I love faux mantles and I was lucky enough to find this one at a thrift store. I didn’t love the color but I’m never opposed to getting out my paint brush. I wanted it to look aged and chippy so I decided to use this technique that I had used in the past. It’s so easy! And guess what? It only takes paint, glue, and wax to finish this project. That’s my kind of project, little supplies, and done in a couple of hours.
I started off by sanding down the mantle with my hand sander, only enough to smooth out the rough areas. The paint that I used is from my DIY chalk paint recipe and when using that paint, there is no sanding necessary but I wanted to smooth the area a little before I started as well as wanting to get rid of some of that “orangy” color underneath.
After I wiped off all of the dust from sanding, I used some regular school glue to get the distressed look. This is how it works…I wiped the glue in a thin layer over the mantle and then when the glue was drying (maybe a minute or two later), I painted one coat of chalk paint over the glue. I used a 2″ paint brush for painting.
When the paint starts to dry, the glue starts to crackle, as pictured here.
After the glue and paint were dry, I then used a putty knife to scrape off parts of the paint that I wanted to look chippy. After chipping the desired areas, I painted a second coat, just covering the mantle enough so that the paint was not too thin, while leaving some of the areas alone so that they would remain chippy. Painting over some of the chippy, cracking parts allowed for those areas to look as though there were layers of paint. I love those layers of paint on those old furniture pieces and how they are all chippy and old looking.
After I had all of the areas finished the way that I desired, I used dark wax to antique the mantle a little. I wiped the areas that I was going to wax with a wet rag and then applied the wax with a wet rag too. Wetting the area before applying the wax helps to keep from getting too much wax in one area. When working with dark wax, I always make sure to apply it very sparingly. It’s easy to apply more but not so easy to take off and make the area light colored again once it’s applied. I LOVE this mantle so much and am very happy with the chippy look that I was able to achieve. I will have a tutorial coming soon of how I made this clock from an old table top. My clock hands are on their way! YAY!
Source List:
Rusty Roman Numerals: Thors Forge
White Chairs: Second Hand but are from Pottery Barn with Ikea slipcovers
Glass Coffee Table: Thrift Store and Painted
Jute Rug: Amazon
Rug on top of Jute Rug: Boutique Rugs
Trunks: Thrift Store and Painted with my Chalk Paint Recipe
Wreaths: Target from couple years back
White Fluffy Pillows: Home Goods
Wine Barrel: Garage Sale
Decorative Cloth Pumpkins: Flax and Willow
Clock: Tutorial coming soon on the blog
Frames: Thrift stores and painted
White Pillows: Ikea
Chunky Knit Throw: Whit Knit
Chippy Corbels: Partridge Farms Co
Chippy White Dresser: Painted with Old Barn Milk Paint Sweet Cream
Wood Bowl: Thrift Store
White Painted Pumpkins: DIY
Affiliate links were used in this post to assist you in finding products used and/or home decor. I only use companies that I trust.
I have been waiting for you to post all week. LOL I found your blog last week from Brenda’s Cozy Little House and fell in love with your home. I don’t know when you started blogging but wished I had known about your blog before I moved from my 150 year old house in 2013. We had to downsized to my DH’s health. I sure could have used many of your tutorials and I love your style of decorating outside the box and with repurposing all types of furniture. I spent the weekend reading every post that your wrote. I like how you are always switching stuff around and moving it from room to room, your outside patio is “icing on the cake” and I love, love the way you hung your shades for lighting over the table. I had just finished doing that in my dining room (I flipped the DR/LR) and didn’t have an overhead light in there. I used a vintage shade that I used a crocheted runner to make the shade part and hung it over my DR table. So when I saw your patio, I was in heaven. LOL Also, your chest of drawer with plants on it was a sweet reminder of what I did in my garden. I created a bedroom with a bed for flowers with headboard and frame, fireplace using an old iron fireplace and my chest of drawers (found curb side) held my flowers, etc. Also, hung another vintage lamp shade sans shade and put it on top of a small tree trunk for a “standing lamp” beside the bed. LOL Seeing your home brought back many memories but also new ways of doing things with paint. I appreciate all the hard work you put into your “block” wall. I imagine your hands were sore for a long time. Your pool, fireplace with those great rim baskets of flowers are stunning and of course, the mountains always make my heart skip a beat. You are one talented lady and I love your dog Chester. We are animal lovers too. You have given me incentive to get back into decorating again. After downsizing to a condo (original apartments built in 70’s), I did some painting and decorating but kind lost my incentive. LOl Of course, I turn 76 on the 30 of this month and that may be some of the reason. We go to Florida in the winter and I have a park model trailer with a screen in porch. Giving it a coastal look and you may have given me to incentive to paint the walls. Keep up the great work and I look forward to your next post. Forgive any mistakes I made in my typing.
You are always so inspiring!! And I never knew about the glue trick and wetting the rag with the dark wax makes perfect sense, it always goes on too heavy and harsh! Thank you so much for sharing, I will definitely try these techniques and tag you when I do! ?
Awesome! Can’t wait to see! Thank you so much! ?
Thank you so much Ann!
Great tips. I love all the white and chippy’s in my decor so this is great to know if I want to make some new pieces.
Happy Thursday.
Kris
Thank you Kris! ?
Thank you so much!
You are THE Master!!!! You are my kinda person!!! You are not afraid to try what you have and form definitely follows logic which in the end the results speak for themselves!!! I am going to start working on a faux brick wall “a la Natalie technique “. I am pumped. My hubby is not as open to new things. I am going to have so much fun!!!
That is so awesome! I can’t wait to see yours! Thank you so much!
That’s so awesome Cristan! I can’t wait to see yours!
Hi,
I just ordered the Roman numerals you used for a clock I am making from a table top. I’m wondering where you ordered the clock hands and parts that you are waiting on? I would like to get my supplies as soon as I can 🙂 Thanks so much! I really enjoy you insta stories and blog posts!!
P.s. What diameter is your clock?
Hi, I have a faux mantel as well that I found at an antique fair. Love it. Can I ask, is your mantel just leaning against the wall or did you actually adher to the wall somehow. So far I am just leaning it but deciding if, or really trying to figure out how to adhere.
Hi Peggy! My hubs attached it with a screw and wire so that it wouldn’t fall over but it still moves a little. I had him do that so that I could sit things on it and not worry about it falling over