Spray Paint Shelf Makeover

I love a bargain. Especially one I can transform for next to nothing. Not long ago, we bought this shelf at auction for $7. It was a typical cheap, brown, varnished, cottage-style shelf. The kind that was probably mass-produced in the ’80s when cottage style was all the rage. Being lightweight I can only assume the shelf was made of pine. I had every intention of painting it and selling it on Facebook Marketplace. I thought I had no use for it. That was until the one-hour shelf makeover happened! There was no chance of it leaving our home once I saw the cute result after a coat of paint.

What I Used for the Shelf Makeover

• detail sander
• a block of pine, two screws and a drill
• matt spray paint in Black

How I Made over the Shelf

To begin the shelf makeover, I gave it a good clean with soapy water. As with most things we score cheaply at auction, the shelf was super grubby. I can imagine it sat in someone’s shed for a long time before I found it. But, the dirtier things are, the cheaper the price. Most people either can’t see the potential or can’t be bothered. But this little shelf was ripe for a makeover.

After cleaning the shelf I thought about how I could refinish it. I didnt’ want to spend a lot of time on this piece as the intention was to flip it on Marketplace. Here’s what I did

Painting the Shelf

You know my obseesion with black mineral paint. It’s so hard for me NOT to paint something black I have to really hold myslef back from doing it so that the piece is a statement, not part of an entire black home! I’ve used black on everything form an outdoor setting to the parkbench in this photo. Our mantel, wardrobe, chiffoneir, a chest of drawers and a little cabinet have also been made over using black mineral paint or spray paint.

For this shelf makeover, I decided on two light coats of Dulux Duramax Flat Black spray paint. I like spray paint with built-in primer as it saves time. Dulux and Rustoleum are two of my go-to brands. They never let me down, produce a quality finish and the entire project can be done in an hour or so.

For this project I gave the shelf a light sand with 120 grit sandpaper using my detail sander. This provides a key for the paint to adhere. I then added the two coats of quick drying spray paint.

My biggest tip when spray painting any item would be to make sure you don’t spray too close to the piece or the paint will run. Spray at around 20cm and resist the urge to try and cover the piece in one go. It’s better to give your item three thin coats than try for overall coverage in one coat. The paint dries fast so you can achieve the desired look in a couple of hours. Leaving it to cure gave me time to find the perfect spot.

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While the paint was drying, I measured a leftover piece of pine to fit the inside of the width of the shelf. I screwed this to the weatherboards next to our back door because I thought it would be perfect to liven up our entrance area. (Our actual front door is around the side of the verandah and has no stairs) Who says you can’t have a shelf near the door? For me, decorating is about being imaginative and thinking outside the box.

After making the batten, we sat the shelf onto the top and Gavin screwed the shelf from the top into the pine to secure it to the wall. If you look carefully you can see the batten hiding under the scalloped top of the shelf but it is not noticeable from the front.

To style the space, I moved our park bench in and touched up its black paint, (don’t look at the leg I misses because I ran aout of paint!) I bought a stack of faux mini cacti in tiny terracotta pots on sale from Spotlight. I love the way the terracotta looks against the black of the shelf and cream of the house. The little pots look old and rustic too which suits our farmhouse.

By adding a hanging ivy in a wicker planter, a couple of rocks from the garden on the shelf for height, the shelf makeover is complete. The total cost with the shelf, paint, and plants was $37 and it became

WAY TOO CUTE TO PART WITH!!