Red Black Mason Jar

A few months ago I started painting and distressing old mason jars. This is the lastest technique I tried.

• Mason Jars in the size of your choice
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Cotton ball
• Hot water
• Paint Brush
• 80 grit sandpaper
• Chalk Based Paint 
• Paste wax or Clear spray paint

You would be surprised how much natural oils are in our hands.The jar must be completely free of oil, grit, dust or soap build-up. A single fingerprint can cause paint to not adhere properly to your jar.
Saturate a cotton ball and rub the entire outside of the mason jar, including the rim and the bottom. Immediately rinse the outside of the jar with very hot water and let air dry.

Remember, the painting doesn’t need to be perfect. One thin coat on the exterior. Let dry completely. Then add a second coat and let it dry for twenty-four hours. 

Now for some fun - using a small piece of 80 grit sandpaper, start sanding all of the raised edges around the mason jar including the rim. And then a couple of spots to give the appearance of being worn.

I use black chalk paint and a foam brush. I generally use a regular brush I like that finish much better.

2 coats black paint I allowed 24 hours to dry then added 2 coats of red and another 24 hours to dry.

It's 4 coats of paint!  So be careful sanding don't rub to hard or you will see glass and not black paint.

I decided to use this as a soap dispenser - so rather than use a wax I used a satin clear coat. It's a little shiner but will stand up to water. Then purchased a pump in satin chrome.

A gray and white - 1 coat of gray and 1 coat of white - with a matte spray finish.

I'm going to try the red and black again, but next time 1 coat of black paint and 2 thin coats of red then dark wax on the lettering and a clear wax for the final finish. I may try using the new spray chalk paint!!