Creating a French Country Look with Spray Paint
We’re creating a French Country look with spray paint and wax today!
As we get ready to welcome another season, now is a great time to knock out big and small DIY projects.
My Mom used to have this shelf hanging up in the dining room of her primary home, Bliss Barracks for years.
She recently decided to hang wall art in its place. But my Mom loved the designs on the metal shelf so much, that she had a hard time letting it go.
Given my parents still live at my childhood home, Loblolly, part-time, I assured her we could give the shelf a French Country feel with just a little bit of paint and dark wax.
Besides, we’re already collecting home décor items to give Loblolly a refresh anyway and I think it will be a perfect fit.
Here are a Few Simple Tips on Creating a French Country Look with Spray Paint…
Creating a French Country Look with Spray Paint Supplies:
- Metal Shelf (You could also use a wall plaque, corbel, salvage piece or even a flowerpot)
- Spray Paint (We used Rust oleum’s White Spray Paint in a Satin Finish)
- Dark Paste Wax
- Wax Brush
- Deco Art Chalky Paint, optional (We used the color Primitive)
- Lint Free Cloth
- Fine Grit Sandpaper
Creating a French Country Look with Spray Paint Steps:
Make sure your decorative piece is clean and free from dirt or debris.
Using caution and care, spray paint your decorative piece in a well-ventilated area (preferably outside) and allow it to dry completely.
We sprayed this metal shelf with two light and uneven coats of Rust oleum’s White Spray Paint in a Satin finish. But my preference would have been Flat White. They didn’t have it in stock at the time though.
Spraying uneven coats allows for an “aged over time” look when you’re adding layers as opposed to a “factory finish” look.
Once your decorative piece is dry, begin creating a French Country look with dark wax. If you’ve never used dark wax before, a little definitely goes a long way.
You can apply the wax with a lint-free cloth but using a wax brush will help you get into all the nooks and crannies.
You can check out this post, How to Clean a Wax Brush With Ease, if you need some tips on caring for your wax brushes.
After the dark wax has dried to a haze, you can highlight the raised or embellished areas with chalky paint if desired.
We used Deco Art’s Chalky Paint in Primitive and applied it with an old t-shirt.
Once the additional paint layer has dried, use a fine-grit sandpaper to lightly sand over your decorative piece.
We used 220-grit, but you could also use a fine-grit sanding block.
Decorating with French Country Inspired Pieces…
After creating a French Country look with spray paint for this metal shelf, I realized you could use it in a bookcase, library, or even a hutch too.
I’m not sure where we’re going to use it at Loblolly yet, but it feels good to have options.
Bonus, French Country home décor pieces are not always easy to find especially at affordable prices so it’s nice to know we can always create our own French Country look using this technique!
Let us know how you’re creating a French Country look with spray paint this season.
Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.Other French Country Posts to Enjoy:
- French Country Cabinet Makeover
- French Country Table Makeover
- How to Give a Dresser a French Country Feel
- DIY French Country Mantel Art
- French Country Painted Planter
Many blessings,
CoCo
CoCo
I hope you are having a lovely week! I love to see what you come up with every week. I love french country and think this looks amazing! Great Job Friend.
I really appreciate it, Meagan, thank you so much! It’s been fun collecting small things here and there for my childhood home. I can’t wait to see how it all comes together. I hope your Mother’s Day weekend is filled with all good things. I swear it feels like it was just Easter! Hugs, CoCo
Beautiful.
Thanks so much, Denise, I really appreciate it! Hope you’re having a great week, CoCo
Hi Coco, this is a beautiful piece, not surprised your mum didn’t want to get rid of it. I love the re-do, giving something new life always feels so good.xx
It really does, Janette! I’ll be bringing it to my Mom this weekend so I can’t wait to see where it ends up. It feels like we have a lot of great options which is always snice. Hope you’re having a great week, CoCo
I love this update and upcycle. Paint is magical and it gave this piece new life.
This turned out perfect as all your projects do!!
So right a bit of wax goes a long way. Pinned!
Thank you so much, Cindy! I swear the power of paint and wax never gets old. Can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to this week. Heading over now! Big hugs, CoCo
Hi CoCo! This is such an interesting piece! You know I love all things French country, so I think the makeover looks fabulous! Seems like white paint and antique wax are my go-to products most of the time! Hope you have a wonderful week, Donna
They do make such a pretty combination, Donna! I’m hoping we’ll still be able to use it as a shelf but it’s fun to think there are lots of great options. I swear I’ll never get over the power of paint and wax. Big hugs, CoCo
This is stunning, CoCo!! I love how it came out. The pattern on the tin is so lovely!! Thanks so much for sharing this!
I really appreciate it, Rachel! All it took was one look at my Mom’s face and I knew we had to find a way to save this piece. I can’t wait to see where it winds up at Loblolly. Big hugs, CoCo
It’s great that you saved this piece and gave it another life. Now it looks right at home on your shelf. Have a happy weekend!
Thank you, Marie! I’ll never get over the power of paint and breathing fresh life into old pieces. There is just something magical about it that amazes me every step of the way. Big hugs, CoCo
This really looks beautiful CoCo.
I really appreciate it, Kim, thank you so much! Big hugs, CoCo