Firewood Bucket Restoration

I was passing by the Amvets Thrift Store the other day, and was compelled to stop in. It is usually incredibly packed with parking ridiculously hard to find. I guess that's how you know it is a place worth checking out. Anyways, it was my lucky day, because miraculously I found parking without waiting. Not only that, look what I found:



I'm not really sure what it was originally intended for, but I knew I liked it. I wasn't fond of the price though...$9.99. Kind of expensive for a bucket. However, it was very sturdy...and maybe I was won over by the cute detailing on the front.


Th inside looked disgusting. I am not sure how it had been previously used, but it either involved water or it was left outside and filled with rainwater. The inside was really rusty and just not in good shape. For what I intended to use this for, it really didn't matter. So I didn't let the ugliness stop me.


I did take my power sander to the inside of the bucket. It really loosened up a lot of the junk, and I figured it would be in better shape without all that in there. After wiping it all down I sprayed it all with a coat of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover Black Gloss. I knew this wasn't the look I was going for, but I wanted it covered well before I went for my top coat. I knew I had this paint on hand, and I wasn't sure of how much I had of what I really wanted it to look like. Like I've said before, I'm not very patient...so the thought of waiting until I could get more of what I really wanted was out of the question. Finally, I gave it a top coat of my favorite...Rust-Oleaum Universal Metallic Oil Rubbed Bronze. Look how pretty it is...


My favorite part of the find was the woman who stopped me on the way out of the store. Apparently she had seen what I was buying and was quite intrigued. I know how that goes. Have you ever seen someone buying just what you would like to be walking out with? Oh, it is almost painful. This time I was the lucky one. She had her own theory of what it must have been...an old fireman's bucket. Maybe that was what it was supposed to look like, but the $39.99 sticker from HomeGoods sealed the deal that it wasn't too old. Doesn't matter, I liked it and I love the way it turned out.


I can't wait to cozy up and enjoy a nice warm fire. Happy Fall!