Rustic shelving unit

It’s easy to achieve a rustic finish when transforming an old wooden shelving unit using Karen Walker Chalk Paint.

Build a rustic shelving unit for your garden pots

Ways with wood with Mark Rayner - Project 69

Difficulty level: Moderate

You will need

Clean cloth
Old wooden shelving unit (ours was previous stained with an oil based wood stain)
Resene Karen Walker Chalk Colour tinted to Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue
Resene Karen Walker Chalk Colour tinted to Resene Shadowy Blue

Resene Wood Primer
Sandpaper
Turpentine for cleaning brush
Paint stirrers
Paintbrushes

To get the look: Mark painted the background shed wall with Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Colonial White.

Other ideas: To give the shelves even more of an aged look, apply a layer of Karen Walker Vintage Wax.

How to upcycle an old set of shelves

Step 1 Step one
Lightly sand the wooden shelving unit and wipe off any sanding residue with a clean cloth.

Step 2 Step two
Carefully stir the Resene Wood Primer.

Step 3 Step three
Apply one coat of Resene Wood Primer to the wooden shelving unit and allow to dry. Clean the brush with turpentine.

Step 4 Step four
Carefully stir the Resene Karen Walker Chalk Colour tinted to Resene Shadowy Blue.

Step 5 Step five
Apply two coats of Resene Karen Walker Chalk Colour tinted to Resene Shadowy Blue to the wooden shelving unit, allowing two hours for each coat to dry.

Step 6 Step six
Carefully stir the Resene Karen Walker Chalk Colour tinted to Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue.

Step 7 Step seven
Apply one thin coat of Resene Karen Walker Chalk Colour tinted to Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue, brushing lightly in the direction of the grain, allowing some of the darker base coat to show through, especially in the joins and imperfections.

Step 8 Step eight
Apply another thin coat of Resene Karen Walker Chalk Colour tinted to Resene Quarter Periglacial Blue to the wooden shelving unit. Again, allow some of the base coat to show through, especially in the joins and imperfections.