Give Any Vase An Aged Pottery Look With This Clever Coffee Grounds Hack

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you love the charm of old pottery, spending hours browsing through vintage stores looking for a piece you can make your own is nothing new. Unfortunately, those high price tags, especially on authentic antique pieces, can really discourage you if you're working with a tight budget. Fortunately, you can recreate that aged pottery look on one of your own vases at home using ingredients you likely already have, turning it from plain and ordinary to vintage luxury in just a few steps. All you need are coffee grounds and a little bit of ingenuity.

This creative DIY hack is quite simple and is one of the unexpected uses for leftover coffee grounds around your home. You can use any type of vase as the base: glass, ceramic, aluminum, or clay. Basically, the process involves painting the vase and then rubbing coffee grounds all over its exterior. The result is a gorgeous art piece very similar to what you would have bought at a vintage shop, but now at a fraction of the price.

Start by cleaning your vase. Next, prepare it with a white base like Krylon's primer spray paint. This step is essential since it makes it easier to apply future coats of paint. While the primer dries, pour acrylic paint into a small container. Add a couple of teaspoons of baking soda, and mix thoroughly until the paint thickens. If you want the final product to appear even more textured, add more baking soda. Once combined, take your brush and proceed to paint your vase with the mixture right away, otherwise it will start drying. Apply two to three coats, using straight strokes, and allowing each layer to dry first before applying the next.

Once the paint is dry, take a clean brush and apply water to the painted vase. Then, coat it with the coffee grounds, and smooth the grounds over the paint. The water will help the coffee adhere to the vase, while the coffee is what gives your DIY pottery that signature aged look (along with the rough texture of the paint). Once you are satisfied with the overall effect, use a clean brush to sweep off the excess coffee grounds, and then apply a clear acrylic sealer to lock the grounds in place.

Textured white paint and coffee grounds can help give vases a timeworn look, but the your application technique will determine whether your finished piece looks authentic or not. Just as there are obvious signs antique furniture may not be authentic, the devil is in the details. For example, naturally aged pots will wear out in a random manner, so don't apply your coffee grounds evenly. Keep it random with some areas darker than others. You'll want to focus on high-touch points and make those areas appear "dirtier"; e.g. the base of the vessel, the handles, and any protruding curves.

You can begin with an old vase, like one you found at the thrift store. Any obvious defects on a piece can help make your finished creation look genuinely aged. For example, a small crack on the handle, a chipped rim, and dents on the surface all point to a vessel that has been in use for many years. So, don't correct these deformities. Finally, you can use more than coffee grounds for this hack. Any dark powdery ingredient can work, such as ground spices like cinnamon, or even soil from your garden. Just remember to sift through it first to remove any large particles or rocks. Recreating the look of aged pottery becomes a great way to style the common item you found at the thrift store.