Thrifted Basket Makeover Ideas

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Old tired baskets?? Add a little paint for a brand new look. Here are several simple basket makeover ideas to get you started!

It’s basket day! Or I should say thrifted basket makeover day. :)

I love baskets. I’m just as much a sucker for them as I am with all the trays I find.
I mean who can’t use a basket somewhere in there home?

I love how both of these baskets turned out but only one is staying with me. (well, it’s going to the beach house…eventually)

And these are both a part of my most recent haul…

Moving right along!

Only have the table, chairs, and mirror to finish. I’m so excited about the table and chairs.
I can see them in my head…and I sure hope they turn out like I envision! lol

Thrifted Basket Makeover Ideas

Here is how the first basket I gave a makeover to looked before:

Typical orange-y color which is totally fine but just like every other basket out there.
Let’s give it a new look.

I started out by taping up the wooden handles. (see my little buddy laying over there :) )

 

Then I sprayed the whole thing with the Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint to create a dark brown base.

After that was dry, I used my regular angled brush to add the Linen White over top.

I didn’t really want to dry brush this one as I wanted it pretty heavy over the dark. I really only wanted a little of the dark to peek through.
Once that was dry, I gave it one quick coat of the Varathane Matte Sealer. (all products are linked above in the gray box)

Next, I removed the tape and applied the Java stain with a small brush so as not to get it on the surrounding white areas.

I made sure to wipe away any excess. I let it sit overnight and then applied the Gel topcoat.

I loved those handles on this basket and love them even more with that beautiful dark stain.
The handles are what drew me to this basket in the thrift store. I mean look how they stand out now.

Lots of things you can use a basket like this for but I staged it in my laundry room with dog treats and supplies.

(info on our DIY wood countertop, here and DIY faux shiplap, here)

Perfect for moving from place to place with those sturdy wood handles.

For the next basket, and my favorite of the two…

Well, for $4 this one was a steal. (the other one was $4 also)

I mean just look at it, it’s perfect, as-is. No need to do a thing to it.
I even used it in my staging of the teak set I just gave a new makeover to.

BUT…I am loving the more bleached look of baskets…and wood these days and since I am keeping this basket, that is what it got.

I did something similar to the baskets in our built in bookcase here…

Those were actually the same basket, same color, different size.
I did the same effect on those in a different paint color though. (but still similar in tone)

This makeover took all of 3 minutes, I swear!

I didn’t want to use white because even though “bleached” is well, bleached, it’s not necessarily “white”.
I wanted a soft bleached look so pulled out “drop cloth”, which is a creamy color as you can see above.

Using a chip brush (which is perfect for dry brushing) I very lightly dry brushed over the whole thing.
You can see above the rolled edges where I have begun.

New to dry brushing?? I have an entire post (and video) dedicated to it right, here.

Then I moved on to the sides and bottom.

Isn’t that the coolest?? I mean it looks like a bleached basket instead of the dark. (which I also do like but again, going for a different look)

I did one light coat of the matte poly and done!

I left the handles dark because I liked the contrast.

So love how a tiny bit of paint completely changed the look of this basket.

I’m going to use it here for a change-up…then take it to the beach condo once I start decorating in there.

I am still very much enjoying this coastal style coffee table here. You know, the one I hadn’t planned to keep…that I kept. ;)

Anyway, this was a simple little makeover, for sure.

Have some old, tired baskets laying around?
Try either of these paint techniques or even this one that I used water-based stain on recently…

…it was orange-y to begin with too. You can see this one, here.

Two thrift store basket makeover ideas…for a brand new look.

PIN it to save it!

Hope you give it a try!

Have a wonderful weekend, see you next week when I’ll be sharing this…

If you missed any of the thrifty haul #3 makeovers, you can see them all here:

• Bleached Wood Desk Makeover
• Painted Ceramic Vase Makeover
• Navy Blue Coffee Table Makeover
• Thrifted Basket Makeover Ideas(you are here!)
• Etched Glass Whitewashed Box
• Oak Table & Chairs

xo