Painting Candlesticks and Other Household Items

If I am ever in the mood to shop for new home decor, I start by looking around my house!  Yes, I have piles of old home decor items that are unused because they've gone out of style and chances are good that you do, too!  But alas, with a little bit of paint and imagination, I can typically come up with a new look that I love. Painting candlesticks (and lots of other old decor) makes all the difference!

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Painting Candlesticks and Other Household Items

About 10 years ago, I was very much into Tuscan decor.  I used rust, gold, and brown in every room.  My kitchen had gold faux finished walls and my great room was dark brown.  It was popular, so I did it.  But, I never loved it.  This look would have been great in Italy, but I live in the Midwest!  It just never felt authentic.

I'm certainly not insulting this look, it just wasn't for me.  Over the past couple of years I have slowly been transforming my home with lighter, brighter colors.  I find that I occasionally go overboard and try to paint everything white!

When looking through some of my older household items, I came across several candlesticks and a few other items I thought could use a quick makeover.  I grabbed a few supplies and got to work!

RELATED: Painted Furniture Makeovers

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Supplies:

• Rustoleum American Accents spray paint in Granite, satin finish
• Valsar Metallic spray paint in Brilliant Silver (I picked this up at WalMart)
• Amy Howard One Step Paint in Bauhaus Buff (Ace Hardware carried this line of paint)
• Sample pot of Sherwin Williams in Urbane Bronze, satin finish
• Paper plate (I use as my paint palette)
• 2 Chip brushes   (You definitely do not need a good quality brush for this)
• Clean rags and water

Rust Candlesticks BEFORE:

First coat of granite spray paint:

After dry brushing:

Rust candlesticks AFTER in their new home:

(Notice the lamps, I spray painted them using the metallic spray paint several months ago):

Steps for painting candlesticks and plastic planter:

1.  Spray paint two light coats of Rustoleum in Granite, allowing dry time for each coat.
2.  I used slightly watered down white chalk paint as well as a small amount of Urbane Bronze for dry brushing.  What is "dry brushing" you ask?  I use it to show highlighting on a painted piece and/or to give a distressed look.  Dip only the tip of the paint brush into the paint color of choice and offload any excess paint onto a paper towel or a clean portion of the paper plate.  Then, use a light feathering approach with your dry brush onto your piece.  I used white mainly and very little Urbane Bronze for this process.  Use a separate brush for each color you are dry brushing.
3.  If you get too much in an area, use a damp cloth to wipe/blend.  How much you use is truly personal preference.
4. No need to put a protective coat on this.  I think the chalky/matte look is great and with the spray paint as your base coat, it will be fairly durable.

My Fancy Painting Palette 😉

Plastic green planter before:

(I originally got this for a St. Patrick's DIY that I never completed!:

The below candlesticks have been a variety of different colors throughout the years.  At one point they were dark green, then they were an off white chalk paint color.  After I painted them white, they definitely needed some dimension, I just never got around to doing that!  So, I shifted course and used the same process on these as those above.

Dark Green Candlesticks (Before):

Sorry for the blurry photo; it was taken years ago and it was the only picture of the candlesticks I could find when they were still green!

White Chalk Paint application (too boring!):

After:

Painted Candlesticks in Their New Home:

Other household items updated with paint:

The other paint project I completed was transforming this brassy napkin holder (I use as a mail sorter) into a fun metallic silver.  Two light coats of the metallic spray paint provided a great coverage for this piece.  I waited 24 hours before using to ensure it was completely dry/cured.

Napkin holder before:

Napkin Holder AFTER:

Don't forget to PIN THIS FOR LATER!

Decor can be expensive, so finding ways to give your outdated items a new look can really help the pocketbook.  Have you painted any of your old decor?  Painting candlesticks will just be the beginning!

More ideas to update your home with paint:

• How to Update a Mirror with Chalk Paint
• Kitchen Table Transformation Using Chalk Paint and Wood Stain
• Painting Furniture | A Before and After 
• Piano Makeover with Chalk Paint

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear from you!