Upcycled Wall Decor
Old Wall Decor Piece
LOVE the border, not as thrilled about the words!
Hey folks! Let’s talk wall decor, right? Am I the only one who has collected pieces over the years only to be left in storage? We have quite a few quality, wood wall decor pieces just sitting in our basement collecting dust, and walls that were asking for new pieces. I could’ve tried to sell them on marketplace for $10, but then I’d have to pay even more than that to get something new for the walls, and that just isn’t my style. So - here we are! Let’s upcycle those old wall art pieces into something we actually WANT to put on our walls and our shelves.
Ready? Here we go!
Supplies:
Old Wall Decor - wood built ones will work best for this project.
Paint - you could buy paint, or see what you have laying around the house!
Painters Tape
Stencil - I have a cricut, so if you have a cutting machine that’s great, otherwise I’ve also had really good luck with buying stencils from Amazon!
Step 1:
Find yourself a wall decor piece that you aren’t super thrilled with. I love wood decor with a nice natural wood frame, and the one pictured has a great look! However, I wasn’t over the moon about the words on the sign anymore. That’s what we are going to paint over!
Step 2:
We are going to paint over the words, but we want to make sure to keep the natural stained wood frame looking good, so grab your painters tape and wrap it around the inside so when you paint you don’t have to worry about wrecking the frame.
Step 3:
Next up, paint that base! I chose to stick with a black base, but you really can do whatever color you’d like to. I decided to use just a foam brush, but I think a foam roller would probably work really nicely. I ended up having to do three coats for full coverage. Make sure you have good coverage over any previous designs or words on the sign - you wouldn’t want it to show through!
After you have enough coats on, peel your tape off while your paint is still wet!
Step 4:
While that dries (I would at least give it 24 hours or more), prep your Stencil. Here are a few thoughts on Stencils:
Buy a Stencil: If you wanted to buy a stencil, there are a ton out on Amazon that have pre-made sayings, or customizable options. Etsy is also another really good option if you wanted something more custom.
Make a Stencil: I chose to make a stencil because I have a Cricut cutting machine. If you have something like a Cameo, etc, all of those would work. I make all my stencils and designs on Canva Pro (I pay for a subscription) and highly recommend it. You can make WHATEVER you want, and then you simply have to download it in an SVG file to upload into the Cricut software.
I made my stencil with a saying I like, cut it with the cricut, weeded all of the letters, then applied transfer tape to the top of the stencil to transfer it easier onto the sign.
*I would highly recommend the Frisco Craft brand for transfer tape and stencil vinyl for the cricut. I think it’s better quality and value than Cricut’s brand and it comes in large quantity rolls - you can find them on Amazon!
Freehand It! You honestly could do this, too! (If so, you are likely more skilled than I!)
Step 5:
It’s time to prep your stencil for paint! My favorite trick for stenciling is to apply the stencil and then use Mod Podge to paint around all of the stencil “holes” to seal any gaps that may be between the stencil and the board. That way, paint doesn’t seep underneath the stencil and you have crisp, clean lines. Use a foam brush to brush the mod podge on and let it dry before you paint. *The mod podge will not impact the finish of the sign at all*
Step 6:
Time to paint the stencil! I always decide to use foam brushes and simply dab the paint everywhere to not tempt fate to get paint underneath the stencil! I know there are likely multiple ways to apply the paint, but this has always worked for me, so I’m going to stick with it!
Step 7:
While the paint you just dabbed on is still wet, pull your stencil off slowly and carefully. This definitely took some finesse to make sure white paint didn’t get anywhere else, but we made it! For the small amount of white paint I got on spots, I just covered it up with black paint touch ups!
Step 8:
Enjoy! I seriously spent a minimal amount of money and time on updating a sign that I didn’t really like to something that is now in my dining room! Not all home decor has to cost a ton of money, especially if you already spent that money once already! This is a great upcycle project that anyone can do!
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