Paint plain glass vases with a pretty neutral chalk-based paint to get the look of clay pottery. Try our two-step way to transform those empty floral glass vases taking up space in your cabinet.
Here is a ridiculously easy way to turn your plain glass floral vases into pretty pottery pieces: paint them!
Chalk-based Paint for the Look
The secret to this simple transformation is chalk-based paint, which has a matte finish that resembles pottery. Pottery with a matte glaze is very popular right now and you’ll see lots of options on your favorite home decor sites or in stores. While they aren’t super expensive, why not repurpose some of those generic glass vases you already have? We know you have some.
We used our own She Shades paints for the project. We already know that our paints, which are formulated for both exterior and interior use, work well on terra cotta, metal, plaster, wood and glass surfaces. Since we wanted to get a really natural shade — almost like an unadorned clay — we decided to combine two of our shades for the desired effect.
Painted Vase How-to
Here are the easy steps to creating a pottery-style vase:
Step 1
Clean and dry your selected glass vases. We recommend painting at least two vases, and ideally three, so that you can group them. Select a high-quality brush and small containers of your desired chalk-based paint. Our two vases used only half of each of our 2 oz. size She Shades, so you could easily cover a third vase with this amount. Have a mixing bowl handy.
Step 2
Combine your selected paints (we used equal parts Farmhouse Linens and Queen Anne’s Lace) in a small bowl. (If you wash your bowl quickly after use with soap and water you can remove all of the paint). Mix thoroughly with your paintbrush.
Step 3
Paint the vase in long, even strokes, leaving the top rim unpainted so that you can turn it upside down to dry. Paint the bottom, too. You can apply just one coat on the base so that when you paint the second coat, the vase can rest on its base. Wait at least a couple of hours, then paint a second coat, this time painting the top rim. Allow to dry overnight.
The Finishing Florals
We are thrilled with how pretty our vases turned out. They have a warm late summer/early fall look with a gathering of dried natural plants. Other types of arrangements to consider include pussy willow, white hydrangea, fall leaves or cattails.
You can find our 13 shades of She Shades here. Please show us your finished “pottery piece” and have fun repurposing your glass vases.
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