Silver Plated Platter Transformation DIY Rusted Finish

We inherited some various silver platters a few years ago. Some sterling, some plated. Some of the plated ones weren't in great shape but had some pretty detail on them. I'm not much into silver. I'm a warmer, gold and bronze kind of girl. Or rust. I have this piece that my wonderful Aunt Edey gave me many years ago when brass was all the rage. When that craze passed, I still loved the piece, but wanted to update it.

Since it worked so well on the brass, I thought, "Why can't I do this on the silver-plated pieces?" So here goes. Here is the piece in the condition that we received it.

The first step is to lightly sand the piece to improve bonding, then wipe clean. The second step is to apply an acid blocking primer. It is red and it stops the rust from eating all the way through the iron paint.

The third step is to apply the iron paint. Yes, the paint actually has iron particles in it! I recommenr two coats. The photo shows the first coat.

After this dried overnight, the fun part starts. Fourth step is to splatter with a special solution to rust the paint. It takes several applications to reach varying degrees of rust. You can brush it, sponge it, spray it or spatter it.

This is the piece in process. Note my rusted studio wall in the background. I love this finish! I would love to live in a castle! No bright and airy rooms for me! That's what the outdoors is for.

Once you reach the desired level of rust, you must apply a sealer to stop the rusting process. It goes on milky, but dries clear.

Once the sealer dries, add a coat of acrylic polyurethane to protect the finish. This is the finished piece! Imagine the possibilities!

Do you have any old pieces that need updating? Contact me or comment if you want to know what products to use.