Create the things you wish existed.
Andrew and I have lived in our apartment for over 2 years now, and I really wanted to update our wall decorations. My friends and I had taken a trip to the Chicago Rebuilding Exchange and we found two matching wood windows that were in great condition, they just needed a little bit of lovin’. Here are six easy steps for making your own rustic windows.
Materials:
- 2 old windows (preferably bare wood, but if not, you can sand them down before you begin)
- 2 rags
- 1 tacky cloth
- 1 sanding block
- 1 paintbrush
- 1 paint stick stirrer
- 1 can of Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint (any color you like – I chose Old White)
- 1 can of Annie Sloan’s Soft Wax
- 1 package of Hillman’s Picture Hanging Set for 50lbs
- 1 hammer
Steps:
1. Find your windows. I recommend visiting shops that sell reclaimed building materials, like the Chicago Rebuilding Exchange. Half of the fun (for me at least) is finding your perfect windows, and plus, you will save some money this way. One of my windows was missing a pane, but I was able to get it fixed for $1.50 at Ace Hardware!
2. Clean your windows with a rag and tacky cloth. Get all of the dust and dirt off the windows so that they are ready to paint.
3. Grab your paint brush and your chalk paint. I also asked Andrew’s sister, Emma, to lend me a hand to make it go a little faster. Paint your first coat and let it dry. Since it was cold outside when I painted, I only had to wait about 30 minutes in between coats. Once your first coat is dry, go ahead and paint one more coat.
4. Once both coats have fully dried, take your sanding block and start lightly sanding the paint in order to give it the rustic look. You can do this as much or as little as you’d like.
5. Grab your clean rag and dip it in the soft wax. Lightly cover your windows in the wax in order to seal and protect your new paint.
6. Now it’s time to hang them! All you’ll need is your hammer and the picture hanging kit I mentioned in the materials. If you’d like to add a little something extra, like the greenery pictured in mine, make sure to hang that on the window before putting the window up on the wall.
Happy painting!
