DIY Thrift Flips: Wagner QX1 Control Sprayer
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Welcome back! I’m excited about today’s blog because, typically, you see me flip furniture! But a few weeks ago I flipped some farmhouse home decor from around my house and loved it. So I headed out to the thrift stores, and today, I’m going to do some fun DIY thrift flips!
I love thrifting for so many reasons. Not only does it support sustainable living and help the earth, but it also SAVES MONEY! You’d be surprised how many high-end home decor items you can replicate with a little bit of creativity.
One of the most exciting thrift flips I’m thrilled to share with you today is my Anthropology Primose Gleaming Mirror. I’ve duped Anthropology furniture in the past, and it’s always a fun undertaking.
Usually, I get started by showing you the “before” image of my project, but since I’ve got 6 projects for you today, I’ll be sharing them as we go along! So let’s get to it.
Products for these Thrift Flip Makeovers
Basket
Textured Arch Canvas Art
Artist Brushes
Country Chic Paint Pop the Bubbly
Annie Sloan Antionette
Anthropologie Mirror Dupe
Lilly Moon Paint Black Lace **Code PRETTYDISTRESSED10 FOR 10% off**
Bessey Clamps
Vases
Lilly Moon Paint Black Lace **Code PRETTYDISTRESSED10 FOR 10% off**
Lamp
Sanding pad
Lilly Moon Paint Black Lace **Code PRETTYDISTRESSED10 FOR 10% off**
Corn Starch
Wooden Bowl
Lilly Moon Paint Ole Smoky Gel Stain Natural Cork **Code PRETTYDISTRESSED10 FOR 10% off**
DIY Home Decor Makeovers
Thrift Flip #1: Wicker Basket
My first flip is a basket that I got for $6. And with baskets going for anywhere from $30-$150, I got a bargain. You can use these for so many things…to store blankets, place them on entryway tables, or for plants!
I really loved some of the natural colors on this basket, so I wanted to keep one of the stripes. I taped off that stipe and used the Wagner Control Sprayer to paint the rest of it white.
I decided to use my white craft paint, but because I need thin paint for the sprayer, I had to water this down quite a bit. I watered this down about 20%, so keep that in mind if you use craft paint in your sprayer.
The QX1 has only one adjustable setting for material flow, so I just started at 1 and moved it up as I needed. A couple more tips for this sprayer… I’ve found that with this sprayer, use it at about 6 inches away from your project.
I also found it helpful to have a clean rag on hand to wipe off any buildup on the nozzle. I only ended up doing one coat of paint on here, and I love the way this turned out.
Thrift Flip #2: Textured Canvas Artwork
Next up, while I still have my white paint in my sprayer, I started working on priming the 3 canvases that I got. Of course, I could have purchased some brand new canvas, but I get these for a buck a piece, so why not repurpose them!
I really wanted to make some textured artwork, so after priming the canvases, I used some Dex Wall Spackle to add some texture. It goes on pink, but don’t worry! It turned white as it dries which is actually helpful because I’m going to know when it’s ready to paint.
While the spackle was still wet, I used a Tile trowel that I got for $5 that has really tiny teeth on it to make rainbow patterns.
The next day after these dried completely, I used an artist brush and some craft paint that I had in stock already to add some pops of color.
Thrift Flip #3: Anthropology Mirror Dupe
This thrift flip is the one I’m most excited to share with you! It definitely was the most time-intensive and the most work. But it was WORTH IT!
I had a mirror from a dresser that I didn’t use and had kept in the garage for while (so glad I kept it!). It’s the perfect mirror to dupe the Anthropology Primose Mirror that has a $550 price tag on it *insert wide eyes emoji* 😳
I bought some trim and some decorative pieces that I’m going to be gluing on, spray painting, and then adding some gold gilding wax to.
Prepping the Mirror
The first thing I did was remove the mirror from its original frame. It’s the perfect shape for this Anthropology dupe. I gave it a good clean because it has been sitting in my garage for a LONG TIME.
Trim and Decorative Pieces
As I mentioned, I got some trim and some Wood U Bend decorative pieces that I’m going to glue on my mirror. So first I cut the trim pieces down to size. I used my miter saw, but that’s definitely not necessary as I plan on covering the corners with decorative pieces. But I have one, so why not use it.
Gluing the trim on is the easy DIY way to do this, and it worked like a charm. I used some Tight Bond Glue to get the job done.
Now for the decorative Wood U Bend pieces. In order to mold these pieces, you need to put some heat on them, so I used my Wagner Furno to do this. My top decorative piece was a little longer than I wanted, so I used the Furno to soften it up a bit so that I could clip off the ends.
I also used the Furno to allow the decorative rope pieces to bend so that I could glue them along the curved part of the mirror.
As a side note, you don’t need much heat for these Wood U Bend pieces. If you feel it hardening up on you, just apply some more heat to make it pliable again. It’s so easy to use.
Lastly, I added some more decorative pieces to the bottom corners. Now that I got all of my trim on the mirror, it’s time to paint!
Spray Paint the Borders
Okay, now that I've got everything trimmed out, I went ahead and taped off my mirror to get it ready to spray.
I decided to use some black paint as the base and then I’ll be putting some gold gilding wax over it to give it that beautiful aged patina look. I used furniture paint which is a lot thinner than the craft paint that I used earlier, so I only watered this one down at 10%.
Finishing with the Gold
Now to give me the beautiful metal finish to pull off this Anthropology Primrose Mirror dupe. I will be using one of my favorite go-to’s! My Dixie Belle Gold Gilding Wax always comes through for me!
I used a little artist brush to apply the gilding wax on top of the black paint. I didn’t get into every nook and cranny as I wanted some of that black to come through. It is really going to add some depth and give it that antique look that I’m going for.
Oh my gosh. I love the way this turned out. It’s my absolute favorite look!
Thrift Flip #4: Glass to Ceramic Vases
My next projects are the glass vases that I grabbed for $2 a piece. I’m going to make these look more sophisticated and more ceramic looking. These higher-end ceramic vases can get pricey! You can get a set of 3 at Target for $35, but somewhere like West Elm or Pottery Barn can get up to $140!
I used some black paint in the sprayer again for this project because it’s going to give me a very smooth finish. And with the black matted look, it’s going to give off ceramic vibes.
And it turned out perfectly!
Thrift Flip #5: Outdated to Modern Lamp
Next up is a bit of an outdated lamp that I thrifted for $10. And you all know that modern lamps can be anywhere from $50-$400!!! I really loved the shape of this one, but the scalloping on it felt outdated, so I’ll be using some spackle again to fill in those grooves.
I let that first coat of spackle dry and then came in with my second coat. I started spackling it horizontally versus vertically this round. And looking back, I probably should have sanded down that first coat a little bit more…it would have helped me out a bit. Keep that in mind if you come across a similar project.
Once that second coat was dry, I took my sandpaper and smoothed out any harsh edges. I wanted this to have a good balance of texture and smoothness. When I finished sanding, I wiped it back and used my Wagner Control Spray to paint it black.
After that paint dried, I took some corn starch to it! I know it sounds strange, but it really gave it that aged ceramic look.
The texture turned out perfectly. I got the little white organic lines throughout from the texture that was created…it’s exactly what I wanted.
Thrift Flip #6: Wooden Bowls Quick Flip
One last quick thrift flip! I grabbed a set of wooden bowls that have a bit of an orangey undertone that I want to get rid of.
So I grabbed some Ole Smoky Gel Stain in the Natural Cork color from Lilly Moon Paint. I simply squeeze some of the stain on the bowl and used a lint-free cloth to rub it around. Make sure to wear some gloves while doing this!
It took me just a few minutes to complete this little flip! Easy Peasy.
Wagner Clean Up
Now that I’m done with all of my painting, I wanted to share with you how easy it is to clean the Wagner Control Spray.
First I removed my canister and put any unused paint back in the container. There are just a few pieces to remove at the nozzle. So I removed those pieces and washed them in the sink with some soapy water.
I love how easy it is to clean because all of these pieces detach from the motor, so you dont’ have to worry about burning the motor out by getting water in it.
Thrift Flip Reveal
Ok, friend…there they are! 6 thrift flips at a fraction of the price! I love my furniture projects, but changing it up every once in a while with some home decor flips is so much fun. It helps me think outside of the box and have some fun.
My favorite flip is definitely my Primose Mirror project. It turned out better than I imagined. And with a $550 price tag at Anthropology, I was so happy that I tackled this piece. #winning!
If you’d like to see these flips come to life, check out the YouTube video with this full tutorial. And of course, let me know in the comments which one was your favorite!
