted a little more depth so I took an artist’s brush and dabbed on a little bit of Gravel Road to darken it up. Small acrylic-size craft paints would work perfectly for this as well because so little is needed!

STEP 6 – TERRA COTTA PATINA

To create a terra cotta finish, I used another ingredient we all have in our kitchen — CINNAMON! I got this idea from Christina at The Reclaimed Heirloom when she transformed a vessel lamp into a DIY Restoration Hardware lamp. Her projects and furniture are gorgeous. You can check out her Youtube Channel here.

I’m amazed at how well this works! And it’s the easiest thing. I sprinkled cinnamon onto my dry paint finish and rubbed it in. There were a few areas where I overdid it. If this happens and it’s too dark for you, the excess is easily brushed off with a dry paintbrush.

It smells great too!

I have no idea how the cinnamon will wear over time, but I have to admit I LOVE how this all came together!

Update – It’s been three years and these vases don’t smell like cinnamon anymore, BUT they still look amazing. I have them displayed on my corner bathroom shelf.

It has so much texture and looks authentic and time-worn.

AND NOW FOR SOME TRASH TO TREASURE FUN!

You’re going to LOVE what my creative team of T2T ladies do! Below are their 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. PRODIGAL PIECES

2. SALVAGED INSPIRATIONS (HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!)

3. ARTSY CHICKS RULE

4. GIRL IN THE GARAGE

5. CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL DIYer

I hope this thrift makeover has inspired you to bust out your old glass vases and give them a new look for your home decor. This is such an EASY and INEXPENSIVE project using what you already have on hand. These DIY textured vases also make great props for staging painted furniture. I hope you give it a try and if you do, I’d love to hear how it turns out for you!

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THESE POTTERY BARN-PAINTED VASES. FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE… I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU. IT MAKES MY DAY! 🙂

Have a great day and I’ll be back this Thursday with my Furniture Fixer Upper crew and this sweet secretary desk makeover. See you then! xo

Happy furniture painting friends!

Denise x

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