Aging a metal shelf

Don't Forget to check out the Communion Table Shelf and enter to win one of two! The giveaway ends August 28th!

Having an old house is great on many levels. Storage is not one of them. When our upstairs bathroom developed a leak and the DR ceiling came down, we had to re-do the bathroom. The insurance company would have paid to have the tube removed and new tile put down and then reinstall the tub. However the layout was terrible so that didn't make an sense to me. Thus remodeling commenced. 

Oh, and did I mention I was 8 months pregnant at the time? Happy Times.

We did get a better layout but no additional storage could be added. Where do yo put your towels, etc. when you don't have a closet? Large baskets! However, said new baby got bigger and had it in her head that the baskets were an actual sofa in the bathroom and sat on them so many times they imploded.

But being that I am a patient sort (works for decorating my home, somehow the patience doesn't always translate with my kids), I just kept propping them back up and stuffing them with the towels, one day hoping to find a storage solution. Some specifics are that the room is only about 6' x 10' long so anything I found could be no deeper than 15" tops. That is hard to find. Trust me, I have been looking for 3 years!

Now I did find some dandy solutions all over the web, however, if you have read my blog at all, you know I am cheap. I can not justify spending $300 on some shelves. Even if they look like an apothecary cabinet or vintage metal. So I waited and kept stuffing. 

Lo and behold ( I love saying that!), I was in IKEA on Saturday and I see the Hyliss metal shelving unit for $14.99!!

Only 10" deep!!! 

But very shiny. 

I remembered that I had looked at the blog Home Road that had used Lysol toilet bowl cleaner to age some new metal buckets from the Dollar store. They looked amazing. She also cited Meridian Road as her inspiration.  So I got me some Lysol and took the unit outside. I initially just used a sponge to apply the foamy Lysol but it looked too streaky and not natural. So I mixed some up in a squirt bottle and it worked beautifully.

 The sun dried it in about 1 hour and I re-applied where I wanted more aging. Once dry, I wiped it down. Then I was able to spray the sides and the braces that held the shelves. Wipe everything really well with just a wet rag. Rinse often.

 I did like how this came out but I wanted a little more age to inhabit it. 

So I broke out the Ebony stain and gave it a go. The top shelf is the ebony stain and the bottom shows you without it. I liked it but wanted a little more depth.

So I added some Jacobean stain (dark brown) in some places. Now it was perfect. The Lysol eats away at the surface  of the metal so the stain "pooled" in those places that I had more heavily applied the Lysol. I guess we should all be glad toilets are porcelain and not stainless steel for more than the obvious reasons....

Okay now the fun part! Putting my towels away!!!! No, I do not own just three towels. But I liked how this looked all lined up in the photos. 

Add some pretties

Think outside the soapbox when adding your accessories. An old copper pot can hold hand towels.

A vintage metal soap dish has become my ring holder.

A bird's nest becomes a textural, resting place for my extra soaps. 

I am planning on removing the painted square that is left from a candle display that I had to remove in order for the shelves to rest against the wall. I think I might relocate the candles and their holders outside. We will see. One project at a time.

I am so happy that I was patient and waited for the Lord to provide the solution. I am also so grateful to bloggers for putting those ideas out there for everyone to read.

And don't worry, the 4 year old has been warned......

Always being renewed,

Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!