If you’ve been following this blog lately, you’ll know that I’ve been on a bit of a kick, snagging Halloween decorations and transforming them into something a little more my style. This Faux Iron Witches’ Cauldron is no exception.
Don’t get me wrong.. I love Halloween decorations. For the most part. But… I am especially partial to decorations with a bit more authenticity. If you’re anything like me, you’ll know that those can be harder to come by.
Take this Hocus Pocus Cauldron I bought at Homegoods. It’s a cute Halloween decoration. In fact, I bought a matching “Witch’s Brew” tea cup. The tea cup amuses me for some reason, but when I saw this cauldron, I felt frustrated by it. I know a lot of people out there on social media are really loving this cauldron, so it might be a surprise that I wanted to change it… but I really did not like that the words “Hocus Pocus” were written on it (Forgive me all of you Hocus Pocus Super Fans!). I liked the shape of the cauldron, and I liked the weight…. but in my opinion, those words cheapened it, especially because they looked like someone just wrote on it with a metallic pen!
It doesn’t help that I am not a huge fan of cliche Halloween words plastered across Halloween decorations. Did you happen to catch the Skeleton Chalkboard I worked on 2 weeks ago? You’d never know the words Trick or Treat were literally carved into it before I got a hold of it. Covering up “Hocus Pocus” was going to be easy compared to the chalkboard…. But the real challenge was to take this cauldron from an obvious Halloween prop to something that appeared more authentic.
When I think of a witches’ cauldron, I think of heavy black iron…. old and weathered. This shiny Hocus Pocus Cauldron was anything but. To give the appearance of iron, I added some texture, and paint. A handful of faux finish techniques gave the appearance of age.
Before I scare you with a project that has a ton of steps, I do want to let you know that this project can be as complicated as you want it to be. Within the first few very easy steps, the cauldron will already be transformed, and you can technically stop at that point or after any of the steps that follow. I have tried to include detailed photos with each step, so you can see for yourself how the surface of the cauldron is transformed little by little. Determine for yourself how far you want to take it, or how many of the products you’re willing to invest in. If you want to make this project even more affordable, you can technically create these finishes on a plastic cauldron. Good luck!
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What you’ll need:
- Cauldron
- Rust-Oleum Stone Textured Finish
- Painters tape
- Paint Brushes
- Black Chalkboard Paint
- Rust-Oleum Universal Metallic Rust
- Lint Free Cloth or Applicator Pad
- Acrylic Paint – Paprika
- Aging Powder
- Furniture or Paste Wax
Add painters tape to the inside edge of the cauldron, and fill the inside with paper or newspaper. While I wanted to transform the outside of the cauldron, I was hoping to preserve the inside, in case I ever wanted to use this to serve food. (I accidentally removed the tape when I took this photo, and had to put it back on for the next step! See the next image)
Spray with the Stone Finish. Spray lightly at a distance from the cauldron. The idea is to create a texture. Use caution against being too heavy on the trigger, as you want the coverage to be generally even all around. Before I begin spraying, I typically take a few practice sprays on my work surface to make sure I have my finger pressure right.
This product takes a while to dry… Several hours, at least. Try not touch it until you think it is dry, as it easily smears, and will lose the effect you’re going for.
I have to admit, after a first round of spraying, I moved on to the next step only to realize I wanted a bit more texture. You just can’t avoid a bit of trial and error when it comes to DIY projects! I sprayed a second layer of the stone… which turned out to be exactly what I was looking for.
Once COMPLETELY DRY, paint the cauldron with Black Chalkboard Paint. The chalkboard paint creates more of a matte finish than acrylic paints, and can cover the stone texture in typically one coat. I know the cauldron looks a bit shiny in the photo, but I intentionally had my light hit directly on the cauldron so you could see the texture, thus making it appear shinier than it really is.
Once you paint the cauldron black, if you step back and wish it had more texture (like I did), simple spray with the stone finish again, once the chalkboard paint has dried, and repeat this step.
At this point, the cauldron is already looking more authentic. For those of you looking for a quick win on a Halloween decoration, feel free to stop here. Feeling crafty? Read on….
Next, spray the cauldron with the Metallic Rust spray. HUGE word of advice on this step…. You DO NOT want a lot of coverage with this spray. In fact, it’s best when you can spray a splatter of drops across the surface. Easier said then done, I know! I achieved it on most sprays, but not all of them. The key is to barely put pressure on the paint trigger. It almost needs to sputter out of the nozzle. Definitely practice on your work surface.
After each spray, dab the area with your cloth. You’re not looking to remove the paint…. so just dab lightly. The cloth will smudge the paint ever so slightly. This is especially helpful on any of the areas where you didn’t quite achieve the splatter.
Again… feel free to stop here. The finish is beautiful with the added metallic rust.
To add just a bit more “rust”, use a dry brush. Barely tap it into the paprika acrylic paint, and then dab it on your work surface until most of the paint has come off. When this paint hits the cauldron, you want it to be subtle, so you don’t need much paint.
Very lightly tap the brush onto the cauldron in small but random patterns. Again, pat the paint with a cloth each time to avoid seeing any brush strokes. I added the “rust” in about 5 or 6 areas. I didn’t want the cauldron to look too rusty… I just wanted a hint of rust to peek through.
Originally I planned to end the project at this point. But I can never leave well enough alone! I knew I could make this cauldron look even older and more authentic. It just so happens that several weeks ago, I took a pair of Halloween Candlesticks, and used some finishing techniques to transform them into Rusted “Antique” Bird Claw Candlesticks. After I went through the rusting process, I used an aging powder to darken the finish. I had liked working with the powder and decided to try it on the cauldron.
The powder is referred to by several different names…. aging powder, antiquing dust, aging dust, dust of ages…. and comes in a variety of colors. The one I used was Dixie Dirt by Dixie Belle in Charcoal color. You’ll find that these powders often come in shades of brown, but for the cauldron it’s important to stick with black or charcoal.
The typical application method for most of the aging powders is to apply wax with a cloth or pad in the areas you want to “age”. Then… using a small paintbrush, dab the aging powder onto the areas where you applied the wax. The more powder you use, the more texture there will be. There’s no right or wrong way on this step…. just dab the powder until you like the end result.
A warning, however… you will find that if you use too much powder in one area, the powdered areas may look grayish instead of black. This is OK, but you wouldn’t want to turn your entire cauldron gray. To avoid this… I dipped the brush into the wax and the powder at the same time, and almost painted it on. Be sure to put a spoon of wax and small pile of aging powder onto your work surface, or into paint cups, so you don’t contaminate either container by double dipping. 🙂
The first method of dabbing the powder onto a waxy surface gave more texture, and the second method of painting a mix of wax and powder gave more coverage and blending. I used both application methods simultaneously until I liked the look.
I used the aging powder over most of the cauldron, allowing some areas of rust to peek through. Here’s a look at what the cauldron looked like as I began to cover it with aging powder. In this picture I was adding the powder to the left side of the cauldron. The right side was untouched.
Allow to dry. I’m not certain of the exact dry time. I actually allowed mine to dry overnight. I did not want to pick it up and get black powder all over my hands, so I played it safe.
Remove the painters tape, and voila – an old, weathered cauldron!
Last year, I hosted a Witch themed Halloween Dinner Party… For months, I worked on the event, so it’s like deja-vu to be working on a project that would have been so well suited for that party! Does that Crystal Ball in the photos look familiar? It was one of last year’s Witch themed DIY’s! For those of you that might be interested in using a cauldron like this as part of some Witch inspired Halloween decor, definitely check the Witches’ Party out for a ton of ideas!
Great idea to authenticate one of those ceramic cauldrons! They actually reached out shores last year (whoooo!) and I have one that says Happy Halloween. I turn it around and use it as a planter outside of Halloween season and until now I’ve been kinda OK with the original finish. Now? I feel texture, rust and ageing coming on! Thanks, as ever, for the inspiration my love. Sx
I know.. until now, if I saw a halfway decent cauldron, I’d buy it, and make it work. Not anymore! 🙂 I’m pretty excited about how this one turned out! Great idea to use it as a planter!! I’m totally trying that after Halloween!!
This is fabulous! Adding one DIY cauldron onto my list of things to make for Halloween this year. Thanks for the easy-to-understand tutorial too.
Thanks Kristy!! Looking forward to seeing your version!!
Hi Alexandra, I love how this cauldron turned out! If I hadn’t previously seen this transformation I might have passed up a perfect-condition large McCoy pottery cauldron, found at the flea market recently for $4, because some yahoo thought it was cool to write “Nibble Kettle” on the side in gold paint. Holy Hecate! Anyway, I knew there was a fix so I snagged it.
I also love an evocative tablescape and have gotten lots of inspiration from your posts. I also have many thrift finds for future tablescapes in, mercifully, a large walk-up attic, LOL! Thanks for lots of wonderful haunted ideas!
Lynne… Thank you so much for your comment! Always thrilled when someone else is able to bring one of my ideas to life! And wow!…Nibble Kettle!?! Yikes! That poor pot deserves a makeover for sure! and thank you for sharing the “skeletons in your closet”… or attic in this case!! 🙂 It’s good to know there are more creative-thrifting-hoarding souls out there like me!! 😉
UPDATE:
I tried your technique on two ceramic cauldrons, though didn’t use the aging powder. I sent a pic of the finished pieces on your FB Messenger.
This was a lot of fun! Thank you!
Lynne… Thanks for letting me know! (I’m awful at checking FB messages!) Just checked your pics out, and everything turned out amazing!!
Yaaaaas!
My bf and friends don’t understand me when I say I HATE tacky and cheesy Halloween decorations. Anything that looks like you’d decorate for a holiday party (especially with phrases) is a big no-no for me. I want you to step into my house and think “a witch lives here”
Megan… I know exactly what you mean! People who know me assume if it’s anything Halloween, I’ll automatically like it… but that couldn’t be farther from the truth! BUT… I’ve made it my mission to transform those cheesy decorations into something I would like. Looking forward to more transformations as this Halloween approaches!!