bloglovinBloglovin iconCombined ShapeCreated with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. rssRSS iconsoundcloudSoundCloud iconFill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Fill 1Created with Sketch. Group 3Created with Sketch. _ _ _ XCreated with Sketch. X searchCreated with Lunacy

Categories

DIY White Farmhouse Pitcher From Tacky Thrift Store Find

Learn how to make a white farmhouse pitcher for a fraction of the cost using a tacky thrift store find! If you love the farmhouse style, you’re going to love this DIY farmhouse pitcher tutorial.

This white farmhouse pitcher post contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t wholeheartedly recommend anyway! Read my full disclosure here.

The only thing I requested this year for Christmas was this shelving unit that I literally have been eyeing for over a year.

I never had a good spot for one, but we recently completely changed the furniture arrangement in our living room, and BOOM! There was a huge open spot that was dying for some shelves.

My wish was finally going to come true. Some cute shelves to decorate to my heart’s content.

If you’re stuck on how to decorate shelves, be sure to check out this post with tons of shelf styling tips and tricks!

One thing I knew I wanted on my new shelves was a white farmhouse pitcher or two. But they range from $15-$30 to buy new… I had to do better.

And then I came across these two beauties at the thrift store…. and when I say beauties I really mean….super tacky and dying to be upcycled pitchers.

Two white ceramic thrift store pitchers with tacky designs, soon to be upcycled into white farmhouse style pitchers you can use as decor, vases, or more.

I instantly thought of my painted mason jars and figured that if I could paint glass mason jars I could definitely paint ceramic pitchers. Except for this time I went with spray paint.

I knew they would be perfect for this thrift store challenge with some of my favorite blogging friends! I’m going to show you how to turn tacky thrift store pitchers, like these, into farmhouse pitchers that you’ll have so much fun decorating with!

Supplies needed to make upcycled white farmhouse pitchers: 2 bottles of white spray paint, a thrifted white ceramic pitcher, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol

Supplies for DIY white farmhouse pitcher:

How to Create a White Farmhouse Pitcher from a Thrifted Ceramic Pitcher

Using sandpaper to lightly sand the glaze finish off of a thrifted white ceramic pitcher.

1. Lightly sand pitcher.

First, you want to VERY lightly sand the pitcher with a fine grit sandpaper. You could even probably use steel wool as an alternative. All you really want to do is create a slightly rougher surface for the paint to stick to.

Cleaning the ceramic pitcher with a cotton round and rubbing alcohol

2. Clean pitcher.

Next, grab a cotton round and some rubbing alcohol and clean the pitchers well. This will clean off any dust created from sanding or also remove any dirt, grime, or oils from your hands.

The primed and painted white ceramic pitcher sits upside down on the craft table.

3. Prime & paint pitcher.

Even though the spray paint I was using had primer in it, I decided to also use a flat white primer first. This just helped with coverage so I didn’t have to do as many coats of the white spray paint. The photo above shows the pitcher after 2 coats of primer. You can very slightly see the old design in the background.

Curious if and when you need primer before painting? Check out this guide here.

After the 2 coats of primer, I moved right on to spraying the farmhouse pitcher with this white spray paint. I chose a high gloss spray paint so that the finished product would look more realistic….because a white farmhouse pitcher usually has some shine to it!

A white farmhouse ceramic pitcher - upcycled from thrifed ceramic pitchers - sits on a shelf on a stack of books

4. Decorate with your white farmhouse pitcher.

Now you can literally take your finished pitcher and decorate it to your heart’s content! I love the extra farmhouse charm they added to my shelves!

If you loved this tutorial, be sure to check out these spray paint projects and thrift store makeovers for more ideas!

A look at all my bookshelf decor - vintage books between novelty bookends, stacked books, and white ceramic farmhouse style pitchers willed with cascading faux greenery.

The two pitchers that are sitting together on the 2nd shelf are the ones I painted. The other smaller pitcher is one that I purchased new….can’t really even tell the difference, right?!

A closer look at the upcycled white ceramic pitchers, stacked on a pile of books, next to the Johnson family sign

Because I know someone will probably ask, I’ve gotta just provide a little warning…these spray painted pitchers are for DECORATIVE USE only. Spray paint is not food safe, so don’t start serving iced tea from your painted pitcher or anything 🙂

One shelf of our living room bookshelf, decorated with vintage books, candle holders, faux greenery and a farmhouse white ceramic pitcher.

I love that I was able to create a budget-friendly alternative to the pricey pitcher with just simple spray paint!

Spray painting thrift store items is one of the BEST crafting projects if you are a beginner. They rarely cost much (I paid $7 total for both pitchers) and spray paint is also very affordable (usually about $3-4 a can).

So there is no pressure…if you make a mistake, no problem! Once you get more confident with painting, you can also try fun things like painting with chalk paint (like this vintage bread box or barstools) or a dry brush technique like I did on this outdoor bench.

Before and after photos showing how we turned two thrifted ceramic pitchers into stylish white farmhouse pitchers in just a few simple steps.

You’ve gotta check out the other ladies’ thrift store upcycle projects too:

Where would you put a farmhouse pitcher in your house?

Let me know in the comments below!!


Further Reading – Looking for more farmhouse-style thrift store upcycle projects??

How To Make A DIY White Farmhouse Pitcher

How To Make A DIY White Farmhouse Pitcher

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $10

If you love farmhouse decor, you'll love these upcycled ceramic pictures! Watch how we turned these tacky thrifted pitchers into stylish white farmhouse pitchers in just a few steps.

Materials

Tools

  • Fine grit sandpaper

Instructions

  1. Lightly sand pitcher with fine grit sandpaper.
  2. Clean pitcher with cotton round and rubbing alcohol.
  3. Prime and paint pitcher. (2 coats of primer and 2-3 coats of spray paint)
  4. Decorate with your white farmhouse pitcher.

6 thoughts on “DIY White Farmhouse Pitcher From Tacky Thrift Store Find

  1. Rather than using sandpaper or steel wool, have you ever tried using Etching cream? I love this stuff and although it seems somewhat expensive the first time you buy it, it’s reusable and lasts a very long time. You can use it on any glass surface. After applying it, you leave it on for 15- to 20-minute intervals, then scrape it off and back into its container. If it’s not as frosted looking as you want, reapply it and check again in another 15- to 20-minutes.

    BIG CAUTION though–do not ever, EVER rinse it off in a porcelain sink because it will strip the finish right off of your sink. I thought I’d rinsed the piece I was working off well enough outside, brought it to my sink to soap-wash it and completely ruined my sink. Now I do an initial thorough rinse outside, then thoroughly rub baking soda all over the wet piece, rinse again and reinspect the piece to make sure there’s no cream hiding in any corners or debossed areas. If there are, I reapply the baking soda and scrub again (the baking soda deactivates the acid etching properties of the cream.

    My favorite product is Armour Etch.

    Give it a try; I’m sure it will save you not only time, but also avoid any possible breakage you might incur from the sanding process.

    Good Luck!

  2. That “tacky” pitcher is International Heartland that was popular in the 80s. I sold this exact pitcher online for $28.

    1. LOL it is outdated. Maybe tacky wasn’t the right word… but I like the upgrade. You made $28 and she saved $28. No harm done! Maybe it would have been worth $50 in two years… I just think you do you on these things. I have painted a 1800s steamer trunk. I thought at first, you know this could be worth a lot when my kids are older… but then it’s like well do I leave the nasty toxic materials that were use to glue and paint this thing and let my babies play all over it? No, I painted it! It’s a coffee table in my living room and it’s a focal point and conversation starter. No regrets! I think this life is way to short to worry about these things. Be happy and don’t hurt or bring down anyone in the process!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to Instructions
Scroll back to the top