Scavenger Chic

Rusty Tin Roofing Shingle Painted Heart

• By Joan
• January 17, 2018
• 4 Comments

Welcome back.  I was originally going to share another  upholstered french chair with you today but by the time I was finishing up the project the sun was setting and I didn’t get a chance to get any decent ‘after’ pictures.  Oh well, you’ll have that to look forward to next week.  Instead, I’m back with another Valentine project for you and better yet, it’s even easier than the spindle heart from Monday.

Any idea what this rusty thing is?  I’ve used it several times before.  It is a very rusty, old roofing shingle.  They were primarily used on roofs in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.  And now, like their tin ceiling counterparts, are used for many an upcycling project.  Or maybe that’s just me.  Unlike, the tin ceilings, you can still find good prices on the shingles.

I went back through my project gallery and found that I’ve used the shingles on 6 projects so far. You could find a few roofing tins behind my dump desk.

Or combined with pallet wood to make a rustic frame.

Here is another frame with the tins and beadboard.

I also used them as a feature in a headboard.

Behind these vintage windows, I’ve lined the back of this cabinet with even more of the roofing shingles.

And finally as a memo board.

Luckily the rust hadn’t gone all the way through the shingles so they just needed a little sanding, a little painting and they were not quite as good as new…in other words, they were perfect.

Out off all of these projects, this one will be the easiest.

For this project I’m starting out with just one of the shingles.  If you don’t have a shingle, an old piece of barn wood would work out perfectly.

To make this project even easier, I’m starting with one of my tins that I’ve already painted. I think I painted an extra tin for the rustic frame.

If you’re good at freehand you can skip this step, otherwise cut out a paper heart and trace around it onto your tin.

Paint the entire heart red  (or the color of your choice).   You’re going to have to work fairly quickly  because we’re going to add colors while the red is still wet.

Don’t even bother cleaning out your paintbrush because we’re just going to blend.

Dip your paintbrush into a couple drops of black and add to edging, blending with the red as you go.  With black, a little goes a long way.

Used up all the black?  Now dip your same old dirty paintbrush is a little bit of  pink, followed by orange. You’re just building up layers in a painty sort of way.

Last layer, white or light pink  (with all the red, the white will turn pink on its own).  No mistakes here.  If you covered up too much of a previous layer or don’t like the current one, just add more paint blending as you go.  Don’t blend too much, you’ll want to see some of the brush strokes.

You’re done. The time to paint the heart was probably no more than 5 minutes.

Use a hammer and nail to make holes for hanging or a metal drill bit.

I was looking for a leather shoelace for hanging, but having struck out I settled for this torn piece of material.

All ready to hang.

If you want, you can take advantage of the metal and use it as a magnet board to write your Valentine messages.

With or without the message, you could really use this all year long.

If you’re on the lookout for shingles, Ebay and Etsy always has somebody selling them, or you might try an architectural salvage yard or flea market.

Hopefully next time you find some  you’ll be tempted to pick them up even if they are a bit rusty.

Stay inspired.

Shared at Metamorphosis Monday,

Talk of the Town, Wow us Wednesdays,

DIY Salvaged Junk,

Related posts:

Spindle and Pallet Wood Heart Thrift Store Boxwood Wreath on Scrap Wood Upcycled Cheese Plates and Candlesticks Pallet Wood Junk Heart