How to Give New Life to Old Baskets

In this project I'm going to refurbish a few baskets of all kinds. Wooden, metal and wicker all get old and weathered as time goes on. See how I'm going to give these thrift store and clearance aisle finds new life!
old wooden baskets

The first thing I did was to wipe down all the baskets with an organic cleaner and a cloth. 


I removed all the dust and spider webs. 


old weathered wicker basket
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Next, I gave the baskets a light sanding if needed and a brand new stencil. 

I'm using the new stencil collection from Old Sign Stencils called Vintage Crock Numbers. 

But who says they need to be on old crocks? 

I think they're going to look awesome on these old baskets. 

First I located the center of my basket. 

ruler finding center of crate

Then using a stencil brush and a little of my favorite craft paint, I dabbed the stencil onto the wooden crate. 

It was easiest on the wooden crate because of the flat surface but dabbing the brush straight down works well on any surface.
 
stencil and a wooden crate with a 4 on it

Another old basket I used had a cotton liner on the inside. 

After I washed the liner I put it back on the basket and placed a small piece of wood under the fabric before I stenciled. 

Again I used a dabbing motion on the fabric. 

This time I used a light grey color craft paint for the design. 

stenciling on a fabric basket liner

The last thing I did when the paint was dry was to give every wicker, metal and wooden basket a quick wipe of hemp oil to bring out the wood color and give some moisture to the wood. 

wooden baskets with numbers

Now it's time to show off all the beautiful baskets that got a new life. I'm using them on my deck filled with flowers. 

orange begonia in a refurbished basket

The baskets look great with their new crock numbers... 

I think we should call them basket numbers. 

black painted metal container with a stencil and geranium

I updated this old galvanized container with a coat of black chalk paint and a stenciled number. 

basket with numbered liner and geranium inside

The now clean basket liner and its new decorative number gave this old basket a new look. 

wooden crate with number 4 and coasters inside

The wooden crate with the new number was sanded and oiled for a new purpose as an outdoor party caddie. 

group of baskets with new crock stenciled numbers

basket with geranium and number 1

Thanks so much for visiting and before you go please sign up for the Homeroad emails so I can send my latest DIY tutorial straight to you! Also don't forget to visit the Old Sign Stencils website to see all their beautiful stencils! 

Homeroad
Homeroad

I am Susan, the author and creator at Homeroad. I am a wife, mother of 4 daughters, and a grandmother of 5 and counting. I am a retired teacher, a DIY blogger and an artist at heart. .

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