This post contains Affiliate links Here is a list of products for this project and links to buy them. DIY paint, you can use any color combo here’s what I suggest for a similar look. Old’57, Carnival Red, Fancy Farm Girl, Bead Board, Layered Chocolate, Queen Bee, Summer Crush, and Hey Sailor old chair, pallet wood or any wood surface you would like to paint on. Palm Sander and or Sand paper This project was a doozy, it took Bobby and I about two weeks to create this chair, film, and edit the video. Ever since laying my eyes on all the beautiful furniture made out of recycled boat wood I’ve experimenting with DIY paint, trying to get the look of an old weathered boat. Here’s the video showing how I did it… get your spatula ready! I have several tips that were not included in the video if you would like to try this look you will definitely want to keep a few things in mind. 1 The very first layer I painted on using a brush, I recommend because I wanted the pallet wood to look like old distressed hardwood I let that dry overnight so that it would cure and not be as easy to chip away.
2. Use thin coats of thick paint. DIY Paint will thicken very easily by simply pouring some out and exposing it to the air, when you open a new can of DIY paint, there is usually a thick layer that collects on the lid, just scrape it off and use it in your project. I had several cans of old paint with just a little bit left at the bottom, there was one container that was very thick because the lid was not put back on tight, it was a thick as frosting and perfect for this. Put the layers on in thin coats as you will be adding several colors and you don’t want to get too much paint on your boards. 3. The last layer of paint is the magic layer!! I say this because when you apply a new layer of paint it reactivates the layers that are underneath, so you want each layer to dry completely until you get to the very last layer then let that dry about 90%, you will feel that it’s cold to the touch, this is the perfect time to start chipping with the putty knife as it will be easy to expose all the beautiful layers of color on your project.
If you don’t let each layer of paint dry completely, they will blend together and create an entirely different look (like tie-dye). 4. Why the spatula? because you want uneven coverage without brush marks. This really helps create an authentic look, You don’t want each layer of paint to cover the entire board, and the lack of brush marks will add to the…, “I’m an old boat out at sea for 100 years, Ive been painted and repainted, banged up and pushed around” look. 5. Use the sander with caution, I alternated chipping with a putty knife and using my sander however I used the sander primarily to remove large areas of paint and then I went back with the putty knife again and rechipped. The chipping is what makes it look wonderful but it’s a fine line between chips so chippy that they may flake off and the perfect amount of chipping that you need to make it look like magic. If you sand too much it will look like a distressed piece but it won’t look “boaty”.
5. DIY paint will get the job done right. I have not attempted to achieve this look with any other paint brands however most paint has laytex in it (even most other chalk type brands) the laytex will interfere with getting this done easily. When you sand paint that has latex and it balls up like a cheap sweater or it will rip a hole in your project that looks like a wound, ( imagine a balloon or a rubber glove with a hole in it ) and when you attempt to chip it stretches like rubber. DIY paint is really soft and pliable until it has cured completely it’s easy to manipulate it dries quickly and most importantly it has zero laytex, chemicals or VOC’s which allows you to do so many things with it that you cannot do with other brands of paint. I put together a boat wood paint kit, for all of you who may be skeptical or curious or just not ready to invest in a full quart of paint. BTW on quart painted the entire front of my shop, a little really does go a long way!
This kit includes ALL the products I used in my video in 1 ounce taste test sizes, that’s seven colors of CeCe Caldwell paint, a 5 x 7 frame, wood pieces sandpaper endurance and complete instructions and more! You can re-create this awesome boat wood finish for yourself and see why I’m so excited about this paint. One more thing this kit is just 38$ If you were buy all of these items separately in regular sample sizes the cost would be over 100$ the paint included in the kit is enough to complete the frame with lots left over. you will be amazed at how far one ounce of paint will go, I kid you not! If you want to try DIY Paint but just want the paint, and finishes you can order my starter kit for just 30$ Next week I’m going to do a Q &A video, if you have questions for me about paint or anything else, please leave them in the comments, I will try to answer as many as possble on camera next week! Have a creative week everyone! I’m linked up at Redoux Interiors and Miss Mustard Seed this week, check out these awesome blogs for more DIY goodness!
Whether your DIY projects involve office supplies or pallets and secondhand wood, they all have to come from somewhere. In some cases they're not expensive to buy outright, but some materials can get pretty pricey. Here's how to find cheap raw materials for all of your DIY projects, large and small. Office supplies are easy. They're usually cheap to buy from any department store, but office supply stores often sell everything from binder clips to mousepads to wrist rests in bulk if you plan to buy several. Staples, Office Depot, OfficeMax, they're all happy to sell you whatever you need off the shelf or special order in bulk if you need, say, a few hundred binder clips instead of a package of 12. Even so, they're likely not the only game in town. Head over to Google Local or Yelp and just search "office supplies." You'll be surprised how many independent office supply shops are likely in your community, some of which may service larger companies and businesses in your area. Consumer office supply stores are cheap, but look for the stores that the businesses in your area use—you'll find steeper discounts, especially if you plan to buy in bulk, and you may even be able to find used and secondhand office furniture or other equipment perfect for your project.
Looking to refurb an office chair but you need some new casters? You'll have better luck with a used office equipment store than a Staples. FInally, don't hesitate to shop online. Even the big names in office supplies can offer bigger discounts if you order in bulk from them and ship directly to your home.If you're not looking to buy in bulk though—as in you just need a few binder clips or notebooks and not a box full of them, don't forget about your local dollar store. They probably have an office supply and stationary section, and since you'll be using them as raw materials anyway, brand names probably don't matter to you. Stop by and load up! Of course, you could also always raid the office supply closet if your company doesn't mind that kind of thing, but don't tell them we told you to do it. If you're looking for cheap lumber, wood for your projects, or other raw materials you'd use to build something, your local hardware store is probably your first stop. If you're looking to save a little cash though, you can also skip the middleman and find a nearby lumber yard and see what's available there.
If you're not interested in spending anything at all, you could always look for cheap pallets to get your wood fix. We've discussed why pallets are great for DIY projects and even shown you how to find cheap—or free ones so you don't have to break the bank on wood. Of course, there are plenty of concerns with re-using wood pallets depending on what you intend to do with them, so make sure you choose wisely. If you're looking for other equipment, like nails, screws, PVC, or other odds and ends, you have a few other options too. First, check with your local hardware store to see if you can get cut pieces at a discount. Often when someone needs a specific length or type of wood, pipe, cable, or any other raw material, they'll pay extra to have the hardware store cut and size it for them—which inevitably leads to odds and ends that are either available for cheap or difficult to sell. See if they're willing to sell them to you. Second, check near construction sites in your area and see if they're willing to part with any of those secondhand pieces or unused equipment.
Sometimes they have to account for everything, but even small home reno sites and projects are willing to part with a box of drywall screws if they accidentally picked them up instead of wood screws. Larger constructions sites may be difficult to work with, but you never know—if you ask nicely near the end of the day, or if you know someone in construction who might be able to hook you up, you'd be surprised what you can get. As for smaller renovation projects, it always helps if you know the neighbor in question who's building an addition or renovating their kitchen, but even if you don't, it doesn't hurt to ask if you can make use of their demolition trash or leftover equipment. If you're looking for furniture to refurb, or you have your own renovation project and don't want to break the bank on furniture or hardware, check out your local architectural salvage stores for some serious bargains on more than usable household items. Sinks, cabinetry, desks, and more are all available at a fraction of the prices you'd pay for new, and they're usually only gently used.
A little cleanup is almost always all it takes to make them all but new. Similarly, ReUse Centers can offer bargains on similar products. Check Habitat for Humanity's ReStores first—the prices are great and your purchases go to a good cause. In the same vein, do a quick Google search for your state or municipality's surplus stores. Almost every state, public agency, or College/University has a surplus store or chain of surplus stores where they sell off excess items from electronics to furniture to lab equipment at steep discounts. In fact, I'm typing this on an adjustable desk that I purchased from my alma mater's surplus store over 6 years ago—and I paid a whopping $25 for it. They often have difficult hours, and some may require you to show proof in-state residence or affiliation with the school before you can buy, but they're worth it. You can also stop by your local thrift store and see if they have the kind of equipment you'd like as well, although you may have a harder time finding still-useful kitchen cabinetry there.
You will., however, probably have luck with small appliances, desks, and other furniture. If your DIY projects are electronics projects or tech projects, you may have a more difficult time finding great prices on gear. Electronics stores don't exactly give away hard drives or PC chassis they can't sell. Still, your local thrift stores are usually a good place to get started here. In many cases, you may be able to score a deal on something that the staff don't know is worth more than they're selling it for. Similarly, you may be able to find old electronics that make for perfect disassembling and hacking—old video game controllers and broken consoles, laptops with working screens and malfunctioning power supplies, PCs with steel cases but no innards, things like that.Similarly, shopping for cheap electronics online is the way to go, even if you have no desire to buy new or even official refurb. eBay, Craigslist, Buy/Sell/Trade groups on Facebook, and even local forums are all great places to buy gear from people looking to get rid of it quickly (and are willing to take a price hit in the process) or people who know their electronics are only useful to makers or hackers looking for parts.
eBay specifically is a haven for people selling broken electronics for parts at pennies on the dollar. These are just a few ways to get what you need for your next DIY project, whether you're breaking out the soldering iron or firing up the circular saw. There are plenty of other options we didn't mention, like dumpster diving (which is a great option if you're actually looking through discarded items and dumpster diving is legal where you are—sometimes it's really not, so it's difficult to recommend wholesale) or heading to your local dump, salvage yard, or municipal waste processing facility to see what you can find there, so these are only the beginning. Whatever you choose to do, don't pay full price for your raw materials unless you really need them to be brand new. There are times when they need to be, and then times when they really don't need to be new at all. Photos by Helder Almeida (Shutterstock), JD Hancock, Nils Petersen (Shutterstock), Jason Loper, and Terry Ross.