A set of old school lockers has been on my DIY list for a looooong time now. This set from Lauren McBride’s house was my initial inspiration.
A while back my husband drug home a set that was left at a job site. I don’t even think he knew about my secret wish.
Happy dance!!
But alas, they got stuffed in our shop and filled with miscellaneous shop junk. Ok, maybe that was too harsh. I mean, paraphenalia.
Anyway, they were not living up to their full potential, if you know what I mean.
Time went by and when my son’s fifteenth birthday became a topic of conversation, he informed us that what he really wanted instead of a big party was . . . .wait for it . . . . a ROOM MAKEOVER.
The moment I had been waiting for had arrrived.
Time to really let those lockers shine, in a teen boy’s room.
I had seen Liz Marie paint her set with Fusion Mineral Paint and was quite intrigued.
Time to try something new and expand my DIY experience.
After ordering some in the color Ash and giving it a go, I have formed some preliminary opinions which I will pass on to you.
Fusion Mineral Paint Pros and Cons
Pros
- Exceptionally easy to apply. It has an almost oily look to it and goes on very smooth.
- Super quick dry time.
- A little goes a long way! I thought that I would need at least two containers to paint the exterior of the lockers, but in the end I didn’t even finish one pot. And I gave it two coats.
- Reasonably priced.
Cons
- Difficult to find. You will need to either find a dealer or a website that offers it.
- Super quick dry time. I painted the lockers outside and in hindsight would have done them indoors, so I could make smoother brush strokes. The sun and wind mixed with quick dry time was a little stressful.
- Brush marks do show. I had heard that mineral paint is self-leveling and dries incredibly smooth. I don’t know if I was the fact that I was outside or why I had so many brush strokes. But, compared to chalk paint or milk paint, it showed a lot of brush strokes.
- Requires prepwork. There were a lot of stickers on the lockers, originally, that had to be removed. So, there was a lot of scrubbing with Goo Gone and TPS which prepped the metal before I started painting.
Liz Marie finished her lockers with a liming wax to give them an almost chalkboard feel. I tried a sample patch down in the corner on one side and determined it was too girly for my son’s room.
Watch this video to see how easy it is!
You can subscribe to my YouTube Channel here.
The video on how to make label a crate like this is here. And the video for the French canvas artwork is here.
For now they are sitting on my porch and, believe you me, I tried my darnest to get my son to let me use them somewhere besides his room!
He won’t budge, so stay tuned for his room reveal in the next few weeks.
And I’d love to hear in the comments your different paint experiences. Have you tried Fusion Mineral Paint? Did you get a smooth finish?? Let me know, I love to learn from my people! xoxo
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Love how your entire porch looks! Think I need to try using fushion mineral paint on a project. =)
Author
Yaaasssss, let me know if you do and how you like it. Thank you for your kinds words. xoxo
Beautiful!!! May I ask what paint color your little step stool is please?
Author
It’s Boxwood in Miss Mustard Seed milk paint. xoxo
Well those lockers turned out amazing!! Makes me want to go paint some! I”m a Fusion merchant and understand your frustration with the brush strokes. I’m in Texas and when it gets hot the paint dries before it can level. And dark colors make it more evident, too! Try it again in cooler weather or bring your piece inside. The paint is ZERO
VOCs so totally great to paint indoors! Happy to provide paint or advice to any of your US readers. https://www.mybluestarantiques.com/shop/
Author
OH wonderful! Thank you so much, I know my readers will appreciate your information, too.
Love this! I’m going to paint some lockers with Fusion Mineral paint this weekend I’m wondering if you can advise on what type of brush you used?
Thanks!
Author
Yay!!! I use a 2 inch angled brush from the Magnolia Kilz brand. Purdy brushes are excellent, too.
Hey Sarah, I’m considering restoring some lockers for entryway storage. I need four but am only finding groups of three or five. Do you know if they can be separated? Thanks!
Author
I think it depends on the units themselves. My units could not be separated, but if you ask individual sellers to check the back of their units, you might find one that can be!
Did you paint the interior as well? Can you share pictures?
I love how your lockers turned out. I bought an old set similar to yours. Before I embark on the painting, I’m trying to decide what to do about the locked lockers. They are locked and I don’t have the keys. Did you have keys to yours?
Author
I don’t have locks on my lockers, it sounds like you will have to drill them out or get a locksmith.