Master the Art of Painting and Distressing Mason Jars %

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December 18, 2019

Painting and Distressing Mason Jars

I have friends with birthdays coming up soon and I wanted to make them a little something. I got this idea from one of my Facebook groups to paint mason jars, decorate them and fill with candy. They are sooo cute! After the candy is gone, they can use them for storage jars on a desk, for makeup brushes or in the kitchen for small utensils. They could be used for an artificial flower arrangement. Use your imagination and they can be whatever you need it to be. Lets get started mastering the art of painting and distressing mason jars!

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How to Make a Sun Catcher

Supplies list

Gather these supplies and we’ll get started. I have provided two methods of applying the paint and will tell you my preferred method. I also have a comparison between acrylic and chalk paint. The acrylic paint I used was from Walmart.

rubbing alcohol
mason jar
acrylic or chalk paint
sponge or brush
twine
embellishments of your choice

Begin Painting the Mason Jar

To begin, wipe your jar with rubbing alcohol to remove all dirt and oils that might prevent the paint from sticking. I chose a small mouth Ball jar and with a sponge brush painted a light coat of acrylic paint on the outside. Start at the top and paint as far down as possible then place it upside down and finish painting the entire outside.

The second coat seemed to take the dry paint off in spots, but i continued covering the best I could. I also painted the opposite direction of the first coat. Hum, still needs another coat.

It still needs a third coat of paint. I let the foam brush dry completely for this last layer In case that’s part of my paint coming off problem. This time I applied it by loading the sponge and putting it on all in one direction with very little swiping. The back and forth motion is what was taking the paint off of the previous layer. Dab the bare spots until your satisfied with the way it has covered. If you feel yours needs another coat, go for it!

Time to Distress the Mason Jar

Once the paint is good and dry, it can be distressed with some fine grit sandpaper and a block of wood. I use 220 grit and hit the raised areas of the jar.

Try Using a Brush to Paint the Mason Jar

So I was curious if applying the paint with a brush would make any difference. I chose another color of the same brand paint and applied this time with a disposable brush. First coat covered better than the sponge. Once it dried, I decided it didn’t need a second coat.

Chalk Paint

I used the brush again to apply the chalk paint. It went on just as good as the acrylic paint. This is only one coat also. Distress with the sand paper and they are ready to decorate. The chalk paint was much more difficult to sand off to distress it. In the end, I find the acrylic paint applied with a brush is the best way to paint a mason jar.

2 painted jars

Final Touches

Wrap some twine around the neck and tie a small bow. Here’s where you can get creative with decorating. I chose to make some paper flowers with my Cricut Maker to attach to the twine or maybe you prefer to make felt flowers for your jar. Fill it with someone’s favorite candy and there you go. What a cute, inexpensive but thoughtful gift for them.