Do you love the trend of vintage looking pottery? You can find it everywhere, from Pottery barn to Target. These textured vases have also caught my eye! If you’ve been following along for a while you know in the spring we shared how to create a faux stone looking bunny for Easter. As I was pulling out my fall decorations this year, I thought I’d like to add a tall vintage looking textured vase to my fall display.
A while back I picked up a tall vase at the thrift store for $2. I knew it would be perfect for this project.
Scroll down and see what I used to create this gorgeous textured vase with supplies I already had on hand.
Textured Vase Inspiration
Several months ago Steph and I spent some time strolling through Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. We love to browse these stores for inspiration. Not only were we inspired, but also excited to try our hand at recreating this amazing vintage looking pottery that looks like it’s been around for centuries.
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Take a look at my thrifted vase. There’s nothing special about it, then take a look at what we created with a little creativity. Can you believe it’s the same vase?
We love to take on a challenge like this take a thrift store find and transform it into something amazing that resembles the look at Pottery Barn.
On a recent trip to Pottery Barn we fell in love with a cross bar hurricane, but it was just to price.
You can see our Pottery Barn dupe here.
Prepare the Vase for Texture
The thrift store vase had already been painted. With this in mind, I wanted to make sure that the texture would adhere well, so I decided to spray it with some primer. Just a little peace of mind, I hate to go to all that work and have it chip off.
Supplies Needed:
For this project you will need:
- vase (old or new)
- primer (optional)
- drywall joint compound
- dirt
- putty knife
- sponge
- paint brushes
- paint (I used an off-white, taupe, brown and dark grey acrylic paint)
Prepare Drywall Joint Compound
Prepare joint compound, by adding a little water and stirring so that it’s a little thinner than usual.
Then pour in a little dirt, I started with about 1/4 cup of dirt. After incorporating the dirt I decided to add about 1/4 cup more. You’ll want it to be thick enough that it sticks well to the vase and is gritty from the dirt.
Create Textured Vase with Joint Compound
Begin applying the joint compound mixture to the vase with a putty knife. You may want to wear gloves for this, drywall compound really drys out your skin.
Completely cover the entire vase with this mixture. Feel free to use your hands if that’s easier. I used both the putty knife and my fingers to get it the way I wanted it.
Once the textured vase is completely covered with the joint compound mud mixture, let dry for 10-15 minutes.
At this time, take a sponge to dab and remove any peaks or ridges, as well as any marks from the putty knife.
Let the textured vase dry completely before adding color and dimension with paint.
Create Age on Textured Vase with Paint
Once the vase is completely dry it’s time to add dimension and a sense of age with layers of paint. Without a doubt, this is the fun part!
I wanted the base color for my textured vase to be an off white, so I added a little taupe to some white paint that I had on hand.
The textured surface of the vase is very porous. With this in mind you’ll want to cover the entire surface of the vase with paint. This will seal and protect the textured finish.
Create Depth and Dimension with Paint
Now that the vase is painted with the base color, finally it’s time to have some fun and add in the vintage and aged look with layers of paint.
For my vase I used the following colors to add depth, dimension and an aged look:
- taupe
- brown
- dark grey
First I began to dab on the taupe color randomly over the textured vase surface. Following this I took a damp coffee filter and blended in the color to soften the edges.
You want this layer to add shadows, like the vase has been sitting out in the weather for decades.
The second color I added to the textured vase was the brown. The brown paint I used has red undertones and gives the feel of a bit of terra cotta showing through.
Once again, I randomly dabbed on the color and blended it in with a damp coffee filter.
Finally, add the dark grey in a few spots. Dab on the grey paint in the deeper crevices of the textured vase and blend once again with the damp coffee filter.
You can see here how the dark grey paint remains in the crevices and really add depth and dimension to the vase.
Randomly add the dark grey paint here and there around the vase. Then let completely dry.
Styled DIY Textured Vase
I styled my textured vase with some twigs along with the other textured vase we made using plaster.
Did you know you can also create texture on a vase with paint? Get all of the details here.
Doesn’t it look amazing?! Doesn’t it look like pottery that’s centuries old?
For more DIY ideas for your home checkout our 50 Amazing Flea Market Flips.
It this a project you are going to try? Do you have something lying around your house you’d like to try this technique on? We’d love to know your thoughts on this project.
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this is the first time that i have seen your channel. wow. such a nice project. want to try. i am however, thinking of using a large vase that is looking rather trashish. couldn’t i use cement or something so that it can withstand the outside weather? sounds funny, anyway, ideas? i am so happy to have found this website. made my day. thanks.
Thank you Marlene, you’re so kind! So happy to hear from you. We have not tried cement on a project like this, but it just may work. We’d love to hear your results! We have used the featherweight concrete over plywood to create a concrete countertop. https://www.2thesunnyside.com/inexpensive-master-bathroom-makeover/ It worked really well for that. If you have any questions or comments we’d love to hear from you!
Can you please post what colors you used for the darker vase?
Thank you for your question Jamie. For the main color we used Perfect taupe, Behr sample then for the shading colors we used Ceramcoat, Autumn Brown, Burnt Siena, Candy bar and a mossy green color. I hope this is helpful for you.
What was the vase made of…..ceramic, pottery, glass?
Hi Kathy, the vase was an old ceramic vase. This technique also works on glass too.
LOved your tutorial… voice pleasant and nice you made parts go faster…
Will try it soon and comment when I finish some.
Thank you Anne. We’d love to hear how yours turns out.
awesome, great directions, my next project!
Thank you for visiting our site Patricic. Let us know yours turns out!
Looks good. Had a real belly laugh when you said add dirt to the joint compound! It totally makes sense, just funny. You did a great make over. Is it sealed for outside? Wonder if this would hold up, as long as no danger of frost or freezing. Never used to consider this until I moved to COLD country! It’s not yet Halloween and it’s snowed and now it’s 31 out!
Thanks Jaxs, I’m glad we put a smile on your face. I did not put any sealer on it. It you were to put it outside I would use a exterior sealer. I would be concerned though if there was extremes in temperature, I’m not sure if it would crack from the change in temperatures.