DIY Faux Rusted Metal Monogram Letter

Create a letter that looks like a flea market find for under $10 with this DIY Faux Rusted Metal Monogram Letter project!

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It seems to be a hip and trendy thing to use letters as home decor.  I love the idea of representing family initials, but I was having such a hard time finding an “H.”  That’s until a recent trip to JoAnn’s where I found giant paper mache letters standing 23″ tall!  I spotted an “H” right away!

I had no clue what I was going to do with it, but I can thank the Junk Gypsies (one of my new favorite shows) for inspiring the “rusted and worn” look I gave to my letter.  Remembering how Amie gave a rusted, old chair an update by dry painting, I used that technique to make it look like I found my letter “H” at a flea market or antique shop.

I headed outdoors for this project, set my music up, and put my letter on a large piece of cardboard.  Dry painting is a technique that doesn’t use a lot of paint on the brush, so make sure not to saturate your paintbrush if you want a rustic feel.  Use swift, even motions to create a “worn” effect.  I first painted a coat of blue and followed with copper.  Then I went over my letter again with another coat of blue.  I did this on all sides and let it dry.

SUPPLIES

• Large paper mache letter
• Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Metallic acrylic paint in “Copper”
• Americana acrylic paint in “Victorian Blue”
• Two paintbrushes, a palette or, as I used, a paper plate (nothing’s too fancy for this girl!)

STEPS

1. Start with your solid base color.  Dip your brush in a small amount of paint.  Then, use swift motions in the same direction to cover the letter.  Do this on all sides, drying between coats, until desired effect is achieved.
2. Next, use your metallic paint to create the same dry brushed technique.  Concentrate on using more paint on the tops and bottoms of your letter, places where you would expect patches of rust on metal.  Allow paint to dry before continuing on the other side.
3. Display your letter either on the floor or by hanging on the wall with Command Strips.

I am so pleased with the results!  Dry painting gave this letter such a cool texture and look!  The addition of the copper paint that peeks out from behind the blue gives it a “metal” feel, like maybe it came off an old building and suffered some wear over time.  It looks like an antique shop find and cost me under $10 to make!  It’s now a permanent fixture in a once empty corner of our dining room.