Painted books

Turn your old hardback books into beautiful decorative pieces using Resene testpots.

Resene upcycling for good with Sarah Herring - Project 69

You will need

• Six old hardcover books (same height)
• Resene Quick Dry primer undercoat
• Resene testpot brushes
• Resene testpots in your choice of colour – Sarah used Resene Gondwana, Resene Summer Green and Resene Edgewater
• Twine or string
• Decorative fake plant stems - Sarah used Eucalyptus

Top tip:  The best thing about this project is that the book contents can still be read at any time and the books can simply be popped back into their original sleeves if you wish later.

How to make decorative books

Step one:  Sarah found these hard back novels at her local Salvation Army family store. She chose six books. This project works best if the books are approximately the same height/width/depth.

Choose your books and remove all of the cover sleeves and store them somewhere safe. 

Step two:  Apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry primer undercoat to the outside of all the books. Allow to dry.

Step three:  Choose three Resene testpot colours to create an ombre effect. It’s easy to do this by selecting three graduating shades from the same Resene paint colour palette. Sarah chose Resene Gondwana, Resene Summer Green and Resene Edgewater.

Paint two coats of paint onto two books in each of your chosen colours.

Step four:  Once all the books are completely dry, arrange them into two groups. For each group arrange the books from lightest to darkest shade. Wrap some rough twine around the books to bundle them together and tuck in some decorative fake greenery.

These beautiful book bundles look great as unconventional bookends or just as a statement piece on your shelves! They are a fun and easy way to add a pop of colour.