How To Paint and Distress Mason Jars

Pick Your Jar Size

For this project I'm going to create 5 farmhouse mason jars. I picked a variety of sizes for what I'll be using them for. You can also use recycled jars as well.

Remove the center lid

I took the center part out of each of the mason jars as I would not be needing them for this project.

Clean the jars

I washed all of the jars, and then I wiped them with rubbing alcohol. This will remove all of the oil, dirt, and other particles that might stop the paint from sticking.

Paint the first coat

I used white Folk Art Home Decor chalk paint and painted on my first coat on all of the jars. It is important to pick a paint that says it is okay for glass. If you don't pick the right kind of paint it could peel or scratch off easy.

Let the first coat dry

After painting all 5 jars, I followed the paint instructions and let them dry for 1 hour.

Paint on the 2nd coat.

You could stop with the first coat if you were happy with the results. This is great for luminaries as the paint will still be a little translucent. I wanted more of an opaque look so I painted a second coat on all of the jars.

Let the paint dry completely

I let all 5 jars dry completely before moving on.

Sand the jar

I took a sanding block and lightly rubbed it over the raised words on the jars. This removes the paint from the raised lettering. I like sanding blocks as it helps to sand flat and I don't accidentally sand places I don't want to.

Sanding like this is called distressing. You can distress your painted mason jars as much or as little as you want. If you make a mistake, simply paint the jar again and start over.

Adding Twine - optional

I wound a little twine and tied it off at the top of each mason jar.

Uses for the jars

Once they're all done, it's time to use the jars. There are so many options! You could fill them with pens, pencils, etc and put them in your office. Set them on a lazy susan with some colored pencils, markers, and sissors for kids in the summer time. Give these away as gifts. Create luminaries....

Make a soap dispenser

I bought a soap dispenser kit from Amazon, added soap to the mason jar, and added the pump to it.

Bathroom Accessories

I'll be using mine in my bathroom. I added make up brushes, the soap dispenser, a vase, toothbrush holder, and cotton ball holder. I'm thrilled with how use these farmhouse painted and distressed mason jars will be, and at a fraction of the cost of buying them.

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