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You are here: Home / Crafting / How To Paint Plastic To Look Like Vintage Metal

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How To Paint Plastic To Look Like Vintage Metal

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I absolutely love using vintage crates, baskets, and boxes as stylish storage – unfortunately, they aren’t always easy to find.  

So I found an inexpensive solution: paint ordinary plastic bins to look like vintage metal.  All it took was three simple steps and now they look fantastic!

Awesome tutorial on how to paint inexpensive dollar store bins to look like vintage metal locker bins

I started with two plastic bins that looks like lockers baskets and a plastic bucket, all from the dollar store.  They were all in very bright, happy shades that just weren’t what I was looking for at all.  But not anymore!

 

dollar store storage before

 

This post contains some affiliate links.  See my full disclosure here.

Materials for Painted Metal Finish

Inexpensive plastic container

Gray primer

Chalkboard paint

Silver craft paint

Foam brush

Clean rag

 

Paints for vintage metal look

I started with primer.  I chose to use gray automobile primer because it sticks really well to plastic and gives a great matte gray finish.  You can pick a can of this up at most home improvement stores for just a few dollars.

gray primer

Once the primer was dry, I pulled out the chalkboard paint.  Chalkboard paint also has a nice matte finish. 

I used a foam brush to rub a thin coat of chalkboard paint on and then immediately wiped the excess off with an old rag.

chalkboard paint

The final step was to add a hint of shine.  I used some silver craft paint and a chip brush. 

I just barely loaded some silver paint onto the ends of the brush and then wiped the excess off onto a paper towel before lightly dry brushing it onto the bins.

silver paint

The final effect looks pretty authentic to me! 

And super affordable.  The bins and bucket were each a dollar.  I had all of the other supplies on hand but even if you had to buy them, you should be able to pick up all three paints for around ten dollars. 

Not a bad deal – especially if you are planning to do several bins at a time.

How to paint plastic to look like aged metal - an easy way to update storage from the dollar store

dollar store bucket

I’m sure these will eventually find their way into my sons’ rooms, but for now I’m using one locker bin to corral some books on our bookcase.

locker bin on bookcase

And the bucket was the perfect size to hold our winter hats and mittens.

faux metal bucket

And you can bet I’m already looking for more cute containers that are just waiting to be discovered and transformed into ‘vintage metal.’

Looking for more easy ways to get that vintage metal look on the cheap?  Check out these projects:

Make your own industrial metal letters

industrial vintage letters

DIY Vintage Metal Stencils

stencils

silver painted plastic bins

How to paint plastic to look like vintage metal

Yield: 2 Plastic Bins
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Estimated Cost: $5-$10

Paint inexpensive plastic bins to look like vintage metal with three simple steps.

Materials

  • Gray Primer
  • Chalkboard Paint
  • Silver Craft Paint

Tools

  • Foam Brush
  • Clean Rag

Instructions

  1. Paint the bin with gray primer.
  2. Once the primer is dry, use the foam brush to rub a thin coat of chalkboard paint on the bin, then immediately wipe it off with the rag.
  3. Dry brush silver paint on to the bin to give it a little shine.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • FolkArt Metallic Acrylic Paint in Assorted Colors (2 oz), 662, Silver Sterling
    FolkArt Metallic Acrylic Paint in Assorted Colors (2 oz), 662, Silver Sterling
  • Rust-Oleum Available 206540 Chalkboard Brush-On, Black, 30-Ounce, 30 oz
    Rust-Oleum Available 206540 Chalkboard Brush-On, Black, 30-Ounce, 30 oz
  • Rust-Oleum, Gray, GrayRust-Oleum 249279 Automotive Filler Primer Spray Paint, 11 oz, 11-Ounce
    Rust-Oleum, Gray, GrayRust-Oleum 249279 Automotive Filler Primer Spray Paint, 11 oz, 11-Ounce

Did you make this project?

I'd love for you to leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest!

© Carrie
Project Type: Storage / Category: DIY Decor

I originally posted this tutorial at Domestically Speaking on 1/28/2015.  The project and all photos are my own.

 

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16 Comments

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Comments

  1. Dacia @ Lemon Drop Life says

    April 24, 2015 at 8:16 am

    Love this idea! They turned out great!!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      April 24, 2015 at 8:50 pm

      Thanks Dacia!

      Reply
  2. Kate says

    October 11, 2015 at 12:02 pm

    If I wanted to give it a hint of a tad of ‘rust’ would I use some brown spray base?

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      October 14, 2015 at 10:09 am

      Kate, I am not sure because I haven’t ever tried that. But it seems like that would work well. Or you could dry brush a rusty color around the edges at the end.

      Reply
  3. TC says

    October 27, 2015 at 6:57 am

    This is super awesome! And your photos and steps are very easy to follow. Super, super cool!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      October 28, 2015 at 10:01 pm

      Thanks! It is good to hear the tutorial was easy to follow – I’m always working on that!

      Reply
  4. Raquel says

    November 18, 2015 at 11:18 am

    Love this idea! The look of tin is so pretty but they can be pricey. Pinning!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      November 21, 2015 at 2:33 pm

      Thanks Raquel! That is exactly how I feel. Of course, I would love to have the real thing. But I think this is an awesome alternative for super cheap!

      Reply
  5. April Hamilton says

    March 26, 2016 at 12:28 am

    How have these held up? Did the paint scratch off over time, just wanted to know before I decide if I’m going to try this.

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      March 30, 2016 at 8:42 pm

      So far they have held up great and the paint hasn’t scratched off at all. I haven’t used them for anything super high traffic like holding toys though.

      Reply
  6. Julia L. says

    April 13, 2016 at 10:10 pm

    I’m so excited to try this! I’m planning to do this on some large planters for my patio- we’ll see how they hold up outside, but I won’t mind doing some touch up next year if they need it. The look you achieved is exactly what I was looking for- thanks for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      April 14, 2016 at 10:12 pm

      Thanks Julia! I don’t know how it will hold up outside either because I haven’t tried it but it is definitely worth a try!

      Reply
  7. Debbie says

    May 20, 2016 at 9:43 am

    I am considering doing this to hold ice and drinks at my wedding… Do you think the paint would be ok?

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      May 21, 2016 at 10:58 pm

      I haven’t tried it with liquid inside, but I’m not sure I would advise it. You would definitely need to put some type of sealer over the paint and I would probably do a test run first to make sure the paint holds up.

      Reply
  8. Tirré says

    August 6, 2016 at 4:21 pm

    I am going to try this with some clear wall pockets I have. A nice vintage look.

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      August 8, 2016 at 10:02 am

      Thanks Tirre, I think that is an awesome idea!

      Reply

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