DIY Plaster Candle Holders

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Making DIY Plaster Candle Holders is this month’s fun thrift store project! Here’s a diy idea to transform a candle holder with a homemade faux plaster recipe. It’s a fun project that anyone can try at home.

Here is what I started with, some mercury glass candlesticks. They were pretty, but didn’t fit my style. So why not make them over with an easy DIY! Most people use a plaster of paris mixture or create their own with glue, but thought I’d play around with the combo of paint and baking soda that I’ve used on other projects and see what I could create.

What You Need

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• candle holders (old ones you have on hand or check your local thrift store)
• chalk paint (I used white)
• baking soda
• fine white sand
• chippy paint brush

The Do It Yourself Plaster Recipe

Now I played around a bit to get the texture I wanted. I remembers me of a coastal home in Greece. It’s a bright white plaster texture, but you can see that sand in it giving it a great added dimension.

• 2 parts paint
• 1 part baking soda
• 1 part sand

Depending on how much you need to cover you can use the formula above to create your own faux plaster. For my first coat I used about 1/4 cup of paint, 1/8 cup baking, and 1/8 cup of sand. Now I just eyeball it.

Mixing The Plaster

When you start to mix it will look like it’s not coming together. Keep mixing and you will see it form into a texture paste like consistency. I used a paper plate to mix it on (easy cleanup), so I would tilt the plate so that the sand and baking soda would pour back into the paint area. It only takes about 30 seconds of mixing by hand (I used a plastic knife) to get the texture I was looking for.

How To Do It:

The first step was to make sure the candle holders were clean. Mine had a good layer of dust on them, so they just needed a wet paper towel to wipe them down. You want a clean, dry surface to start with, so I let them air-dry before moving on.

Then I used a chippy paintbrush and grabbed some of the plaster mixture I had made. I started at the bottom of the candle holder and worked my way up to the top. I quickly noticed that I was going to need a light second coat.

It didn’t take long to cover each of the candlesticks. I then let them dry 30 minutes before moving on to a light second coat.

For the second coat I just filled in any areas that didn’t have enough coverage for me. Once finished I wanted for the dried plaster look I wanted and then moved them to my mantel. I think they will be perfect here for the summer months. They have a coastal vibe going which will be great with my decor.

I love how you get that grainy texture adding the sand to the mixture. I definitely gives it more of a coastal vibe, which I love.

They almost look like concrete candle holders. Whatever you want to call them, I love how my DIY Plaster Candle Holders turned out.

May’s Thrift Store Projects

Thrift Store Wooden Candle Sconce Repurpose

Easy Thrift Store Projects to Upcycle for Home Decor

DIY Bird Feeder

Mid-Century Modern Coasters (Inspired by Glassware!)

Thrift or Dollar Store DIY Spring Wreath

Vintage Wall Shelf With Towel Rods

DIY Plaster Candle Holders (mine)