Upcycled Vintage Suitcase With A French Twist

July 22, 2021

Photo of a vintage suitcase
I shared this old suitcase in a June post on recent finds HERE.

I paid $2 for it at a garage sale.  It's a vintage cardboard suitcase marked T & S Worcester.  It's a little beat up but not dirty inside.  I am going to give it a makeover!


(When you click on the bold Amazon, Old Sign Stencils or Dixie Belle Paint Company affiliate links you will be taken to the products I used for this project. If you order it does not change the price or service at all. As an Amazon Affiliate, Old Sign Stencils Affiliate or Dixie Belle Paint Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
 

Photo of a black spray paint can
I decided to paint the suitcase's entire exterior (the handle, latches and all) with Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Spray Paint in Flat Black.

I washed down the suitcase to remove dust and dirt, and then brought it outside to spray paint it.

Photo of a suitcase that was painted black
It took about 2 1/2 coats of spray paint to cover the suitcase.


Photo of the painted latches on an old suitcase
I like the way the spray paint went on the metal latches and metal edges so smoothly. Much better than brush painting would have been!

But, I wanted to accent the hardware a bit.  I held a thin piece of cardboard around the latches to protect them while brush painting.

Photo of a flat watercolor paintbrush
I chose this Loew-Cornell #322 flat watercolor brush to paint the latches.

Photo of a jar of metallic gold paint

I had this Rustoleum Metallic Accents in Soft Gold in my paint supplies from other projects.  I will use it on the latches.

Photo of a suitcase latch painted with gold paint
I basically just applied one coat of paint.  I wanted the black to show through a bit so the latches looked antique.

Photo of three suitcase latches painted gold
Here are the three latches with the soft gold metallic paint over the black spray paint.

Photo of a French Bakery stencil taped onto a suitcase
My French Bakery stencil from Decoart fit on the suitcase pretty well.  (I have had this stencil for quite a few years.)

I taped it on with blue painter's tape.

Photo of a black suitcase stenciled with a French bakery stencil
I pounced on the stencil using Fusion Mineral Paint in Raw Silk.

I chose to pounce the paint onto this lightweight plastic stencil rather than swirl.  The stenciling came out crisp and clear.

Photo of an upcycled and stenciled vintage suitcase
I rubbed Dixie Belle Best Dang Wax in Clear  onto the exterior of the suitcase using a fiber rag from Menards.

Photo of a vintage suitcase upcycled with black paint & a French stencil
The wax did not add much shine, but made the black a deeper and richer color while adding some protection for the paint.

Photo of a vintage suitcase upcycled with paint and a French stencil
I love the way my suitcase turned out! I will be keeping it for sure. It's a great size too.

Thanks for visiting!
Thanks for reading my blog, Carlene

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Comments

  1. I really love this makeover! I have 4 suitcases stacked and hadn’t done any of the makeovers on them. Was showing hubby one day what I was going to do with them and he said, no don’t paint them leave them like they are. So I did! They are in my entry right now and I really love having them there. They are all in good shape but could really use a good cleaning. I’m just not sure if I try to clean them up if they might not look as vintage as they do now, so I really won’t do anything with them until I get a real feel for the best way to attack them. I do keep pictures in one and I have 2 others with stuff in them and one empty for
    now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have 4 old suitcases in my house now. Two have had nothing done to them, there's this one, and the other just has Flea Market stenciled on one side. Not painted. Thanks!

      Delete
  2. What a great redo!! I love old suitcases. I actually have a cardboard one that my Grandad carried through on a bicycle in the 1920's when he was working his way through Europe with a friend. You did a great job!

    ReplyDelete

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