How to Paint Old Vintage Lockers to Use as Home Decor and Storage
Storage is something I think all homes need more of. Rather than expose all your junk and toys or cram everything into your one cramped closet, why not hide them in some old lockers? The doors of the old vintage lockers will hide all the junk, and after an easy DIY paint job the lockers will also look like really cool home decor! Take a look at this easy DIY project and learn how to paint old vintage lockers to use as home decor and storage!
Before and After
How to Paint Vintage Lockers
The lockers I found were already a shade of white, but VERY beat up and looked dingy in real life. Not something I really wanted to display in my home! I knew I wanted to spray paint them. This would only take a couple hours and would cover them evenly. No matter what color you find your lockers (grey, blue, green, etc) they should be metal and easy to spray paint with the right kind of paint. I picked Heirloom White as the color and its perfect! Here is the before:
In order to spray paint such a large piece, you will want to work in a well ventilated space where you wont damage anything with over-spray. For us, this was our driveway. We laid the lockers on a drop cloth to protect the driveway and got to work.
You can see all the marks all over the lockers before we began painting. I did not prep these lockers in any significant way. I simply wiped them down and peeled away anything that easily came off. I opted not to sand off any stuck on parts – but you could clean up the lockers further if you wanted. Then we simply sprayed even long strokes across the surface of the lockers, working from the top down. It took 3 full coats to cover the lockers and any bleed through.
The sides here are in really bad shape before painting. Take a look how much better they look after the paint is applied!
Go over the whole piece again and check for any areas that need touch ups and then your done! Notice that all of the rust spots are completely gone! Let it dry for a few hours before moving it into your home.
The Reveal
This project only took a couple hours and 3 cans of spray paint, and now we have a cool set of vintage lockers in our home that works for storage and looks great as home decor! Would you believe it if I told you that I fit an entire closets worth of craft and art supplies into here? I sure did! Now the junk is hidden and the lockers look great here in our guest bedroom!
I love that these lockers not only have farmhouse charm, but they are excellent for organizing small things in the home as well. Take a look at some of my other DIY decor projects here! Happy creating!
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19 Comments
Bindu Thomas
I dont have vintage lockers. But could use this idea for other things. Thanks for sharing.
Holly
I love this idea. Not only is it adorable, but it would be so functional. I definitely want to try this.
Melanie williams
Oh wow yes!! Love this idea, such a creative and chic look for sure. This I must try out xx
Chloe
So cute! Did you spray the inside of each locker?
Bree
I cleaned them really well but did not paint them. 🙂
Hooda
I don’t have any vintage lockers, but this sure looks like a very creative idea. The difference between the before and the after is huge!
David Elliott
You really did a great job with that. I am impressed with upgrading furniture like this. Such a fun thing and such a great look in the house. I really need to do that makeover with a dresser I have in my daughter’s room.
Candice
I’ve always loved the look of old lockers as storage in the home. The Rustoleum products are AMAZING! I often use them on boards to create backgrounds for my food photography.
Steph
Wow what a unique and cheap way to add storage! I love this idea!
Anshika Juneja
This is such a lovely diy project! I love such vintage lockers, they utilise less space and then so many things can be put together at the same time. I have few at my storage room, I should get them out and colour them!
di
Whoa what a great find! They really cleaned up well with a few coats of paint! Great project.
Sue-Tanya Mchorgh
Wow, this is such a lovely DIY project. I would love to try this!!
Stephanie
What an awesome way to upgrade the lockers! I would love something like this for either the garage or the playroom or both! It would also be great storage for all of my craft supplies.
Tammie Reinhart
This is such a creative idea! I’m always on the lookout for new storage space.
Patricia Chamberlain
This is such a cool idea! I lack storage in my house, so this would give us a place to put things and look amazing all at the same time.
Krysten Quiles
Wow what a neat idea! I’m not sure what I would use a bunch of lockers for but I’m sure I could figure something out. Thanks for sharing!
Jackline A
Never thought that old lockers could be flipped into beautiful storage. Good job.
chelf
wow you’ve done an amazing job! I wish I would find a piece like that, I need to go treasure hunting really soon and upgrade my decor!
Angela
This is such a great idea! I absolutely love the look of it in your home too. I might have to give this a try!!