Updated Thrift Store Candleholders

Do you ever go to Goodwill or another thrift store hoping to find some great pieces to update and you actually find stuff? Yeah, I don’t visit as often as Aleisha does, so it makes it even less likely that I’ll find something good. So I was thrilled when I happened to wander into Goodwill after visiting Dollar Tree and low and behold, I found three, well I guess four, amazing items. I found a beautifully shaped dining share that I plan to repaint and recover, a solid wood stool I plan to paint, and these ugly candleholders. Don’t get me wrong, they are very solid and heavy and top quality, they are just finished in a way I find very unappealing, lol. Since I’m trying to slowly update my house from a forest of dark wood and earth tones to something lighter and brighter, I decided white was the way to go.

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The Rules:

• Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
• There’s no monthly theme.
• There’s no budget to stick to.

Meet the Hosts

Amanda | Domestically Creative – Pili | My Sweet Things
Angela | Simply Beautiful by Angela – Jeanie | Create and Babble
Molly | Just a Little Creativity – Yamilette | The Latina Next Door
Marie | The Inspiration Vault – Michelle | Michelle James Designs
Shirley | Intelligent Domestications – Dru | Polka Dot Poplars
Pam | P.S. I Love You Crafts – Gail | Purple Hues and Me
Jennifer | Cookies Coffee and Crafts – Toni | Small Home Soul
Sue | A Purdy Little House – Kathleen | Our Hopeful Home
Victoria | Dazzle While Frazzled – Marie | DIY Adulation
Michelle | Our Crafty Mom – Debra | Shoppe No. 5
Maureen | Red Cottage Chronicles – Denise | My Thrifty House
Florence | Vintage Southern Picks – Ann | Duct Tape and Denim

Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!

Updated Thrift Store Candleholders

Materials

• Thrift Store Candleholders
• Krylon White Chalk Spray Paint
• Mouse Sander (or Sandpaper)
• Vintage Decor Paint Brush
• Decor Clear Wax or try this Krylon Spray Wax

Updated Thrift Store Candleholders Steps

1. Lightly sand the candleholders with the Mouse Sander. Sure, you can use regular sandpaper if you prefer all that manual labor. Be sure to wipe it down afterward to remove any dust left from sanding.

Note: It turns out that these candleholders are made of plaster and NOT wood, so I shouldn’t have sanded it like that. Oops. So make sure to check what your candleholders are made of before sanding!

2. Use Krylon’s chalky finish spray paint and paint two coats. Let each coat dry completely before applying another. I find that this particular paint isn’t thin and watery and doesn’t tend to run as long as you spray at least six inches away. Love this stuff! I used it on my Lavender and White Spring Floral Wreath and loved it for that, too. No, they didn’t pay me to say that, lol.

3. (Optional) Whip out that Mouse Sander again and distress a few spots on the candleholders. If you like your decor really distressed, sand more. Wipe off any dust left from sanding. After seeing and loving the paint results, I opted to not distress it at all.

4. Use the brush to apply the clear wax. Let it dry. The bottle says to let it dry 24 hours. Just follow whatever instructions your particular bottle gives you. I’m certainly not going to dispute Martha’s instructions, lol. You can skip this step if you prefer for your candleholders to have a super matte finish, but I have to tell you, the wax really gives such a soft, almost leathery feel to them and I think it’s just a beautiful finishing touch.

That’s it! How easy was that!? It’s amazing how simple it is to transform something so…unattractive into something so fresh and beautiful. I wish I could transform all of my other furniture just as easily. I have managed to make some decor items like this Farmhouse Style Windmill Sign, though. So, have you ever tried your hand at Updated Thrift Store Candleholders? What did you do with yours?

If you really love looking at DIY projects for inspiration, you have to check out all of the gorgeous designs over at the DIY Idea Center.

And now for more thrifty goodness!

Check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!

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