Easy Rock Cover-ups for Ugly Surfaces
Small rocks, sold in bags of one color or mixed colors, are available at craft stores across the nation. You can even find small, decorative rocks at a home improvement store. Depending upon the size project you are doing the small bags from a craft store could suffice. Planning on covering the entire front of the bathtub? Choose the large bags of small rocks from a home improvement store.
Hot glue is all you need to get creative with rocks. Although most of these rock projects are very simple and inexpensive they can be somewhat time-consuming. Still, when you’re finished, you’ll be so proud of the outcome you’ll want all your friends to rush over and see it.
I discovered the technique a long time ago when I moved to a home with the ugliest range hood I’d ever seen. The kitchen was nice but the range hood stood out like a sore thumb. The paint was faded, there were scratches that exposed bare metal, and the thing even had dents and dings! I pondered how I could beautify it but I knew mere paint wouldn’t do the trick.
While crafting one day, I ran upon a bag of small rocks I had purchased, hoping to think of something creative to do with them. It suddenly hit me that I could glue them all over the range hood. I thought that, even if it didn’t look that great when I got done, it had to be better than what I currently had going on!
I used ordinary hot glue to affix the rocks to the hood. Butt the rocks up against each other, starting from bottom and working up, until you’ve covered the entire surface. The tricky part is to twist and turn each rock into a position that aligns it the closest it can be to the other rocks. You don’t want the old hood shining through the new rock job so placement of each rock is important. It’s a good idea to spray paint the old hood a similar color to the rocks you are using. This will keep the color of the hood from being exposed between the rocks.
Upon completion, the range hood looked so great, I decided to make the windows sills in the kitchen to match. I glued the small rocks all around the window frame and was it fabulous! Okay, you guessed it! I became addicted to the rock projects. I covered the front of my bathtub with the rocks then did the bathroom window frame to match. It was – and still is – beautiful.
You don’t have to take on huge projects when working with the rocks. Use them to cover a small lamp, a picture or mirror frame, a votive candle holder and other small objects. Mix and match colors, create patterns, even cover the rocks with glitter when you’re finished. There are many different ways to use the rocks and literally thousands of designs.
The rocks can be positioned to create the letter of your last name on the mantle or even on a trash can. Keep in mind that just a mere handful of the rocks can add quite a bit of weight to the object. Be generous with the hot glue, but if a rock falls off of an object, simply use the hot glue to reattach it. For projects in damp areas, like a bathroom, hot glue the rocks on then use a clear coat product from a home improvement store to protect them.
The rocks you use should be rather flat but can be polished stones, ordinary pea gravel, or fancy rocks you ordered online. The choice is up to you but fancy rocks can get somewhat expensive. If you’re trying to do several projects for little money choose a nice, small rock type, sold in a large bag, at most home improvement stores. Get busy – you’re going to want to show the finished projects to everyone you know.
