Distressed Painted Picture Frame

Project Overview

Learn how to paint a picture frame with a distressed look. Simple steps for a stylish, vintage touch. Trust me, you'll love it!

Do you like to make home decor for your home? There is something about making it yourself so it perfectly matches your own personality and style. I love it!

Recently, I was given a bunch of frames from work. They are really nice frames but have the company logo on them.

I love my job but that doesn't necessarily mean I want it plastered all over my house.

So I found a fun way to paint the frames and create beautiful decor for my home.

Some supplies were gifted at no cost. When exact item are unavailable online, links may point to comparable products.

This technique can also be used to paint distressed furniture, but I recommend painting something small to get the hang of it before moving on to a larger piece.

Any colors can be used, although I recommend a darker color for the base and a lighter color for the top coat.

Remove the glass and back from the frame.

Paint a base coat over the entire frame to cover the original finish.

My trick to distressing is to use a plastic shopping bag to paint the top coat onto the frame

Cut a grocery bag into 4 pieces, and scrunch the plastic.

Dip the scrunched plastic into the paint and then wipe the paint onto the frame.

Using the bag as the paintbrush gives the look of scratches when applied.

For the best results, apply many thinner coats, so the piece has many layers with visible strokes.

After the frame has been painted with the grocery bag, grab a sanding block and do a bit of light sanding to rough up the paint a little more.

This step is completely optional, but since this is how I used the frame, I thought I would share.

Use a Cricut to cut an inspirational quote out of adhesive vinyl.

I used the quote, a goal not written down is only a wish.

Apply the quote on the glass piece of the frame.

Add a rectangle of cute patterned paper to the back of the frame and reassemble the frame.

The finished frame is cute and it was so easy to make!

Now I have a new inspirational piece for my office, that matches my style.

You can make the paint look weathered and old by not doing a bad job painting the project. Miss spots, show the brush strokes, and sand unevenly to give an even more distressed look.

If you don't have any grocery bags, you could use a garbage bag, a dry crunchy towel, or even steel wool. You want a material that the paint won't soak into and will give harsh lines while painting with it.Keep a paper towel handy to wipe up excess paint after each stroke.By design, a paintbrush applies paint smoothly which is not the final result we are going for.

Yes, you can use any paint to upcycle a picture frame. The distressed look comes from how it is applied.

When sealing, I recommend a polyurethane sealant with a matte finish.The best part of using a sealant on furniture is the piece will look old for a long time! Yeah, it's a little ironic.