Rustic Gray Washed Stenciled Crate

I was given this old crate a couple of years ago. I used it in our previous laundry room for a while, but I never really did much to spruce it up. I decided it needed a little makeover to better suit our farmhouse.

I didn't want to stray away from the worn wood look by painting it, so I opted for a gray washed finish instead. I even like the water spots in the wood, so I didn't want to cover those up either. This is the first time I've ever tried this, so I kept the technique pretty simple.

Basically it's just gray paint mixed with water. The exact color is Ocean Storm by Valspar. I poured the paint in a container first, then I added water to create a runny consistency as pictured above.

I used an old cloth to apply the mixture to the wood. I ended up doing two coats to get the look I wanted.

To give the crate a personal touch for our home I added our last name to the front using stencils. I think I got the entire pack of stencils at Walmart for less than $3.

I used black craft paint and simply rubbed the paint on with my finger to avoid harsh lines. I wanted the letters to appear faded.

After I completed our name, I used sand paper to make the letters appear even more faded and worn.

And that's it! Now it sits on our mirrored cabinet in our foyer. I moved the white table I had here before into the living room. I shared a couple of updated photos of that space on Instagram recently.

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Have a BLESSED day!