TODAY I’M SHARING HOW TO TAKE PAINTED WICKER AND MAKE IT LOOK NATURAL AGAIN… WITH THE MAGIC OF PAINT!
Hi beautiful #sifamily, thanks for joining me today! I have a fun project to share with you. A project in reverse! I’ve come across A LOT of tutorials on How To Paint Wicker. But what if you want to take a piece of painted wicker and make it look natural again? You can strip it. But trust me, if you’ve ever tried stripping paint off wicker, you will NEVER want to do it again!
So here’s a fun and easy alternative…
How to take painted wicker and make it look natural again.. using the magic of paint!
I started with this white pink and blue painted laundry hamper…
This laundry hamper is a great size and built like a brick house — but super dated. It’s from the ’90s! I’m not sure if I’m proud of this… or a little embarrassed.
I remember the day I bought it though. I managed to sausage my sister and this laundry hamper into the passenger side of my two-seater MR2, hehe.
Here’s the new look. What do you think?
THIS POST IS SPONSORED/CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE. YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.
SOURCE LIST
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- ’90’s Laundry Hamper – SALVAGED
- Paint Brush or Sprayer
- Cheap Chip Brush
- Chocolate
- Putty
- Burlap
- Gator Hide
HOW TO PAINT WICKER – AU’NATURAL
STEP 1 – CLEAN AND BASECOAT
The only prep I did for this laundry hamper was to give it a really good vacuum inside and out and remove the hardware. Then I sprayed one coat of this Chocolate on the outside and inside the lid.
Here’s what it looked like with the one coat of Chocolate. If you don’t have a paint sprayer, this base coat can be easily brushed on too.
STEP 2 – DRY BRUSH PUTTY
Once the Chocolate was dry, I dry brushed this Putty using a cheap chip brush. A scraggly old cheap chip brush is perfectly fine because it creates texture over the woven wicker.
To dry brush, I use VERY little paint on the tips of the brush then gently run the brush in one direction of the wicker. Here I am sharing the dry brush technique on Youtube.
STEP 3 – DRY BRUSH BURLAP
For the final color, I used this Burlap. I used the same brush and dry brushed technique to create wicker highlights. I played around with this until I was happy with the outcome hitting some areas and leaving others.
STEP 4 – TOPCOAT
To seal and protect, I spayed three coats of this water-resistant Gator Hide.
These three colors created a gorgeous rich au natural wicker finish! The basket they’re sitting in was my inspiration. Chocolate | Burlap | Putty
I’m super happy with my “NEW” wicker laundry hamper! It looks updated and so much warmer, don’t you think?
I’ll be back this Thursday with my Furniture Fixer Upper friends. Hope to see you then!
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS MAKEOVER… OR FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE… I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU.
Happy furniture painting my friends!
Denise x
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This looks great. How much brown paint did it take to cover the basket? I wanted to paint a dining set and a bedroom set. The brown paint recommended is quite pricey. Is there another recommendation for the paint type for the base coat instead of the chalk paint? Lynne
Hello! Does this have to be done with chalk paint for the same idea?! Hope to hear back soon! I am eager to start my project!!
Hi Nikki! No, it doesn’t have to be chalk paint. 🙂
Hello!
I have rattan patio furniture that is a dark colour. I don’t know that it’s painted… maybe a stain? I want to strip the colour off to lighten it up and make it look more of a natural colour and maybe RE-stain it. Is there anyway to do this? It’s just a patio set purchased from Costco or somewhere…
Have you ever tried painting Henry Link Wicker furniture. I have four sentimental pieces (chest, nightstand, desk/vanity, and chair) that my parents gave me 40 years ago. They are in great shape has the frames are high quality then “wrapped in wicker” so the wicker seems to have a coating of some sort on them. They are/were natural in color but have a golden natural color but have gotten more golden over time…and not a preferred color for me. Since they are solid, well-made, I’m very nervous about painting them. I’ve painted other furniture but haven’t had guts to do these in fear of ruining them. I’ve considered, after thorough cleaning, trying to dry brush some chalk paint so that natural color isn’t entirely covered OR I’ve considered covering with light coat Kilz, then painting. If you have any experience with Henry Link furniture or similar furniture specifically any info shared would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Denise!
I love the way you painted your wicker laundry hamper. I have a wicker chair I’d like to paint and I have a sprayer. Did you thin the paint before putting it in your sprayer?
Many thanks!
Lee
Thanks Lee! And it really depends on the paint but yes, I usually thin my paints for spraying by about 10-15%. I find it easier to control the spray that way. 🙂
Thanks! I’m going to give it a try!!!
Hello! I was wondering if you think a lighter colour would work instead of chocolate, or if it might not have the same affect? What a great job, it looks fabulous!
Thanks Cortney! And wicker does come in lighter natural colors so I would think it would look good… but I haven’t tried. 🙂
$279 for a wicker laundry basket???? Incredible what some people will spend!!! They are like deer in the headlights! Your basket looks great! I Have some baskets stashed in a closet here and might just paint ’em up and put them around the place to hold all sorts of detritus. in the house.. And they will look posh, too!
Yup $279! I even saw a few for over $300! I was as shocked as you are LOL. Have fun painting up your stashed baskets. I’m sure they will look amazing! XOXO
This looks incredible ! Sooo natural.
You have a great eye for colors 😉
Your posts are so detailed and truly helpful.
Thanks for sharing your talents !! It really is inspiring. 😉
Thanks,
p
I’m SO happy you’re finding the posts/tutorials helpful Phyllis. Thanks SO much!
Wow, my friend, that’s amazing! It truly looks like natural wicker.
thanks, Marie! Hugs
What a great transformation! Looks new and very fashionable as if you purchased it at a high-end store!
Aw thanks, Judy! It looks way more updated for sure! I was looking at new ones online and the one I liked on Wayfair was $279the one I liked on Wayfair was $279!😮 Now that I restyled mine, I like it better than the one on Wayfair. hehe
Glad I saw this post cuz I have a large dark brown wicker trunk complete with leather handles etc. that doesn’t match anything in my house that I am planning to paint another colour this summer. After reading this post I might have to rethink changing the colour of the trunk and perhaps tone down the dark brown colour with a couple of colours dry brushed onto the dark brown.
I love those big trunks with leather handles! It sounds beautiful whatever finish you decide to give it. 🙂 I hope your summer is going well. xo
Gorgeous once again! I have a wi jet plant stand that I want to try your technique on. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks Denise and have fun with your plant stand if you decide to give it try! 🙂
Love the look. And it does make the hamper much more modern and appealing. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Sue! XOXO
Oh my gosh, that looks amazing! You really know how to salvage things with paint!
If I saw that in the thrift store when it was white I would have walked right by it. Not anymore!
If I didn’t own it I would have walked right by it too…lol. Have a super evening Patricia!
You’re incredible !!!!!!
Brilliant idea, very good job !!!!!
Greetings from Malaga (Spain)
Pilar
Hello, Pilar from Spain! Thank you so very much!! 🤗
This turned out great, the color is fantastic.
I’m thinking of buying a small sprayer. I have a big one but it is bulky and takes forever to clean. I want one about the size of the one in your pic. What model do you use or what would you recommend for the occasional smallish to medium sized furniture project? i seriously don’t like brush strokes!
Love your blog, I’ve been so inspired by some of the risks you have taken and how well they have turned out on the finished product.
Thank YOU, Kathleen! And I’m so happy some of my hit and/or miss projects are sparking some ideas. I’ve been using this Husky Spray Gun since 2013this Husky Spray Gun since 2013 and it still works amazing. A compressor is required but I’ve never had luck with other types of sprayerswith other types of sprayers.
Omg!!! This looks amazing! Would’ve never known it was white before! Great technique!
Thanks so much, Amy! x
Great job! Fantastic color!
Could you tell me what sprayer you used for the application?
You do great work!
thanks Cecile! I’ve been using this same sprayer since 2013this same sprayer since 2013 and it still works great.
Looks lovely! I’ll keep this in mind and I’ve kept your post too! A nice wingback wicker chair could be renewed, or a trunk, or endless possibilities! Thanks! 😎
Thanks Liz! I’m going to be keeping my eyes peeled for chairs and trunks too. I think they would look great in this finish. 🙂
Hi Denise! This is awesome! I am definetely going to try this on some white baskets i have. Thank you for this. Pinned.
Thanks, Cheryl and thanks for the PIN! 🙂
It’s just gorgeous! Another amazing and mind blowing makeover. Your eye for color and expertise in painting always makes me excited to receive your emails. Thank You!
Aw, thanks Dianne! Much appreciated. XOXO
Soooo nice and really looks like natural wicker. Thanks for the great idea.
Thanks Tracy! XOXO
Denise,
What a brilliant idea! I’ve got a large topless wicker laundry basket that has been sitting out for a week while I decide what to do with it. It has never been painted so is natural now but I want to jazz it up a little since it sits in my bedroom. As much as I love your idea, I am going to paint it and then decoupage some pretty silk sari fabric I’ve had for some years just waiting for the right project. It’s just the colors I want and think it will look great. But – I do plan on using your technique on a bunch of baskets I’ve collected over the years to give them the fresh but natural look you so well achieved on your laundry basket. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Lis and thanks! You’re jazzed up laundry basket with paint and decoupage and silk sari fabric sounds amazing!
Hi, looks great. Could you just use spray paint to do this? Don’t have a sprayer. Thanks!
For sure! You can definitely use spray paint for the base coat. It would also do a nice job!
Wish i still had my white wicker bedroom set so I could paint it back to au naturale!! Beautiful warm color. Love it thanks again!
I hear you! Now that I see how this turned out (I wasn’t 100% sure it would) I kind of wish I still had a few of my wicker pieces too!
I have my grandmother’s wicker rocking chair. It is really old (she died in 1950) at age 50.).. I think it was painted black at one point. I can hardly wait to bring it back to life! . Thanks for the ideas.
What a great project Marilyn! Those old rocking chairs have so much character!
I think that’s fabulous!
Thanks so much Tania! X
Amazing transformation…I love it!
Thanks Tammy! 🙂
Hi Denise. What a beautiful transformation. I never would have thought that painted wicker could look natural again. I LOVE it! I’m inspired and impressed with how you bring back the beautiful in old items. I’m going to keep this laundry basket makeover in mind next time I see a piece of wicker furniture at my local thrift shop.
Yaay! Natural wicker is so popular now, isn’t it? And this is a super-easy way to ‘get the look’. Have a great day my friend. 🙂