How To Paint And Distress Mason Jars

Detailed tutorial on how to paint and distress mason jars.

For those of you who are regular visitors here at Paint (thank you!), you probably scratched your head when you saw the ‘how to paint and distress mason jars’ title of this post in your newsfeed. Or inbox. Because you know I’ve been painting and distressing mason jars … and selling painted and distressed mason jars … for 2+ years now.

But what you may not realize is after all those years of painting and distressing mason jars, I have never once shared a full, picture-filled tutorial with my how.

Crazy, right? How could that possibly be?!?

So just for today, my regular readers (thank you again!) will need to bear with me as I rectify this horrible oversight. This abomination. This slight on mason jar craft-dom.

🙂

How to Paint and Distress Mason Jars

Materials*

Rustoleum Chalked Paint (Linen White)

Rustoleum Chalked Paint (Blush Pink)

Rustoleum Chalked Paint (Aged Gray)

Rustoleum Chalked Paint (Country Gray)

Rubbing Alcohol

80 Grit Sandpaper

Clear Coat Sealant

Paint Brushes

*some affiliate links have been included for your convenience; affiliate links will not affect the purchase price of the products for you.

1. Prep

If you’re starting with a new case of mason jars, you’re good to go. But if you’re using old jars that have been used for other purposes, you’ll want to give them a thorough cleaning.

Wipe down with rubbing alcohol and then wash with hot, soapy water. Dry completely.

2. Paint

Start with two coats of paint. Let paint dry completely between coats.

My favorite paint medium to work with is chalk paint. It’s easy to work with. It offers great coverage. It adheres well to the jars (much more durable than other paint mediums). And it’s a dream to distress. The only issue is chalk paint can be expensive and hard to find ….

until now!

Rust-Oleum has recently introduced a Chalked paint line (thanks Rust-Oleum for sending me this amazing, affordable, and beautifully colored paint line to try out). The cost is half of the popular name brand who will not be named here. And you can find it at the major home improvement retailers. You can also find them on Amazon (see the Materials list links).

{And if you’re using acrylic paint for your project, give the jars 24 hours dry time between coats of paint; otherwise when you apply the second coat it might peel off some of the first coat paint}

3. Distress

I use 80 grit “No-Slip Grip” sandpaper that I cut into rectangles and then fold over, giving me two side to work with.

I start with the top rim.

Then distress along the threads.

Next I tackle the raised edges on the two sides of the jars.

And don’t forget to get the Made In USA text!

I’m pretty rough with the back. I just rub the sandpaper all over the fruit graphic.

I leave the best for last: the front of the jar. I tend to be a bit more careful here.

I take care to make sure mason and Ball are completely visible.

I finish with a bit of distressing along the top and bottom of the jar.

4. Seal

The finishing touch is sealant. My go to is an acetone based clear coat in matte finish.

I found this particular brand at Michaels.

5. Care

Don’t submerge jars in water or put in dishwasher. Simply wipe down. And take care when filling with water. While the sealant makes the finish much more durable — and the chalk paint offers a much, much stronger bond that’s near impossible to scrub off than acrylic paint — it’s still considered a semi-permanent finish.

If you are using acrylic craft paint on your jars, you can easily wash off the finish (pre-sealant) with hot water. Post-sealant, some of the paint can peel away if the jars sweat or are submerged in water.

And you’re done.

Now, if you’re not crafty and would prefer to purchase painted and distressed mason jars, I have a few variations of this set listed at my Etsy shop.

The set of four can be found here.

The set of three pink, gray, and white can be found here.

And a set of three with pink, greige and white can be found here.

Did you feel that? That shift in the universe?

Because with this blog post, now everything is right in the world of mason jar crafting …

🙂

You Might Also Like …

Acrylic Painted Mason Jars for Spring (click here)

Annie Sloan Chalk Painted Mason Jars (click here)

Spray Painted Metallic Mason Jars (click here)

You can find even more of my mason jar crafts projects by clicking here …

And I even have a whole blog dedicated to mason jar crafts called Mason Jar Crafts Love. Click here …

And I have a book filled with mason jar crafts for kids. Click here for more …