Ikea Lantern Hack: How to Get the Patina Look

Hello, dear friends, and welcome to April’s Monthly DIY Challenge! These posts are always tons of fun and some of my very favorites  In case you’re new, here’s the 411: on the 2nd Wednesday of every month, me and my fab blog friends make something based on a common theme or material. Here are some of my favorite past Monthly DIY project materials: Michaels crates,wood slices, plumbing pieces, balsa wood/craft plywood, cork, and metallic paint. Last month our material was canvas, this month we have a super fun and unique material: Modern Master’s Metal Effects kits!

*This post was sponsored by Modern Masters, but the project, thoughts, and ideas are all my own*

Now, I’m not usually an antique, old-fashioned, patina kind of girl, but when the opportunity came up to try out Modern Master’s Metal Effects Patina kit, I’ll admit I was intrigued! While I don’t usually utilize the antique look in my home decor (I tend to lean more towards the modern/Scandinavian style) I absolutely love the old patina-ed look of European statues and mysterious garden decorations. I thought it would be cool to transform an old, plain Ikea lantern I had lying around to make it into a cool piece of backyard decor – perfect for those summer nights that are just around the corner!

The kits come in green, blue, and rust and each of my bloggy friends and I chose a different finish – stick around to the end of the post to check out all of their awesome and creative projects!

Ikea Hack Materials

• Ikea Lantern
• Modern Masters Metal Effects Kit (I chose the green patina finish, but it also comes in blue and rust)
• Brushes (there are some also included with the kit)
• Newspaper or cardboard to protect your work surface
• Tape (optional)

Step 1

The first very important step is to prime your Ikea lantern. Do not skip this step! The primer is what helps the metallic paint to stick and will aid in the patina process. If desired, you can tape off or take out the glass lantern panels. Being the carefree lady that I am (read: slightly lazy), I decided to just paint verrrryyyyy carefully around all the glass. Let your first coat of primer dry, and then apply a second coat. Let dry for 12 hours or overnight.

Step 2-3

Stir your oxidizing paint and apply overtop the primer using another brush. Let the first coat dry for 30 minutes. Then apply the second coat of the metallic pain, and while the paint is still wet, spray your lantern with the included patina spray. Don’t worry about being perfect, just spritz lightly and see where it takes you! The patina will develop over the next hour or so, leaving you with a perfectly imperfect aged Ikea lantern!

Waayyy more cool and custom than the original, don’t you think?

I just love the greeny-blue patina that developed – the color is so vibrant and lovely and it just pairs so well with the copper paint beneath it. It’s really cool to see the patina develop almost before your eyes!

Now that you’ve seen my super awesome Ikea hack, click on the photos below to check out all my friends’ equally awesome projects!

Love the project? Pin it! <3

What would you add Modern Masters Patina to?