Distressed metal with chalk paint is an easy way to make metal look old with paint. All you need is paint and sandpaper to get a worn look.

I love the distressed look. It doesn’t matter if you are working with metal, glass or wood the techniques is basically the same for all.

Distressing chalk paint with sandpaper is a super easy way to get this worn look. So, I am going to show you how to do it with this Dollar Tree metal flower container.

All you need is a few basic supplies and you can achieve the perfect aged, worn look on any surface.

Let’s get started!

If you love DIY metal projects you can click here to find more metal crafts inspiration!

AND….

If you love chalk painted projects and would like to see more, check out this post.

45 fabulous craft projects using chalk paint!

Distressed Metal – Flower Container

If you have wondered how to distress chalk paint on metal then you are in the right place.

Now I did not do too much distressing on this project but that doesn’t mean you can’t. You can sand and sand to get the exact distressed look you are wanting.

There are a few items necessary to get this done.

Materials Needed

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• Dollar Tree metal flower container
• Wood parts for little feet – optional – I got mine at a garage sale
• Rustoleum black spray paint and primer
• Chalk Paint – Dixie Belle Blue
• Gator Hide Sealer
• Sanding Block
• Paint Brush
• Sponge Brush
• E6000 adhesive

Step 1: Prepare and add feet to the flower container

There are a couple of things to do to prepare the flower container.

First of all there are no holes in the bottom. So if you are really going to plant flowers in it you need to drill some holes in it. If you are going to use this for faux flowers or greenery then skip this step.

Next prepare the little wood parts for gluing. This means sand the area where the glue will go. This will help it to adhere better.

These little pieces came in a baggie from a garage sale. I knew they would be perfect for many projects so I grabbed them for $0.25. What a bargain.

You can find similar pieces at hobby lobby too. I have used pieces like this to make my mini rolling pins for my tiered trays.

Decide where you want them and adhere them using the E6000 adhesive. This stuff is nice and strong!

Step 2: Spray it black

Next place the flower container upside down and spray the entire thing black.

I like to do this so when I sand off the top color of paint the black to shows through. Although this time it didn’t work as well as before. I am not sure why. You will see later.

Let it dry completely. Mine only needed one coat. Yay!

Step 3: Add the chalk paint

In the supplies photo above I had the yellow chalk paint. That was going to be my first choice but I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to go with the blue.

I love this color.

I used a small brush and painted between the top and the bottom rim of the metal container.

This is how it looked after one coat.

I gave it one more coat of paint. That covered it well.

Step 4: Distress metal with sandpaper

This is where the magic happens.

Use your sand paper or sanding block to sand the chalk paint and distress the metal to look old and worn.

On this project I really wanted the black spray paint to show through. But it seemed like it was down to the silver metal every time.

Maybe I sanded too hard or I needed to use a finer sanding block, but it didn’t turn out as I pictured in my head.

I still love the look I got though. I was not disappointed for long. Now, as I mentioned earlier I wasn’t looking for a lot of distressing on this flower container. I mostly wanted the raised text to stand out with a worn look here and there.

You can see that the text is great but the other distressed parts are down to the silver metal. I may have done more if I had seen the black paint underneath. This techniques is something I have done many times in the past so I am not sure why it did that.

A finer sanding block may have been the answer and I probably should have been a little more gentle with my sanding. Patience may be a good thing in this instance.

But…I still love it.

Step 5: Seal the paint

If this is going to get wet at all it needs a sealer. I am not sure if I am going to use it outside or give it as a gift. But either way I am going to seal it. If I decide to give it away it could still be used outside.

So, I am using Gator Hide by Dixie Belle Paint Co.

Poor a small amount into a disposable bowl and use a sponge brush to apply over the paint.

I applied two coats of the Gator Hide waiting at least 2 hours between coats.

Didn’t it turn out super cute despite my mistakes in distressing the chalk paint? I think it did.

I love it and can you see my cute chalk painted fence decor in the background? It is so colorful.

If you love decorating your own flower pots you will love these from OurCraftymom. How to decoupage with napkins to make beautiful flower pots.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Michelle