I love the look of salt glazed crocks. But they are hard to find and when I do find them, they are quite expensive! Since I haven’t been able to snag a bargain crock at an auction, I decided to try to recreate the look of one using a newer crock and paints. Read on to see how I did a makeover of a thrifted crock to turn it into a look alike salt glazed crock.
I found a small utensil crock with a sponged blue top and a stenciled heart and house – very 1980’s country. It was only 50 cents so I thought it would be perfect for some experimentation with paints to try to recreate a salt glazed crock look. The crock on the right above is an actual antique salt glazed crock that I borrowed from my mom for color matching and inspiration.
Watch the Makeover Video:
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Prep the Crock:
The first step in any makeover is to thoroughly clean everything. After washing the crock with some hot, sudsy dishwater, I used a rag to wipe the entire crock, both inside and out with rubbing alcohol. This will help the paint to adhere to the crock. I let it thoroughly dry.
Apply Texture:
The salt glaze on antique crocks was created by throwing salt into the kiln during the firing process. This process resulted in a texture to their finish.
To achieve a textured finish on the crock, I used Rust-oleum Stone spray paint in the Bleached Stone color. Since it is made to apply to glass, no additional prep work was necessary before using it.
I took the crock outside and applied a coat of the textured paint to the crock and let it thoroughly dry. If I was doing it again, I would try to paint a lighter coat for a little less texture.
The texture paint created a nice textured look to the crock, but it did not cover up any of the designs on it.
Paint the Crock:
The next step was to cover up the blue and pink on the crock by painting the outside. I used Apple Barrel craft paint in Antique White color. I had to paint two coats to completely cover up the blue with plenty of drying time between coats.
The inside of the antique salt glazed crock is brown, so I painted the inside of my crock also. I used Folk Art craft paint in Burnt Umber color.
Add a Design to the Crock:
I am going to paint a bee sting design on my crock. These were fairly common designs on crocks AND more importantly, easy to re-create. Salt glazed crocks were also decorated with birds and other designs. The design was normally painted in blue.
I drew the design I wanted first onto a piece of paper and then transferred it to the crock using a pencil and carbon paper. It came through very light so I penciled over the design directly onto the crock to make painting easier.
I chose Apple Barrel craft paint in True Navy to paint the bee sting design. I used a thin, stiff brush to paint the design. After dipping the brush into the paint, I dabbed off the excess paint onto a piece of paper before painting.
Pull up some pictures of the design you are painting for reference as you paint. Keep in mind that the salt glazed crocks were originally hand painted so perfection isn’t required. Just have fun with it!
I let the blue paint dry overnight.
Age the Crock:
In order to determine what type of finish to apply to give the crock an aged look, I experimented with the board I had used underneath the crock when I was spraying on the textured paint.
Since it already had some texture, I applied the cream craft paint to the board and tried various finishes that I had on hand so I could compare the coloring to the antique salt glazed crock.
Varathane Classic Dark Walnut was the closest match. So, I took the crock back outside and applied the walnut stain to the crock using rags. I applied the stain to the outside of the crock in a circular motion and then wiped it off in a circular motion using a clean rag.
Seal the Crock:
The final stepwas to apply a coat of clear protectant sealer. I sprayed a coat of Rust-oleum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover in clear matte onto the finished crock.
I hope you enjoyed the salt glazed crock makeover. I’d love to see what you create!
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