Faux Industrial Monogram made from unpainted wood! | littleredwindow.com
So I’ve been painting and re-doing furniture and wood things for almost 20 years which is kind of crazy to think about. For whatever reason it’s just something I’ve always loved. And my parents were incredibly patient with my crazy plans to redo all my bedroom furniture. My bed involved splatter paint (it was the early 90’s, what do you expect?!) and I painted a perfectly nice desk with clouds, I even redid a horribly ugly metal office trashcan that had a chicken on it and I still have it (why in the world did I even have a trashcan with a chicken on it, mom??) The thing is, I just always loved the transformative power of paint.
Eventually someone gave me a book (this was pre-internet remember) full of faux painting techniques. I pored over that thing like it was required for a test. It was just so amazed what people could do with paint. That being said, at some point I came to my senses and realized that perhaps sponge painted walls and faux marble were not actually so cool after all. Cool in theory, but usually not so great in reality. And oddly, as much as I loved that book I don’t actually think I ever tried any of the paint “treatments”. I guess if you ever watched Trading Spaces it became painfully clear that a lot of the time, unless you’re a professional, they can be a little much.
So the fact that I’m writing about a faux paint technique is kind of a surprise even to me. Just promise you’ll stop me if I ever start posting about sponge painting my living room walls, ok?
Anyway, I am so so into the Industrial design that’s popular right now. And I really know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But you know, former architect, interested in how things are built, blah blah blah. It just totally does it for me. And bonus points if it’s something vintage. Unfortunately around here, that usually comes with a huge price tag. In fact, Aa and I were just talking with someone about how when you live in a major urban area like Chicago, going thrifting or looking for salvage is basically pointless. There are too many professional buyers snapping up all the good stuff and selling it for way too much. And the turnover is too high. You’re just not going to find a hidden treasure in the local resale store, it has been picked over a thousand times. We have a couple favorite salvage stores we love to go to but we never actually buy anything because the prices are insane. So that’s how I ended up going Faux Industrial on my own. It was born out of desperation! Anyway, I’m surprisingly happy with how this one turned out, it could have easily been a disaster. If you give it a try, let me know!
Faux Metal Industrial Monogram
Acrylic Craft Paint
Small piece of poster board or thin cardboard
1. So here’s what my MDF letter looked like when I bought it:
2. I started with a thin coat of a dark charcoal gray (Martha Stewart Craft Paint in Arrowhead) And the trick to this whole thing is that I applied the paint with my fingers. Acryclic paint is fairly nontoxic (don’t eat it or anything) and it washes right off but you could wear gloves if you want. I wanted an uneven coat and I didn’t feel like I could get that with a brush. You can see that the color of the wood is showing through quite a bit. This color was pretty cool and I wanted the brown to show through and warm it up a little. I also wanted to still see some texture and variation.
3. When that was dry, I washed my hands started adding a very thin coat of a metallic color on top (Martha Stewart Craft Pain in Rose Gold – nope, not a Martha ad, those just happened to be the colors I had on hand). I used my fingers again to kind of massage it in.
4. Then I went back and added a little more of the charcoal color along the edges so it would look a little more realistically worn.
5. To make the rivets I painted a small piece of poster board the exact same way and when that was dry I used a regular hole punch to punch a bunch of little dots.
6. My posterboard was white so I did have to add a little charcoal to the edges of the dots. Then I brushed a little glue on the back and glued them in the corners of the letter.
I am so happy with the end result! The metallic paint gives it a little sheen but it’s not shiny and the textured and rich finish ended up looking kind of galvanized which is great. I can’t wait to hang it up!
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Fabrication says
I’m trying to do something similar with an industrial metal letter that I snagged at an antique store. (Hence my finding your post during my obsessive Googling!) I’m just wondering how you got the foam to stay put in your letter? Did you glue it, or did you use some other method?
purnell says
Your letter looks great! I’m trying to do something similar with an industrial metal letter that I snagged at an antique store. (Hence my finding your post during my obsessive Googling!) I’m just wondering how you got the foam to stay put in your letter? Did you glue it, or did you use some other method?
divya sharma says
You are a genius. This is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Leanne says
This is awesome! Never would have guessed it was MDF. Could have fooled me.
Jodi says
I love this and will try it on a larger scale. Wish me luck!
Cassie May says
Good luck! I’d love to see it!
Christine | Where The Smiles Have Been says
This is such a great (and easy) project! It truly does look like metal…and those simple rivets are genius. Definitely pinning this one!
Kathy says
You did an awesome job – it really looks great! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
Kathy
Jennifer Dawn says
This turned out fantastic! You are so creative!
Megan Walker says
I loved Trading Spaces too!!! I think it might have been the first big redesign show on TV. I remember one of the designers used actual hay as a faux paint treatment one time. The homeowners were so appalled, because one of them had terrible allergies!!! Faux paint is best left to the professionals, as you said, but I love this technique on the letter. It really does look galvanized!
Kelly says
Well done! It turned out great 🙂
Rachel @{i love} my disorganized life says
OK- this is seriously such an awesome project! So glad you shared it at Wednesday Whatsits!
Cassandra May says
Thanks Rachel!! 🙂
Stephanie C. says
Visiting from the Whip It Up Wednesday Link Party! This is awesome, I am pinning and definitely will be adding this to both of my boys’ bedrooms, thanks for sharing.
Brittany Sneed says
This is such a good idea!
I will have to remember it for any future party decorations I might need. A little boy construction party comes to mind 🙂
Painting it with your fingers really gives the right affect!
Thank you for sharing !
Cassandra May says
oh my gosh, that would be so cute for a contruction party! Love it!
Mari says
Love this share and even more so since it featured my initial lol!!!
Great idea