Pottery Barn Knock-Off - Chunky Wall Shelf

Several years ago, I spotted a gorgeous shelf from Pottery Barn that carried a nearly $400 price tag.  OUCH! 

I tore the page out of the catalog, gave it to my husband, and asked if he could make one for me.  He tacked it up in the garage, where it sat for almost four years.  A couple of months ago, I took it down, showed it to him, and asked when he thought he would be able to get started on it.  A few hours later, I had a hollowed out shelf made from a few pieces of wood, and scrap molding.  

Now it was out of his hands, and in mine.  I was in charge of the finish.  Like the PB version, I wanted mine to look chippy and old.  This was a problem since he'd used painted pine to build the shelf.  There was no way for me to stain it unless I removed the paint.  Since I always choose the easy way, that wasn't something I wanted to do.  I'd been reading about milk paint for awhile, and following Shausha from Sweet Pickins on FB.  I learned that using milk paint on top of a dark base coat, will give the same look as if you'd painted over a stained piece of wood.  

I headed out to Home Depot, and picked up some dark brown paint.  I used two coats on the shelf as my base, and then painted over the top of that with several coats of Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Oyster White.  

Behr in Bitter Chocolate

Between coats of the milk paint, I dried it with a hairdryer.  Doing this helps create a nice crackle effect that adds to the chippiness that you already get with milk paint.

Once the last coat was on and dried, I used a putty knife to scrape down some places where the paint was already chipping, and then sanded a little more with a sanding block.

I love the way it turned out!

Linking to:
The Inspiration Exchange @ City Farmhouse
Made by Me @ JAQS Studio
Wow me Weds @ Gingersnap Crafts
Whatever Goes Weds @ Someday Crafts
Wow Me Weds @ Polka Dots on Parade
Lovely Ladies' Linky @ The Seasoned Homemaker
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest