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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

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


21 crafty peeps said:

  1. I already saw it on Facebook and it' s absolutely awesome! Love it!! xxx

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  2. Really gorgeous! Good for you guys! I would love something like this over my dresser in my bedroom! Julia

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  3. Very pretty!
    I've always loved that shelf from Pottery Barn...great job

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  4. WOW! I love your version so much. I've had a crush on that Pottery Barn shelf forever. Great inspiration, thanks! :)

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  5. LOVE this shelf and pinning it for my hubby to make for me…(hope you don't mind)!…super nice!
    come on over and visit…Mariaelena

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  6. I love how it turned out! So pretty.

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  7. Fantastic!! I thought that you may have used crackle paint ..A job well done!!

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  8. Any direction for how he made the shelf?
    Love it!

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  9. Wow, what a great end result. And to think you could of had four years ago!!! Timing is everything. Enjoy!!!

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  10. I have to agree. I like yours better than Pottery Barn. Hang on to that husband!

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  11. That looks great! It seriously looks just like the super crazy priced one. :)

    Enjoy your new shelf.

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  12. Love DIY's like this! There is no need to send $100+ on something you can make yourself. Great job!

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  13. This is gorgeous!! Wow. I love how it turned out. I love anything that looks distressed and has a bit of a vintage feel to it. Pinning this :)

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  14. Score!!! Perfect!!!

    Pinning!!

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  15. It's gorgeous. I love how distressed it looks. I don't know why but I've been loving vintage looking things. It's prefect.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jazmine! I love this look too because it's not fussy, and it's great if you've got little kids around. I don't freak about my furniture as much anymore. :-)

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