Re-purposing a Vintage Galvanized Bucket
There’s just something charming about vintage graphics. They hearken from a pre-plastic packaging phase of our history. When the package something came in didn’t just get thrown away, rather kept on being used functionally. I found this fun galvanized bucket with the great logo last week and just had to have it! I’ll show you how to take a simple vintage galvanized bucket, probably found in the garage, and refresh and re-purpose it as stylish, junky home decor!
This new find unfortunately didn’t have my hometown name depicted, like a lot of my other vintage finds have {“Create a Memorable Collection with Vintage Graphics“}, but the punchy orange and black logo with the blocky font won me over nonetheless. And I loved all the instructions on the back!
When I picked it up for $20, it was in it’s straight-from-the-farm condition, with some feed remnants still hanging around:
I sprayed a little degreaser/multi-purpose cleaner on the inside and scrubbed it with a nylon bristled brush. Then I switched to a S.O.S. pad (or Brillo) and scrubbed the whole inside. The S.O.S. pad really attacks the rust and smooths everything out. The outside just got some light scrubbing with the soft brush; I didn’t want to lose any of the graphics.
I let it dry thoroughly and warmed the metal in the sunshine. Galvanized metal needs to be at least room temperature warm before giving it all a coat of polyurethane. I brushed on 2 coats of poly, both outside and in. The poly really saturates the coloration of both the galvanized metal and the graphics, and seals in the rust. For both wood and metal, poly makes the project look as though it was wet. (You can see how it’s still a little wet in the grooves).
Once dry, the decorating can begin! Yes, this bucket will look adorable at Halloween with a pumpkin sitting on top, but for springtime, it needed a big bolt of greenery! Fake ferns always gave my former store a big punch of green in the early spring, so I decided to use some leftovers.
My vintage ladder was all ready for some springtime duds {you can see it’s previous attire in “Got a Ladder? How About Letters?”, and “Got a Ladder? How About Stockings?“}. I probably should have titled this post, “Got a Ladder? How About Buckets?”, but I’m appealing to the google search gods instead this time:(
I found 2 other plain galvanized buckets which got the same scrub and poly treatment and I tied them onto every other rung with some simple twine. These buckets are usually sized perfectly to fit between ladder rungs, either straight or with a little angle. I, of course, placed the cutest bucket in the middle!
Fill up the empty bucket with some scrunched-up newspaper and plunk the fern in; easy peasy! I flipped over my dolly cupboard doors that are painted with clear chalkboard paint and wrote “Spring Fever” on them. I hung them with some cute aqua twine.
This grouping was quite dark at night, since I didn’t have a lamp, so I found an old utility light and placed an Edison bulb in it. I like the vintage science lab look it gave to the whole scene.
I extended the botanical, spring style to the top of the cupboard also. The old fan, some succulents and some origami flowers {“Origami Flowers: How To Make, How To Use”} give this whole vignette a garden-shed type of feel. I like to call it organic vintage!
Guess I’m starting to get my spring on!
Do you have any old galvanized buckets laying around that you can re-purpose as home decor? Maybe even a ladder to hang them on? Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to find one with great, vintage graphics. All the more reason to elevate and re-purpose those vintage, galvanized buckets! And this junky, vintage art doesn’t take up a whole lot of space either! If ferns aren’t your thing, the buckets would look awesome with some giant succulents also.
>>Shoptalk Tips>>If you’re a vintage dealer…definitely give your galvanized buckets this treatment; your buckets will look nicer than your neighbors and you can charge a couple bucks more;)
This vignette is a classic example of one of my favorite sayings I place at the bottom of all my weekly newsletters (which you can sign up for up above or in the sidebar), “It’s not about the junk, it’s what you do with it”!
Sharing at these lovely parties:
I must really like your style because the first two posts I picked from the Talk of the Town party were yours! I’ll be following you on Google +. Look forward to more amazing pics of your creativity and eye for design.
Oops! Misunderstood the G+. I am following via email and Pinterest.
Sorry, I’m not really a G+ girl, Audra. But really, email is the best way, since social media can be so finicky lately! Think I’ve gotten dropped off of a bunch of people’s feeds, sadly:(
That’s awesome, Audra!I actually got in on the party pretty early this time,which never happens!
Well, I love this bucket planter like you have no idea, however this entire corner is the BOMB! Every square inch.
Can’t wait to share this in this weekend’s DIY Salvaged Junk Projects! Thanks for linking up! 🙂
Thanks, Donna! Whenever I have that cute Edison bulb on, it just makes me smile too! Love your party; definitely my favorite! Your readers are the best!
What a great vignette. Here in Maine with the time change and another snowstorm predicted for tomorrow, I wish I could catch some Spring Fever. Your vignette definitely brigthens up that corner of the world! My silk daffodils on the coffee table just aren’t cutting it! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bucket with graphics before. Love the poly treatment; I’ve worried about making rust worse by using something in a container before; greaat solution!
I poly all my rusty stuff, Kathy! It brings out such a lovely patina! So sorry you are still getting snow:(I’m hoping for no more snowstorms this March!
So much lovely freshness here. I think I need a fern or two!!
They’re a great bang for the buck, Julie!
Love it Lora!
Thanks, friend!
Love your old bucket and this vignette. I especially like what you did with the old utility light and the Edison bulb. Keep those good ideas comin’.
Glad you enjoyed it, Vikki! The ideas keep coming, it’s my hands that have a hard time keeping up!