DIY Metal Letter Project

A while back I painted a large letter "J" for my son's room (his name is Jack:) metal look to it.  I loved how it turned out, but every time I walked in his room, I thought that letter just looked very lonely on that wall all by itself.  SO, I decided to make a "P" (last name).  I thought it might be fun to show you how it's done in case your feeling crafty.  I purchased these letters at Joann's.  They are 23" tall.

First of all, let me suggest painting your letters at the same time.  When you do a faux finish or any type of glazing, it is really hard to duplicate EXACTLY what you did the first time.  So I was prepared to  redo the "J" if necessary. 

I took the "J" down and kept it next to me for color reference.  No, we not have a ghost...my daughter snuck herself in this picture...kind of scary:)

I do remember I painted the base coat black, so I got started with that.  Paint 1-2 coats with the black acrylic and let dry.

Then I mixed a few of the silver metallic paints that I have together, making sure to add my favorite glazing (antiquing) medium.  I did about 1/2 dollar size amount of the shimmering silver, a nickle size of the gleams silver by Delta and a nickle size of the antiquing medium.  This medium basically makes the mixture spread easier and more workable.  I also really like this Delta gleams product because it adds a bit of shimmer to whatever your painting.  I did end up adding a tiny bit of water to the mixture as well, just to thin it out a bit.

Just start adding this mixture to the "P" with a nice fat brush.  Start with a thin layer, add more if you want.  You also have a minute to wipe off the paint with a wet rag if you don't like what's happening.  Just play around with the amount until you achieve the look you want.

I must have used the same formula as before because it matched the "J" perfectly.

I hot glued a hook to the back of the the "P" to hang it, just like I did before with the "J".  These letters are light enough for hot glue to work on the hooks just fine.

Minus the hole in the wall I now need to patch...I think this looks much better!