Vintage Galvanized Bucket Decorating Ideas

Learn how to clean and refresh vintage galvanized metal so you can enjoy it's farmhouse style in your home decor!

Vintage galvanized farmhouse items have earned their character through many years of yard work. Their rusty, crusty selves can be a little scary when you find them at a farm auction or in the basement or garage of an estate sale. Sometimes you even need to shake out whatever's been living inside (or what it's left behind;) Yes, they would be fine to plunk into the garden in this state, but I like to enjoy their worn beauty inside. I'll show you How to Clean and Refresh Vintage Galvanized Metal the easy way!

How to Clean and Refresh Vintage Galvanized Metal

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Rust is Beautiful! Especially on galvanized metal!

Some may want to get rid of the rust, but I think it adds to the beautiful patina of these old pieces, especially when you give them the beauty treatment I'll tell you about;) For years, my biz partner and I scrubbed up every old galvanized metal piece we could get our hands on and gave them this treatment. Old metal tool boxes, chicken feeders, galvanized buckets, old garden tools, trays and trugs…we'd fill the backs of our vehicles with the treasures we got for a couple bucks. We'd spend hours in the driveway scrubbing our metal junk and letting it dry in the sunshine. Then we'd spray or brush on the magic to bring out the patina. {"How To Spray Polyurethane"}

Unfortunately in the winter, I'm not able to scrub in the driveway, and these days I'm happily only working on my own goodies {"Do I Miss It?"}. I bought some vintage galvanized metal pieces from a picker friend just before Christmas. Knowing I'd want to use these around the house this spring, I decided my laundry tub would have to do to bring these pieces back to life!

I've always loved old pie safes and had sold a couple over the years, but when I spied this one, I knew it needed to come home with me. I also thought these 2 mini chicken feeders would be cute hanging on the wall somewhere, especially with their perfectly rusty condition. I wanted a third galvanized bucket with an orange label to round out my bucket family { You can see how I use them here: "Repurposing a Vintage Galvanized Bucket"}. Wheeling labels always catch my eye!

Before Cleaning, Seal any Vintage Labels !

If your vintage piece has a cool label, work on sealing in that bit of history first. The Wheeling label on this bucket was still well adhered, but sometimes the labels are loose and falling off. If you don't care for the label, you can probably get it off with some goo gone. But, if you want to keep all those cool graphics, do this first:

Brush Modge Podge (get it HERE) on the underside of the label (and/or it's pieces) and adhere in place. Let dry. Wipe the label clean of surface dirt with a mild soap and damp cloth. Once dry, coat with more Modge Podge. Let dry. If you want to be really safe, you could put a coat of poly over the label now, otherwise try not to get the label too wet while you're scrubbing the rest of the piece.

Scrub Galvanized Metal with a Steel Wool Cleaning Pad

Working in the laundry tub, I scrubbed the vintage galvanized metal with soapy, blue-foaming S.O.S. pads (get them HERE). You could use Brillo pads also. The rough steel wool sloughs off the loose paint and rust bits and smooths out the surface. Go over the whole surface inside and out. Rinse with hot water, getting off all the soap.

The inside of the pie safe had obviously seen some leaks through the years, but once it's been scrubbed, I'm not scared!

Thoroughly Rinse and Dry Vintage Metal Before Sealing

Let the pieces dry well before giving them the final stage of their beauty treatment. If possible, drying out in the warm sunshine is best and gets them ready for the next step.

Seal Vintage Galvanized Metal with 2+ Coats of Poly

Brush (or spray) on 2 coats of water based poly (THIS is my favorite) in the clear satin finish, being careful to smooth out any drips. Let dry. If you're sealing pieces that are not solid, like a bedspring, or something wiry, use the spray can version (get it HERE). If you're working on a bunch of pieces at a time (like I used to for the store) spraying several layers with a sprayer LIKE THIS is the way to go! (It will be your new best friend, seriously;)

When you get done, your vintage galvanized metal pieces will have beautiful, well-earned patina! You'll know they're clean and sealed, and you can use them anywhere in your home.

If you pick up vintage galvanized metal at a shop, it most likely won't have this kind of treatment. Because honestly, it is time consuming and poly isn't cheap. But if you love the patina and style of these old farmhouse workhouses like I do, you can see they're much more beautiful and functional for indoor use if you give them a refresh! And if you're the one who has cleaned them up, you'll know they've been covered with sudsy soap, rather than possibly just blown off.

I can't wait to spread these "new" treasures around my house! I'm thinking the pie safe could use a wood shelf inside and maybe even a wood piece up top. The chicken feeders need some fake hens and chicks, and the old bucket can join it's friends on my vintage ladder! Hope this How to Refresh Vintage Galvanized Metal will have you eyeing the junky piles at your next sale!

Sharing at these lovely parties:

Wall to Wall DIY Wednesday

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Farmhouse Friday

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