Colorful reed baskets look really stunning and elegant. These baskets can be used for a variety of things such as decorating the front door by putting flowers in them, as a table centre piece for holidays and festivals. You can also fill these with goodies, curios and fruits and present them to family or friends on special occasions. It will add that exceptional personal touch to your gift. Coloring reed baskets is neither too expensive nor too time consuming; all you need is a little creativity.
Supplies Needed
- Piece of an old cloth
- Brush or Paint Sprayer with air compressor
- Some extra reed
- Mineral spirits
- Oil-based wood stain
- Protection gear like painter’s mask, gloves and eye protection
- Reed baskets
Precautions
Before moving on to actually coloring the reed baskets there are certain precautions that you must take.
Cover the working surface with a piece of old cloth to avoid staining it.
You must choose premium quality oil-based wood stain in a color of your choice, so as to get a better finish.
Paints can be toxic and therefore should be kept out of children’s reach. Paint either in a well ventilated room or outdoors.
Wear the protection gear before you start coloring reed baskets.
You can use either disposable foam brushes or the longer lasting bristle brushes. If you are painting several reed baskets at once, you can use a paint sprayer attached with an air compressor.
Method
Stir the wood stain well to dissolve all the solids and then mix mineral spirits with the stain in a ratio of 2:1 to dilute it.
Make sure to check the color of the stain on an extra piece of reed before applying it on the basket.
Coat a layer of the stain on all the surfaces of the basket to cover it completely with paint. Wipe off any drips off the basket and leave it to dry.
You can apply another coat of the stain to get a darker shade after the first coat dries.
Give the basket a final touch-up with gold or silver dust.
Once the stain dries the reed basket is ready to be used for the purpose you colored it for . Read about these following Baskets are :
