Thursday, January 31, 2013

PAINTING VASES


Painting a Vase Before and After
 
This vase was painted to accommodate a family room redecorating project I did for friends.  When we had identified the color pallet for the room, I was concerned it would be tough finding the perfect soft blue/teal accessories that matched the paint color and curtains we found. 

The solution - paint our own.  We already had sample paint ready to go, leftover from the paint selection for the wall.  This enabled me to locate vases of a specific size and shape regardless of color (which made bargain shopping even easier).  The first vase was a smooth plastic (seen here) and the second a sort of textured metal.  I figured both would accept paint quite well with primer as the base.  After sanding each piece, I covered them in spray primer.  I’m not sure if this step was completely necessary, but I typically opt for primer when I’m not sure how a unique material will accept regular paint.  To me, the extra step with primer means I’m better safe than sorry.

Painting a Vase
 
The key to painting these (especially the smooth vase) was the brush I chose.  I have a pretty good set of acrylic brushes and I chose a large, flat and very soft artist brush to give a smooth finish.  Spray painting would have provided a very smooth and even finish, but then I wouldn’t have been able to use the custom color (I would have had to pick from the limited selection of spray paint colors, although I've noticed that Lowe's has quite a few fun colors to choose from).  I'm not necessarily saying everything has to perfectly match when decorating, but this was such an unique color of a pale teal blue - I wanted to get it right.  When painting I was careful to use long even strokes from the base to the top to avoid any brush marks.  Also I did several light coats to keep the finish smooth.  Remember - the right brush will make all the difference in the world here.

Here's the vase in the room on the mantel...
Painted Vase on Mantel
 
 
Here's the other vase I painted in the same manner.  It was made of a metal material so priming this one before painting was a must...

Painted Vase on Media Table
 
 
If you are looking to paint a glazed ceramic vase - see my other post here.
 

2 comments:

  1. I love the color, what is the color ? I must go buy it !!

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    1. The color is Café Blue by Valspar 5001-4A. It really is a beautiful color, such a soft blue with just a hint of green in it. Thanks for stopping by! :o)

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