DIY Ceramic Style Vase (Quick and Easy Tutorial)

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Love the look of a piece with a story? Me too! In this post, I’ll show you how to easily transform brand-new or thrifted vases into a DIY aged vase with just a few simple supplies. Save money on antique vases by making your own!

Looking for more fun DIY projects? Make some cute and functional leather diffuser earrings. Or, make some pretty flower arrangements using grocery store flowers.

collage of how to make DIY ceramic vases using thrift store vases

Have you ever browsed stands at flea markets or antique shops and drooled at the rustic or antique decor? One quick look at the price tag might have you doing a double-take, though!

I adore antiques and know they are worth every dime. Every dent, scratch, and scrape tells a story. Maybe the jar or vase survived a fire, or maybe it traveled across the Oregon Trail.

As beautiful and alluring as antiques are, sometimes they just aren’t financially feasible at the moment, and that is okay. You can still have centerpieces that become the focus of conversation while saving a bunch of money on them. Keep reading, and I’ll show you how.

DIY Faux Black Vase

Easy DIY Aged Vase

The best thing about this DIY project is that you can take a vase you found at a garage sale or thrift store and turn it into a stunning centerpiece. You aren’t just saving money with these tips – you could even sell these vases and make a little profit too (hello, side hustle!)

DIY Aged Vase: How to Make New Vases Look Antique

I have a few tips that will help you create a fantastic aged vase for the first time.

  • If you have a vase with a shiny surface, then I suggest roughing it up with sandpaper. This way, the paint will stick to the vase more effectively.
  • If you don’t want to use sandpaper to rough it up, spray the entire thing with primer. That will work just as well.
  • To give it an authentic aged look, paint the vase with two coats in different colors. Then, sand the vase in spots so the first color peaks through.

Supplies Needed to Make DIY Textured Vases

The best thing about this project is the supplies are easy to find and affordable. I used supplies you probably already have in your garage or craft room (especially if you are an experienced DIYer).

black paint mixture
  • disposable container and spoon – you’ll be mixing stuff together, and it doesn’t wash well. It’s much easier to go the disposable route here.
  • old vases – they can be made of either ceramic or glass. The print or color doesn’t matter because you’ll be covering it up. You can find them inexpensively at thrift stores, discount stores, and craft stores as well.
  • paintbrush – I suggest a small or medium-sized brush because you will paint the entire vase with it.
  • acrylic paintto get the antique look, you’ll first cover the vase with your favorite color (or colors) of acrylic paint, so make sure you have enough paint for 1-2 coats.
  • baking soda– mix this in with the paint (see ratio below)
  • sandpaperthat’s what gives it the antique look.
  • spray primer – it’s completely optional, but I like to use it because it helps the paint stick to the vase better.

How to Make DIY Textured Vase

All the exact steps for this easy tutorial are in the printable craft card at the bottom of this post (along with a video, so keep scrolling!) I also included links to all the supplies so you can buy them online. Here’s a quick summary to get you started:

Before you begin, wash your vase really well. Then, either add primer or rub it down with some sandpaper.

Womans hands cleaning glass vase

Then, stir some baking soda into the paint. When you mix baking soda into the paint, you will create an aged-looking texture. You can add more baking soda for more texture, or just a little for a smoother style.

Black and white paint mixing

Paint the first coat in a thin, even layer. After it’s dry, paint a second coat and let it dry. Add as many coats as you wish, or even layer on additional colors. The bottom photo shows how it looks after two coats of black/white mixed paint, with a medium amount of baking soda.

Faux Cermic Vase DIY

DIY Aged Vases

Turn garage store vases into DIY aged vases that look like antique home decor.
Prep Time10 minutes
Active Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Keyword: DIY aged vases
Yield: 1 vase

Equipment

  • 1 Stirring Spoon
  • 1 Disposable Container
  • 1 Paintbrush
  • Sandpaper

Materials

  • 1 Old Jar or Vase
  • 2 colors Acrylic Paint
  • 1 cup Baking Soda Use the same amount of baking soda as you use paint, 1:1 ratio
  • Spray Primer

Instructions

  • Clean the vessel thoroughly. If the piece has a shiny surface (like metal or glass), you’ll want to rough it up a bit with sandpaper so the paint will stick. Alternatively, you can spray it evenly with spray primer.
  • Mix paint colors together until you achieve your desired color(s). Off-white, charcoal and black, and terracotta are popular choices. You can also do two coats in different colors and sand off parts of the top coat to give it an ‘aged’ finish.
  • Stir in an equal amount of baking soda until a bit fluffy. The ratio of paint to baking soda is 1:1.
  • Paint a nice, even first coat of paint and let dry completely.
  • Once dry, paint a second coat until evenly covered and let dry. If needed you can add a third coat.
  • Paint can chip easily, so take care when you display your beautiful new ‘ceramic’ piece!
shop the post handlettered

There you have it! There are actually quite a few different ways to make textured vases, but this one is fast and easy. If you make a DIY Aged ceramic vase, please let me know how it turned out!

Love these gorgeous DIY aged vases? Pin it for later!

collage of how to make DIY ceramic vases using thrift store vases
collage of how to make DIY ceramic vases using thrift store vases
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