Did you know that you can paint and add patina to your boots ? I had these black leather cowboy boots that I wanted to make “unique” and not just for fashion but also as a home decor statement piece. I love how they turned out and I’m going to tell you how I did it.
Materials: (click on the highlighted products to use my affiliate links)
Dixie Belle Paints: in the color Mermaid Tail, The Gulf, and Peacock (optional: TerraCotta)
Dixie Bele Patina: Bronze, Iron and their Green Activation Spray
Dixie Belle Gilding Waxes: Turquoise Teal and Bronze
Dixie Belle Top Coat or Gator Hide
Step 1: Make sure your boots are clean and free of dirt or grease. You can use a good leather cleaner but I just used a washcloth with warm water (you can add a drop of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid if your boots are really dirty). Make sure you wipe down your boots with a wet cloth to rinse off any cleaning residue that may be left behind. Tape off the soles with painter’s tape before starting to paint.
Step: 2: I added thin coats of the Mermaid Tail and The Gulf to give the boots a turquoise look but still showing some of the original black color of the boots. Then with the Peacock color, I dry brushed it lightly over the boot in random areas to give a little pop of color .
Step 3: (OPTIONAL) Apply a thin coat of Dixie Belle Terracotta if you want a little extra “orange” peaking through the patina. You can also apply a light coat of Bronze Patina Paint from the top of the boot (top of the calf area) and brushed it down towards the center of the boot…. only go down about a 1/3 of the way down, leaving the middle of the boot its turquoise color (the Mermaid Tail and The Gulf). I also applied a little at the toe and heal of the boot as well. This just gives a little extra metal look behind our rust when we do the next step.
Step 4: Apply 1 light coat of the Iron Patina paint just like you did with the Bronze. Any where you apply this Iron Patina Paint, there will be an orange / rust patina effect when we add the solution. So apply the Iron right where you want the rust to appear. Let this coat completely dry before moving onto the next step. :
Step 5: For this step, you need to have your Green Activation Spray ready to go in a bowl with a sponge applicator brush. Apply another coat of the Iron Patina Paint to the same areas you did for your first coat….. then quickly apply your Green Activation Spray with the sponge brush on the Iron Patina Painted areas “WHILE THE IRON PATINA PAINT IS WET” ….if you let the Iron Patina Paint dry before apply the spray you won’t have any rusted chemical reaction.
Step 6: Leave it to do its thing 🙂 …… Check it every 45 minutes to see the rust appear. The process can take up to 6 hours. Mine took about 3 hours to get the look I was wanting.
Step 7: (OPTIONAL) I used gilding wax to show off all beautiful seams and embelishments on the boots. I used both Bronze and Turquoise Teal colored gilding waxes.
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Step 8: Seal with Gator Hide (Dixie Belle’s waterproof top coat). Let dry for a couple hours and then you’re ready to go 🙂 ! Enjoy those “one of a kind” boots !!
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