Add a Splash of Colour to Farmhouse Kitchen Decor

Step 1: Prepping the egg house for paint

I started with a cute egg house.

It cost £3 from a charity shop. A plain, farmhouse piece with a sticker saying that it had been made in Cambridgeshire, England. Probably not very old.

As with all things where you don’t know its history. Cleaning is the way to start.

This not only makes them something that you’d want to have in your house. But also means that paint or stain will stick better to it.

Fortunately, as it’s just a small egg house, I was able to clean it quickly. Firstly spray it with White Lightning and wipe over it with a cloth. Then removing the cleaner with some fresh water.

Cleaning, as with sanding, is one of those boring but necessary steps. The sneaky thing about them is that you don’t always know if you’ve done a good (or bad!) job until it’s too late. 

If the paint doesn’t adhere well or flakes off easily, it’s likely due to inadequate cleaning or sanding. But by the time you know that you may well have finished and be using the piece.

So, best to start by doing a thorough job.

Scuff-sanding wooden decor

As this egg house had a finish on it already, I needed to scuff sand it. Which is gently roughing up the existing finish to help the paint to grip it. If the old finish is flakey then it will all need removing to be able to get a nice, smooth finish. 

I scuff sanded the egg house with 180 grit sandpaper. You always want to finish with 180-grit sandpaper or higher to have a surface that is smooth to the touch.

80-grit sandpaper, for example, is rougher so removes finishes quickly. But also leaves a rough surface so isn’t suitable for finishing.

Before painting, I removed one piece of hardware. A small hook for the door. Which I stored in a little pot. Alternatively, you could use Frog Tape to secure it to the inside or back to keep it safe.

I scuff sanded the egg house with 180 grit sandpaper.

You always want to finish with 180-grit sandpaper or higher to have a surface that is smooth to the touch. 80-grit sandpaper, for example, is rougher so removes finishes quickly. But also leaves a rough surface so isn’t suitable for finishing.

Step 2: Painting farmhouse decor with Clay Paint

I wanted to keep the paint subtle and in keeping with the farmhouse look. So, I chose a pale yellow called Wheat. Wheat is a clay-based paint from the Terra line.

You’ll see why that’s important later when I make a mistake with it!

I’m no stranger to clay paint. I painted this ombre chair with it which held up perfectly.

Not all farmhouse interiors need to have white cabinets or stone walls. You can add rustic charm in different ways with farmhouse decor ideas too.

For a buttery smooth finish, it’s best to sand between coats of paint. This helps avoid brush strokes and removes nibs of paint.

I did two coats of Wheat. It’s such a lovely, calming yellow. Perfect for a soft touch of colour for home decor in a farmhouse kitchen.

It works especially well to add a sunny colour if you don’t get much natural light. Or as a bright pop of colour against white walls.

Then, came my mistake.

How to remove paint by wet distressing

I wanted a lightly distressed look to help with the rustic feel.

You can do this with sandpaper. Or you can wet distress. Wet distressing is when you use a wet cloth to rub off the new (but dry) paint.

I used a wet cloth as I was working with clay paint. The beauty and flexibility of clay paint is that it’s easy to blend and move around. Even once dry.

It’s a great artistic paint to create interesting colour schemes with. 

So, I wet distressed around the edges of the egg house. In the places that would naturally wear the finish off with regular use.

But this was where I caused myself a problem.

The next step was to apply a transfer. I chose a lovely sunflower transfer. I had some spare from when I turned a cabinet door into a beautiful sign.

A piece of art is sometimes the easiest way to add natural elements to a room.

For the first time, the transfer was difficult to apply. It didn’t want to adhere to the paint. Then when I had some of it attached, I removed the plastic backing paper. And it pulled up chunks of paint with it too.

Not ideal.

But thankfully the paint was easy enough to remove to start again. 

I assume that I accidentally got the area where I applied the transfer damp when I wet distressed. I didn’t think that I had, but that would make sense.

Clay paint needs to be completely dry before adding anything to it. Even though the paint had been dry for a few days, the distressing wasn’t.

I could have tried again but decided I liked the simpler look anyway. Sometimes the biggest challenges are the ones we create for ourselves!

So, I repainted the side and got it to look the same as the rest. Then it was time to seal it.

Step 3: How to Seal Clay Paint 

I left the inside of the egg house unpainted to add contrast to the yellow outside. I simply refreshed the warm wood tones with hemp oil.

Which is also what I used to seal the paint.

Hemp seed oil is a good choice because it’s food safe. It also has a medium level of durability and protection. Which is fine for a low-usage piece like this egg house.

You wipe it on with a lint-free cloth or an old T-shirt. Then wait until the next day to wipe off anything that hasn’t been absorbed into the paint or wood. 

You can reapply after this for extra protection if you need it. It’s such an easy way to add protection without needing a brush or roller.

It darkened the yellow quite a bit. Into more of a sunny yellow rather than pale. Still a pretty colour and perfect for a modern farmhouse kitchen look.