A Divided Vintage Fruit Crate Upcycle/Repurpose
Dixie Belle Paint,
Fusion Mineral Paint,
Garage Sale Finds,
Grain Sack Stripe,
Old Sign Stencils,
Stenciling,
Stencils,
Storage Ideas,
Vintage,
January 04, 2020
I pulled this vintage, divided Greyhound fruit crate out of my shed a couple months ago. I purchased it a couple years ago at a garage sale for $3-4. Unfortunately, it was already painted red, and the label was spattered with red paint.
I dragged it out of the shed with the intention of making it into Christmas decor. It went through some trial and error, with the ends painted black and the red sides stenciled with the buffalo check stencil. I just didn't like it.
I then decided to paint it with Dixie Belle Chalk Finish Paint in Drop Cloth. The red paint started bleeding through my off white paint. It must have been milk paint or some other very porous paint.
(When you click on the bold Amazon, Old Sign Stencils or Dixie Belle Paint Company affiliate links you will be taken to the products I use for this project. If you order it does not change the price or service at all. As an Amazon Affiliate, Old Sign Stencils Affiliate or Dixie Belle Paint Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
So to fix the red paint problem, I brushed on a coat of Rust-Oleum Painters Touch Latex in Flat Black. The red paint did not bleed through this latex paint. (I could have also used a primer.
)
I brushed on two coats of Dixie Belle Chalk Finish Paint in Driftwood
for my top coat color. (It's a lighter gray color.)
I then pulled out my *Old Sign Stencils G4 Grain Sack Stripe stencil.
)I brushed on two coats of Dixie Belle Chalk Finish Paint in Driftwood
for my top coat color. (It's a lighter gray color.)
I stood the crate on end and lined up the stencil along the center of the crate divider.
I used Fusion Mineral Paint in Champlain
to stencil the grain sack stripes. I also stenciled the top of the crate and the bottom inside end with the grain sack stripe.
I also chose one of my old favorites, *Antiques & Collectibles from Old Sign Stencils.
to stencil the grain sack stripes. I also stenciled the top of the crate and the bottom inside end with the grain sack stripe.
All prices on the Old Sign Stencils's website are listed in Canadian currency. A handy currency conversion link is provided for your convenience.
*Old Sign Stencils provided me with complimentary samples. All opinions about these fabulous stencils are my own.
The "Antiques" stencil fit pretty well on the sides of my crate.
I taped it in place, and pounced on the stencil using three Fusion Mineral Paints, Coal Black
, Fort York Red
, and Champlain.
, Fort York Red
, and Champlain. 
Here is the front of my crate.
And these are the sides.
I wet distressed (with a green dish scrubby and a wet rag) the edges of my crate to uncover some of the black latex paint base coat. Sandpaper distressing would have uncovered some of the red paint as well. Plus it's a lot messier too.
I waxed the crate with my new love, Dixie Belle Big Mama's Butta.
The wax is very easy to apply with a rag or wax brush and does not leave streaks. I wiped my piece down to remove any excess wax the next day.
The wax is very easy to apply with a rag or wax brush and does not leave streaks. I wiped my piece down to remove any excess wax the next day.
Since I have so many crates of all sizes, I thought I would make this divided crate into a storage/display piece.
It's great for books, cookbooks, plants, or antiques. You could add small casters to the bottom, or you could use it as a nightstand.
As you can see, my upcycled, divided fruit crate has several possibilities.
More stenciled crate ideas!
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The old crate makes a nice end table. I love the color and stenciling. So much prettier than before. I recently got around to making a side table out of a crate that I had for a while as well.
ReplyDeleteThis turned out adorable love it so much
ReplyDelete