Wooden Spice Rack in Fusion's Plaster

Modernized Solid Pine Hand Crafted Heart Wall Shelf

Bringing New Life to a Country Classic. We’ve all seen them: those solid, well-built pine shelves from the 80s and 90s that have a lot of heart (literally) but are stuck in that unmistakable "orange" stain era. While the craftsmanship is top-tier (this one was hand crafted by my father in law), the color can often feel a bit too retro for a contemporary home. In this tutorial, I’m showing you how to take a vintage 9-cubby wall shelf and transform it from a dated relic into a bolder, fresher, and more current statement piece. By applying a rich chestnut brown stain , we’ve traded that brassy orange hue for a deep, sophisticated tone that highlights the wood grain. Follow along as I walk you through the prep, the staining process, and how this simple color shift completely changes the vibe of the piece—making those iconic heart cutouts feel intentional and chic rather than just "country."

After a customer purchased this white farmhouse roll top bread box and vintage round wooden tray, she found this round spice rack and sent to me to paint to "match" the other two pieces.

As with every piece, it starts with a good cleaning. This piece had a waxy greasy coating that required scraping and scrubbing to be sure it was all off before moving on to the paint process.

Just like the other 2 pieces I applied two coats Fusion Mineral Paint in the color plaster, a warm white color.

The edges were lightly distressed to keep the vintage look and hints of wood visible.

To further age it, I applied Fusion Mineral Paint black wax in the crevices and edges.

The last step was to add a stencil, again like the other 2 pieces in the collection. This Waverly stencil fit perfect. Using a small stencil brush I applied Fusion Mineral Paint in coal black over the secured stencil.

Once dry, it was lightly sanded to give a worn aged look in keeping with the whole look.