Scavenger Chic

Aging Pottery with Spackle and Dirt

• By Joan
• August 23, 2023
• 6 Comments

Aging Pottery with Spackle and Dirt

I’ve been wanting to texturize a pot with spackle and dirt for some time now and I’ve finally found my victim.

This guy is a $12 thrift store find and the perfect shape for this little DIY project.  He doesn’t know it yet but he’s going  to be my test subject as I try my hand at aging a piece of pottery.

This $350 Pottery Barn find is sort of the look I’m going for.

Or maybe this $315 Etsy find.

Before I get started on my dirt and spackle, I wanted to give you one more option, flat black paint.  Just 2 coats of flat black spray paint and you change the look from bright and Peacocky to dark and moody.  If you want an easy makeover, this is the way to go.

If  you want to use the pot as a vase and the opening of your vase is too large for your stems to stand straight, you may want to try this handy dandy little tip.  Stretch tape across the opening in your vase and insert your stems into the gaps between the tape pieces.  Use more tape and criss cross with more tape as needed.

On to the task as hand, aging this piece of pottery with spackle (also known as mud or drywall compound).  

Spread a nice layer of spackle all over your urn.  Remove any lumps.

While the spackle is still damp, use a paintbrush (this was an inexpensive 1″ chip brush) to give texture to the pot.  Make sure your paint brush strokes all go in the same direction to give the illusion of turned pottery.

On the bottom, I experimented with a little more texture, pressing a piece of burlap up against the pottery.

Feel free to try different textures, if you don’t like them, use your paint brush to recreate the linear texture.

I started by painting the entire vase with a dark grey chalk paint slightly watered down.

While the grey paint is still wet add some black to the grey.  Don’t make it neat, just splotch it on here and there.  Use your still wet with grey paint brush, to blend the edges so you don’t see any stark edges.

Do the same splotch painting with white, blending slightly as you go.  A paper towel also worked great for blending.

Now you’re going to use a dry brush technique to lightly go over the ridges and texture so they pop.  Dip your brush ever so slightly in white  (your other colors should still be slightly wet), dab off any extra and just skim over the surface of your vase.  Keep adding layers of black, gray and white until you like what you see.

You don’t want your colors even or blended, you’re looking for depth of color.

Your paint is dry and your vase isn’t aged enough?  Go out to your flower pot and grab a handful of dirt.  Rub that into your textured paint!

I have one more suggestion you may want to try.  Add a driftwood handle.

Place a branch across the vase opening.  Mark your cut lines.  Cut, sand and drill holes for attaching.

Attach your driftwood handle with leather shoelaces.

You’re all ready to set your piece out for display.

While I’m here, you can find the candle holders here the mantel here and the fireplace wall makeover here.

Someday someone will scrape off my rustic paint technique and wonder why anyone would cover up such a beautiful finish with dirt and spackle.  Because you can and it’s only paint!

Hope you get a chance to try this fun transformation.  Until next time, stay inspired.

Related posts:

Thrift Store Vase Napkin Makeover Thrift Store Salt and Pepper Mill Makeover Ugly Duckling turns into a Swan Thrift Store Tray Makeover with Shutter Slats