Last Easter, my wife had to create dozen white wicker baskets filled with goodies to give away at a local charity event. She found these great wicker baskets at an auction that were perfect for the project. They were untreated and ready to be primed and painted. This is the point in the story where I became aware of the project, and its requirements…
Well, the good news was I didn’t have to do much to prep the wicker baskets. So let’s get started with the basics.
Step 1. On the side of the house next to the garage, I laid out a few drop cloths. They covered both the lawn and the section of fence against which I planed to paint. I also used six cardboard banana boxes from the local grocery store to create a semi-enclosed booth in which to hang each basket. At the top of each box, I pushed a hanger (from the drycleaners) through, forming a hook in the box to hang the basket and a handle on top of the box that I could turn as I painted the basket. It also helped that it was a clear cool day with no wind, which is important because I didn’t want the paint going anywhere else but on the baskets.
Step 2. Often wicker is treated with a coating of gloss that requires a liquid de-glosser to remove. These baskets were not treated, so I was able to go straight to priming them. Using compressor sprayer, I gave each basket two light coats of oil-based wood primer. Each coat was about 45 minutes to an hour apart. You will probably notice the second coat of paint is absorbed by the wicker pretty quickly. I should also note I used a protective safety mask and goggles. Ventilation was a concern, and that was the reason I decided to paint outside.
Step 3. I always get excited when it’s time to actually paint, and this time was no exception. All my prep was done, and I was ready to really make these baskets look sharp. With the compressor, I used a pure white, outdoor oil-based semi-gloss house paint to spray each basket. I sprayed each basket with two light coats of paint, leaving them gleaming.
Step 4. Inside the garage, I strung up a couple of lengths of cord and used clothesline pins to keep the hooks in place every few feet. There the baskets hung for a few days while the paint cured. In seeing this, my daughter wondered aloud to me if I thought the Easter bunny had elves like Santa. I could only agree with her because our garage certainly looked like an Easter workshop. I mean really, how could one bunny do it all alone?
The baskets turned out beautifully, and my wife was very happy with them. She packed each with chocolate and candy treasures on beds of plastic grass. Each masterpiece was wrapped in a thin protective layer of plastic, with a fancy ribbon on each handle. They were a hit at the event, and those that were lucky enough to win one remarked how great the basket would look in their home.
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