How to Paint a Vase with an Aged Look

Create your own beautiful aged and textured vase for a fraction of the price. In this tutorial, we will teach you how to paint a vase with an aged look using paint and Saltwash.

Follow along to create an amazing home decor piece with an aged and rustic feel.

With our step-by-step instructions, you can give a thrift store vase an amazing makeover that looks high-end.

Gather your supplies and follow along to paint a vase with an aged look for your home.

Try out different paint colors to create the perfect piece customized for your home.

In this post . . .

How Do I add Texture to My Vase?

If you’ve been following us for a while, you know we love the aged and textured look of pottery from Pottery Barn.

And this is not our first textured vase. We’ve experimented and created vases using drywall compound, mud and plaster.

In addition we used that same plaster technique on thrift store bunnies.

But now I’ve discovered that the easiest way by far to add texture to a vase is with Saltwash added to my paint.

We’ve been using Saltwash for years on furniture like this console table and picture frame applications, so we thought we’d give it a try on a vase.

And guess what?! We love it for this application too.

This is not a sponsored post, but I really love how easy it is to get that textured look I want in a matter of minutes.

Let’s get started!

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Paint a Vase Supplies

To create a textured vase with paint you’ll need a few supplies, many you may already have on hand.

old vase
primer
off-white spray paint
white paint (use what you have on hand, you’ll just need a couple of tablespoons)
griege paint
Saltwash
chipbrush
TSP degreaser

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How To Paint a Vase with Saltwash

Two thrift store pottery pieces ready fro makeover.

Recently on a thrifting excursion, we came across these two canisters. They were brand new with the tags still on from Nordstroms.

And would you believe it was $1.50 for both!

Clearly we snagged them up, knowing we could change them with paint to fit our style.

We love it when we score great pieces like these!

Do you love thrifting?

Clean Vase

Before you start any painting project you’ll want to give your piece a good cleaning.

You’ll want to make sure to use a degreaser to remove any residue that may be on your vase.

We like to use TSP. But you can also use Dawn or Krud Kutter.

Prime Vase

Paint vase with primer to prep for textured paint.

I do like to prep my piece with primer before painting. It will ensure that I won’t get any flaking or chipping once the vase is finished.

Definitely there are many products that are a paint and primer in one, but I find I get a better finish if I prime first.

One coat of primer is great and then you are ready to paint your vase.

Paint Vase

Once the primer is dry, apply one coat of paint in an off-white color. This will be the base color for painting a textured vase.

Mix Saltwash into Paint

Saltwash is a paint additive that can be mixed into any paint. It has a blue tint, but will not change the color of your paint.

It’s made from real sea salt and will turn any paint into a matte finish.

Saltwash is great for adding texture to a variety of furniture and home decor pieces.

In fact, you can even use it to add texture to art.

I’m mixing Saltwash into 2 colors of paint. The first is a greige color and the second is white.

This paint is leftover latex wall paint from a previous project.

Mix Saltwash paint additive to grey paint.

Mix Saltwash paint additive to white paint.

It doesn’t take much paint to create these two vases, just a couple of tablespoons.

To the paint you’ll then add about a tablespoon of Saltwash.

This does not need to be an exact measurement. The paint should thicken and be stiff enough to pounce onto the vase and create texture.

Apply Saltwash Paint to Vase

To achieve a texture paint, add Saltwash to paint and pounce on a painted vase.

To apply the paint I’m using an old chip brush. You’ll apply it in a pouncing motion to create texture.

Begin with the darker color and tap on the Saltwash paint mixture, letting some of the off-white base color show through.

Let dry.

To get a textured vase, pounce on white paint with Saltwash added to the paint.

Then repeat this pouncing technique with the white Saltwash mixture, allowing some of the off-white and greige colors to show.

Continue until the entire vase is covered with the 2 layers of the Saltwash paint mixture.

Allow to thoroughly dry and that’s it!

Pretty quick and easy!

Style and Enjoy your Painted Vase

Paint a vase with Saltwash, for a rustic textured look, styled with pink tulips.

I love the way this vase turned out! The texture is amazing and it looks so beautiful on my Easter table.

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We hope this tutorial will help you create a stunning Pottery Barn inspired vase with an aged look for your home.

Clearly, this easy DIY project is sure to impress and add rustic charm to your home.

And aren’t these artificial tulips so life-like. I found them on Amazon and I’m so pleased with how good they look.

You’ll find a link to the tulips in our Shared Vision shopping list above.

Now that you know how to paint a vase with an aged look, are you ready to add personality and charm to your home with a painted vase?!

What else would you like to add this paint finish to?

We’d love to hear from you!

We hope you found some inspiration for your home today.

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This Post Has 2 Comments

Shirley March 16, 2023 Reply

These are really nicely done! I love the look very much! Yeah pottery barn is soooo expensive for things like this but they always have such pretty things.
1. Michelle Dickson March 16, 2023 Reply
  
  Thank you Shirley. We just window shop at Pottery Barn. It’s always great for inspo. Have a great day!