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Easy Bark Texture with Caulk!
© Stephie McCarthy
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We updated three very bland flower boxes with brown caulk, chalk paint, and made the textures with an ordinary fork!
The results are wonderful … now our favorite containers outdoors.
We fill them with flowers and twiggy branches and the look is rustic and enchanting.
Here's what the boxes looked like before!
New Porch and Garden Flags
The caulk and chalk paint make this texture durable and waterproof.
The secret to the realistic finish is to brush wood ash onto the paint before it is dry.
Here's the exact brand of brown caulk we used: DAP Dynaflex Ultra from HomeDepot. They sell it on line by the case. However, you won't need a whole case (we used 2 tubes for 3 boxes) and we think any good brown caulk will do if you can't find it locally. Here's how you can buy brown caulk on Amazon …
We used a caulk gun to make lines in a grain pattern on the box. Our boxes were old and scratched. If you are using new boxes, you should sand them a bit to help the caulk stick.
We spread the caulk a bit with a putty knife and made lots of random textures with our plastic fork. We want to emulate a natural wood grain pattern. Scratch, dab, push, pull, and play with the caulk with a fork, or use any other disposable utensil you like.
To make knot holes (and you must have those!), make a circle of caulk with curved lines around it similar to the shape of a human eye. Texture the lines with a fork. The video (link at top of post) will show you how.
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Caulk does not tend to slump even when thick. We were able to layer the texture dramatically then turn the box and begin working on the rims. Heavily textured rims will make these boxes look like they are covered in real bark.
Caulk dries very quickly, but we let ours cure for five days before painting it. The surface was dry but spongy. The paint and ashes will solidify the surface.
We've included color charts in our video for 5 brands of paint. We worked with Waverly Inspirations in Truffle, Ink, Mineral, Moss, and Maize. Our video charts will help you choose equivalent colors from Rustoleum, Annie Sloan, Dixie Bell, and Jolie. Any good chalk paint will work!
( Don't you just love the names companies choose for paints! )
We painted every surface of the box except deep inside where the soil would go. We did a brown undercoat and brushed it liberally with ashes. Some ashes will drop off but a lot will bond into the surface and stick even in rainy weather.
More About Ash Paint Here
We loved the ashes so much for creating realistic bark, we used matte ModPodge to build up the ash layers for effect in a few places. Use ordinary ashes from a fireplace, fire pit, or BBQ.
When dry, we brushed the ridges of the bark with light gray, followed by a bit of moss green, and then just a bit more light gray.
Use soft black paint and a small brush to color inside of holes, the center of the knot holes, and under most of the ridges. This will emphasize the 3D effect of the bark.
FIll with flowers and herbs, and natural twiggy branches and enjoy your display!
We truly love these boxes and are so glad they have a second life.
Join our YouTube channel for more new decorative painting techniques.
— Stephie
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See our green marble paint effects here!
See our Rustic Waterproof Basket project here!
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