Upcycling for Good

Paint wooden toys for children

Wooden toys are sturdy and long lasting – but sometimes they need a coat or two of paint to make them appealing again!

Resene upcycling for good with Sarah Herring - Project 33

Finished project
Finished project

You will need: Testpot brushes, Resene Quick Dry primer undercoat, Resene testpots in Resene Bunting x 2, Resene Echo Blue, Resene Gelato, Resene Vanilla Ice, Resene Double Alabaster and Resene Silver Aluminium metallic.

Prior to refinishing
Before
Finished project
Finished project
 
Step 1 Step one
Clean and check your item in case any repairs are needed. Anything with screws or wheels etc. should always be checked in case they need tightening or replacing. Make sure you clean off any dust that could affect your paint application and give dents and chips a light sand. Once everything is prepped, apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry primer undercoat. Allow to dry.
Step 2 Step two
The fun part – choose your colours! Sarah decided on a dark blue for the trolley, and a combination of light pastel shades for the blocks. For the trolley Sarah chose Resene Bunting. For the blocks, Sarah chose Resene Echo Blue, Resene Gelato, Resene Vanilla Ice, Resene Double Alabaster and Resene Silver Aluminium metallic.
Step 3 Step three
Apply two coats of Resene Bunting to the wooden trolley, allowing dry time after each coat.
Step 4 Step four
While the trolley is drying, divide all the wooden blocks up into four piles. Give each pile two coats of a different Resene colour. Sarah used Resene Echo Blue, Resene Gelato, Resene Vanilla Ice or Resene Double Alabaster.
Step 5 Step five
Once all the blocks are painted and dried, choose a handful of blocks at random, and apply 2-3 coats of Resene Silver Aluminium to one of their surfaces only. This is a fun way to add a bit of sparkle to kids’ projects.
Finished Finished project
Job done! A classic wooden toy set now ready for playtime.
Top tip: Painting something with a lot of surfaces can be fiddly and time consuming. Be patient, make sure each coat dries completely before applying any more paint. It can help to lean objects like these blocks against a surface that you don’t mind getting paint on – to help them dry faster.