DIY: Wall Picture Upcycle

I was given a nice set of wooden plaques/pictures similar to the ones pictured below.  I liked them, but they didn't quite fit my decor.  Have you ever had that issue before?   Well, I decided to do something about that (see the above picture) and it was easier than you might think...

You will need some supplies.  For this project you will need:

Wooden Plaques, of course

Spray-on Primer

A quart or smaller container of a water based enamel paint in your choice of color(s)

&/or a Spray Paint color or your choice.  If you choose a spray paint be sure to choose one one that coats in one coat.  

Another color for accent (optional) I chose a gold accent for the indentations on the plaques

1"-2" paintbrush - don't get a cheap one or you may have issues with the bristles falling off, making it harder to complete the job since you will have to remove the loose bristles and repaint the area.

Smaller paint brushes for detailing

A Container to hold water for clean-up

Paper towels or a rag

**If you have little ones around - something to keep them entertained

(I'm a mom so first to keep the little one entertained...  I chose paper and watercolor paints:)

Next, the first thing you want to do is prime all the plaques with two coats of the spray on primer. This is an important step and one you do not want to skip.  Since these plaques tend to be very slick and with a primer the paint can slide off or scratch off easily.

The key is to do thin even layers, from top to bottom - only slightly overlapping the layer before it.  Do not spray on too heavily or the paint will puddle or drip.  Follow the directions on the can.  Spray in an open area - cover anything you do not want damaged by the over-spray.  You can also use a primer in a can but it may take longer to dry.  Apply the second coat like the first.

For my plaques, I had two smaller plaques and two longer ones.  The longer plaques had small mirrors but I chose to spray over them.  Otherwise, I would've had to cover each mirror individually with tape.  It was more work than I wanted to put in.  For the smaller plaques, I spray painted them a nice aqua bluish color using the same technique I used with the primer - making sure I waited for each layer to dry.

Next, I used my paintbrush and enamel to paint the longer plaques red.  Just a word of caution here - do not use too much paint.  As I mentioned before, the plaques had mirrors, so there were deep "wells" where the mirrors sat and paint can puddle in these areas.  I used the smaller paint brushes to spread the paint around when this did happen.  After I applied one layer I allowed it to dry before applying the second layer. This is much harder than the spray paint since you can get brush stokes.  If you prefer a smoother finish, I suggest spray paint if you're new to painting with a brush. 

Finally, I touched up any edges or areas that didn't have paint or needed a touch up.  Then I got my gold paint and began doing the accents.  To be honest this part was tedious, so much so, I stopped midway through.  One of my daughter's finished the job though and then hung up our lovely paintings next to one of my original pieces of art!

I hope you liked this "Tuto", if you have any questions or have something you'd like to add - just leave us a comment below.  Also, let us know what other kinds of tutorials you'd like to see!

(Aiko had fun, too!)

Be Blessed!!