I am loving the found, weathered vase look floating around Instagram and Pinterest. I can’t get enough. However, I wanted to save a bit of money and create my own. All it takes is a vase or pot, spray paint and a handful of dirt to create your own diy black weathered vase!

Making this DIY black weathered vase for less is super easy and in fact, its quit relaxing. It’s not every day we get to play in the dirt so now is the time to take advantage of this. If you like that sort of thing that is! I love this DIY vase sitting in my kitchen with either fresh or faux greenery stems.

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Sounds kind of weird that we are using dirt to create this masterpiece, but you’re going to love this easy DIY vintage, found looking vase that you are going to create. You will be the envy or all your neighbors and they will ask you where you got your vase and then you can honestly tell them that you made it.

I featured this on my Instagram stories and you can view it here.

Find a Vase or Pot

Before you can “make” your own weathered vase you need the perfect piece. This can be something you already have or something you find at the thrift store or a yard sale.

Look for something with a nice shape. Take a peak at weathered pots that are ready for purchase to get a good idea of what shape you need to be on the lookout for. Now, of course you can use any vase or pot you want; there is no rule on which shape pot you must use, but you want something that looks modernly vintage. If that makes any sense.

I found this ceramic vase/pot at the thrift store and it is very heavy and I love the shape and the handles. I would not have painted the vase and left it as is except for the words on the other side. It felt dated but the shape was perfect and I could tell this would be a perfect DIY Makeover.

Here are some vintage looking pots and vases to inspire you and help you understand what you need to be on the lookout for. Or if DIY is not your thing these are some lovely vases to purchase too.

Gather Supplies for Your DIY Black Weathered Vase

An old pot or vase (one you have or one from a thrift store)
Can of black spray paint
Dirt
Water
Old rag

That’s all you need to create this easy weathered vase!

Clean the Vase

In order for the paint to stick, you will want to give the pot or vase a good cleaning. Since you are not painting furniture or kitchen cabinets this can be more of a light wipe down. Not necessary to break out the heavy duty cleaners here; just ensure that the pot is free of dust to ensure the paint will adhere.

Paint the Vase

Get out your can of black spray paint and cover the pot with two coats of paint allowing each coat to dry fully in between. Spray paint dries very quickly and it will not take long to get the vase or pot painted and ready for the dirt to be smeared on.

I used Rustoleum Flat Black Spray Paint and it worked like a charm.

Smear on the Dirt

Now that your pot is painted it’s now time for the fun part. Break out the dirt and a little bit of water.

When I say dirt I mean dirt! You don’t need anything fancy here; just some dirt from your yard is all it takes. If you live in the city and don’t have any dirt because you don’t have a backyard; a small bag of potting soil is just fine.

Careful that your dirt is free of debris, rocks or sand. You just want plain old fashioned dirt.

Put the dirt into a small container and add a tiny bit of water. You aren’t looking to make mud completely or have the dirt be too watery; you just need enough water to moisten the dirt and make it spreadable. Mud pies here is not the goal; you just want the dirt to be like a spreadable frosting. Except this is dirt.

This is the hard part. Are you ready? Using your hand smear the watery dirt onto the pot. That’s it!

It doesn’t matter which direction you go just smear the dirt on until the pot is covered with dirt.

It’s awesome that as adults we get to play in the dirt. You might enjoy this DIY project so much that you will be looking for pots and vases all over your house to smear dirt on.

Let the Dirt Dry on the Vase

Just like sitting back and watching paint dry; you need to wait for the dirt to try on the pot completely. This does not take a long time really. You will know the dirt is dry when the dirt turns a lighter color and no longer looks wet and looks dry and crumbly.

As in the photo below the dirt is completely dry and crunchy. It’s now ready to wipe the dirt off!

Wipe Off the Dirt from the Vase

Once the dirt has dried you will take a lightly damp rag and wipe the dirt off of the vase. Your goal here is not to scrub the pot so it’s spotlessly clean. You are removing the dried dirt but this will leave a lovely dirt “patina” on the finish that has adhered itself to the vase. This is exactly that you want!

There is no need to put any type of clear finish over the vase once the dirt has been removed. The dirt is stained onto the black paint and will not rub off; it’s on there! This DIY vase is ready to use!

Enjoy your DIY Black Weathered Vase

There you have it! A great way to recycle and old vase. you may already have sitting in the garage or storage collecting dust or maybe you find one at a thrift store that is longing for a refresh!

You can also create a white or cream looking vase just use white/cream spray paint instead of black. Smear on the dirt, wipe off and voila! You will have a nice creamy, worn, dug from the earth looking vase. I have another vase that I am going to use white spray paint on instead of the black and will let you know how it turns out.

You could even mix dirt and some red clay or just use the clay instead of dirt. I would recommend using the orangish clay over a white painted pot instead of the black.

diy black weathered vase on white kitchen counter

And there you have it! A brand new vase that looks old but is a new in your home! Honestly, if you already have a vase you can use this project should only cost you the can of paint which is less than $7 with tax.

All in all….this is an easy and inexpensive DIY vase project that can make a big impact. It also rescues an old vase too, saves you money and keeps an old vase out of the landfill.

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Where to Purchase Old Weathered Vases

So just in case you are not into a DIY vase and you would rather purchase a vase already to use, I’ve gathered up some pots for you to just add to your cart. There are some gorgeous old world antique looking vases that would be a lovely addition to your home decor.

Shop Weathered Vases

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