I am loving all things chicken wire. I love the farmhouse style and love how chicken wire seems to show up in such unexpected places. So, when Brett and I were perusing the thrift stores and he found these two beautiful wood windows, I immediately thought chicken wire. Because naturally, what else would come to mind?

Supplies

• 100 grit sand paper
• Rust-oleum Chalked in Country Gray
• Chicken wire
• Dark antique wax; we used Amy Howard at Home (found at Ace Hardware)
• Paint brush
• Cotton cloth
• Rust-oleum satin spray paint in Slate Blue
• Staple gun

I removed the glass and lightly sanded the entire frame. Since I was using chalk paint, I wasn’t too concerned with removing all of the stain and clear coat. The surface usually just needs a little scuffing up for the paint to hold.

Then I painted on the Country Gray chalk paint, not fully covering the surface. I used light, long strokes so the paint wasn’t applied too thick. I put on two coats because I distressed it afterwards and wanted a fuller coverage.

After the paint dried, I used the sand paper and sanded down the edges and other areas that I wanted to appear more worn. After that, I went over the frame with a dry paper towel to remove any dust.

Then I applied the antique wax to the frame using the cotton cloth. I dabbed the cotton cloth in the antique wax and spread it on the frame, focusing on the corners and other edges that wear-and-tear usually appears.

Next came the chicken wire – which Brett spray painted with the slate blue color prior to attaching to the frame. We found that it worked best to have one person holding the chicken wire to the back of the frame and the other person using the stapling gun.

We had a bit of a challenge with this part because the wood was so dense and hard to break through. We even used an air-compressor powered staple gun. It was a tedious process, but I think if an easier wood product was used for the frame then it would have been a piece of cake.

Overall, the whole project took about five hours, which includes the wait time for the paint to dry. With that said, if you’re putting the paint on thicker or using a different kind, the drying time may be a bit different.

I currently have the frame in our bedroom on the dresser. My original intention was to hang it up on the wall in the bathroom, but we are putting a pause on hanging anything since half the walls are coming down anyways. I may add a fun vintage handle to the bottom or one on each side – maybe if I come across something cheap. The possibilities are endless!

 

All our best,