Distress Paint with Vaseline!

March 30, 2012 By

Hey friends!  Thanks so much for all of your sweet comments and pins on our Mason Jar Planter Box we made our Meme.

As promised I am back to share a quick, easy and of course cute paint method to get that perfect “shanty” finish!

This is so simple and really fun to do!  You will need two paints…. A base coat and a top coat.

For your base coat you can use anything… Acrylic, latex and even spray paint.  I used acrylic here because it’s cheap and dries really quickly.  Here is the color I used.

Do you like my paper plate very professional paint tray?? ;-)

First you want to put a coat of your base color on any surface that you want to peek through.  I like to shanty up the edges and corners so that is what I did.  You can paint the whole thing if you want it more distressed.

After that dries it’s time for your Vaseline!  Yup… Vaseline!

I like to get the tubes of it from the baby section at Target because it’s less messy.

Just rub a little vaseline on any surface you want to show through your top coat.  Again I did my corners and edges but you can add more or less depending on your taste!  The Vaseline will keep your top coat from sticking.

This is great because it softens your hands in the process ;-) !

After you have applied your vaseline it is time for your top coat!  I used latex paint for mine.  I do think it distresses the best, but you can also use acrylic.  Mine is an Olympic color called Off White… Pretty easy!  I put one coat over the entire box. Depending on the color you may want to use two coats.

Now let that dry really good!  Once it is dry it’s time for the fun part!  I use an 80-grit sanding block to distress mine, and you can also use steel wool.  Just rub your corners lightly to reveal the base coat.  The more you sand it the more shanty it will look!  Just sand it until you are pleased with the look!  SO DARN EASY!

Want to see my results???

What do you think??  I love it!  It’s just shanty enough ;-) This works great on furniture as well!

If you missed the whole tutorial on the Mason Jar Planter Box you can click the photo below to check it out!

And as always… We would greatly appreciate you pinning and sharing this tip below! Thanks guys!

70 Comments Filed Under: Revamps, Top Posts

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  • http://www.imaginatephotography.com Bridget

    Love this!

  • http://www.themollybuckley.com molly stillman

    WOW. this is SUCH a cool idea!!!!! love it!

  • http://reinventingtheordinary.com becky mercado

    I like this. What is the purpose of using the vaseline? Does it protect the base color? I’ve done double colors and sanded before …but never used vaseline. Good job.

  • http://antiquechase.blogspot.com antiquechase

    great tutorial!!

  • Marnie

    Candle wax has the same effect, just rub the candle along the areas you want to show through your second coat of paint.

  • http://gypsyfarmgirl.blogspot.com Janice

    Thats a great idea! I’ll have to try this next time I have a painting project.

  • http://dginnovations.blogspot.com Nelly

    Awesome idea!!!

  • Lindsay

    I absolutely love your blog! You are so talented ! Thanks for the cute mothers day gift idea, I’m in LOVE!

  • Anne

    I will try this. Since now I used candlewax or Savon de Marseille but I think Vaseline will work better.
    Thank you for such a good idea,
    Amicalement,
    Anne (from France)

  • Danielle M

    I love all your projects! Have already made the $20 wall shelves, this will be next on my To Do List, thanks for the great tutorials!

  • Marci

    Love it! Think I am going to do this with single or two jars for a smaller version too! Thanks for all the tips!

  • Teresa

    How much vasoline do you use?

  • http://www.jordynluise.blogspot.com Jordyn

    Love your work! I’m a new fan :) I love distressed furniture && everything old {including mason jars ;) }! You should stop by and checkout my blog sometime! Can’t wait to see what you will do next :)

  • http://thehomespunjournal.com brookeO

    Great idea. I think I’m going to use this on my dresser I’ll be refinishing!

  • Kayla

    Love this and had to try. Had an issue with the paint brush getting globby (if that is a word) from the Vaseline. Any tips for that? Thanks for sharing

    • Geoff Langley

      Try using candle wax. Just use a plain wax candle rub it on. Then very lightly use a brush to knock off any loose globs, and then paint.

  • http://www.becauseithinkican.com Leanne

    oooh, what a great tip! I can’t wait to use it! Thanks!!

    Leanne @ Because (I think) I Can

  • Gigi

    Creative and easy makes a great combination.

  • http://stagingandredesign.com Melissa Marro

    GREAT idea! Thank you for sharing it! I love the distress look and this looks like it would save a lot on the sanding process.

  • http://lexmallabooks.com/ Lex Malla Books

    This is such a great tip! Thanks for sharing. I’m painting picture frames right now…..I’ll have to try it.

    lexmallabooks.com

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  • http://undomesticchica.blogspot.com Lindsay

    Such a cute idea! I’ll have to try this trick on something.

  • Texsheva

    I’ve also done this using an old candle. Just rub the candle wax on the item and when you paint it won’t stick to the wax and rubs right off with a paper towel!

  • Kristi

    Love the look! Does the wood remain greasy? How do you get rid of the extra vaseline?

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  • Allie Enge

    Just tried this on a door that I repurposed! Love it!!!!! So much easier and cheaper than Annie Sloan and just as good! Check out The Shed on Facebook for the picture

  • http://www.baconflavouredjam.com Charlotte

    What flowers are used in these jars? I LOVE THEM!!

    • Paula Elam

      Those are called asiatic lillies. they are perenials and will multiple. I have all colors in my flower beds and they are beautiful!

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  • http://thecraftartykid.blogspot.com/ Lisa

    Great tip! I love the way it looks

  • ERIN D.

    If your wood has a knot in it, you will need to use wood sealer or primer before painting, If not, the knot will eventually show through and ruin your project…I learned from experience the hard way.

    Best of luck to all crafters. Get busy and get your hands dirty. It’s such fun! Love this site!

  • Amanda

    I’m working on a 100-plus year-old transom window. I’ve removed all the paint I possible could (at least 4 coats) and already it looks good. Even the panes were covered with two coats of paint. Gratefully, that paint was easy to remove. I was, however, going to spackle and paint the window but when I saw your idea, well, I’m going to jump all over it. Thanks for sharing.

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  • Jordan

    I absolutely love this, very inspiring
    I’d love to try it with like pink or a bright color underneath, I think that’d be cool
    Thank you for sharing!
    You’re newest follower!!

    • http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/ Shanty2Chic

      That’s great Jordan! Glad to have you here! We would love to see pics when you try it yourself!

  • Kim

    Love it!

    • http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/ Shanty2Chic

      Thanks so much!! ;-)

  • Tricia

    Here’s a good chuckle for you… When I tried this I didn’t have any Vaseline, but being a mommy, A&D ointment is a plenty in our household. And it worked SMASHINGLY!! :)

  • Juliemara

    What type of paint is the Olympic, my home depot doesn’t carry that brand so I’d like to find something comparable. Matte, flat? etc??

  • AngieK

    Has anyone ever tried to sand off spray paint without any vaseline underneath? Basically I had some original wood (with an already old look), and I spray painted it totally white. Then I decided it would look good distressed and found this blog…but I didn’t add vaseline underneath. I’m wondering if I just sanded the spray paint if it would be OK? Or just crumble? I’d rather not paint over the spray paint….

    • Cora

      I have used a palm sander on edges of chairs to give it the distressed look – works great with very little effort.

    • Jessica

      This is probably a little too late for you based on this post being 6 months ago, but I just did a project with some shelves where the first two I just painted and sanded. I thought it turned out okay. Then I saw this post and tried the Vaseline trick and it looked TOTALLY different. It was way more authentic “shanty” looking. Plus, the sanding part was extremely easy. I did some sanding and then I ran a cloth around the edges where I used the vaseline to get the excess off. It’s very true though, any area you put it, the paint will not stick, so if you aren’t sure how much distressing you want, go with less and try to make up for it with your sanding.

  • Diane

    Candle wax will work the same way. Just rub a candle on the area you want the paint to come off on and paint over and then lightly sand.

    • http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/ Shanty2Chic

      I have done a tutorial on that as well Diane. I actually prefer this method much more. I like the end result better. Thanks so much!!
      Sent from my iPad

    • Cora

      A bar of soap also works!

  • Jill P

    I’m worried that the Vaseline will slide all over once I brush on the top coat and I will end up with a slimy mess – did you have this problem? Or am I seriously overthinking the whole process?

    • Theresa Allen

      I did too – but it worked great for me – I did try a roller too, and that was spreading the vaseline. I even did 2 coats before i sanded – Good Luck!

  • Lisa

    Awesome idea! Thank you!

  • Katie Splawn

    Totally giving this a try!

  • caro

    i love this idea! I found the Vaseline makes it easy for the top coat to rub off and especially because it never dries. Instead of using the jars as planters, I put tea lights in them…looks really cute!

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  • Lisa

    LOVE that I found this! Ive got a trunk that I Want to try and do this to! Could I use spray paint instead for the top coat that way I dont have to worry about painting the whole thing with a brush?

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  • http://www.facebook.com/katiegrothauszta Katie Rowdy Grothaus

    I just did this and it worked amazingly well! However, how do I seal the paint after I’m done sanding if I don’t want it to get messed up? Attached is a picture!

  • http://www.facebook.com/katiegrothauszta Katie Rowdy Grothaus

    How do you seal it when your done painting? I just did this and it turned out great!

    • http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/ Shanty2Chic

      We like using Rust-Oleum’s polyurethane… Hope this helps!

      Sent from my iPad

  • Craftingbunny

    Thank you for this great tutorial – I tried it on a jewellery holder and it worked a treat! http://thecraftingbunny.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/distressed-jewellery-holder/

  • jessie

    I just did the distress on a couple small shelves and found that if you let each layer of paint dry thoroughly and then sand it does the same thing. But no need to cover the entire item with paint, just lightly paint where you want the distressed look after the first coat. I hope that made sence. I think i will find another item and do the same, but take pictures step by step so it makes more sense. I do love the distressed look. Great job on your project! Another thing a person could use is bar soap too :)

  • Cora

    You can use a bar of soap instead of the Vaseline. It’s a little less messy to get off your piece and it blocks your top coat.

  • beth

    Oh you are my hero right now! I have been struggling to figure an easier distress method. Thanks so much for this awesomeness

  • Andrew Higgins

    Perfect …this helped me figure out the technique I wanted for my latest project!!! Thanks so much for posting this!

    http://creationsbyash.blogspot.com/2013/04/display-tables.html