# Distressing metal trash cans



## The Archivist (May 31, 2009)

Anyone have a tutorial or at least some ideas how to distress aluminum trash cans? I plan on improving a TCT at Ghost Train this year. Need help.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

I've never done it but....

It'll probably need some sort of prep. May have to google or wait for others to chime in on this part.

As far as painting I'd start with a rust color and then go over with another color and then a 3rd layer with a contrasting color. Then I'd take sand paper or similar to the edges and high spots where you could see the under color and rust color showing through. After that I'd get a piece of chain and or shop hammer to beat it up a bit and give a good going over. Then I'd take some flat black and or dark browns to lightly dust it in various spots to dirty it up. Maybe even hot glue some pieces of trash to the under side of the lid so it sticks out of the can.

You might even search the internet for inspiration.
Here's one a little different then I had in mind but might be easier to do


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## The Archivist (May 31, 2009)

great pic. thank you for the suggestions.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

If you are using new cans you may have to do a lite steel wool job on them to get the surface to hold the paint. Some brands of cans also have a coating of oil on the them too. A quick rub with some steel wool should do the job. As always, run some tests before you do a lot of work on the whole project.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

That all sounded great joker except for the sequencing... Ya think the beating and denting should come BEFORE the painting so you're not scraping off your paint job?.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Revenant said:


> That all sounded great joker except for the sequencing... Ya think the beating and denting should come BEFORE the painting so you're not scraping off your paint job?.


That was the point. That way you have layers of paint and exposing the under layers. I was thinking about a city park trash can, painted and then repainted. The sanding and denting would expose the under layers and ultimately the first coat of rust colored paint. Kinda like the effect of a crackle finish.


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## Screaming Demons (Jul 12, 2009)

You can have my beat up old trash cans. Very authentic, as only experienced garbagemen can make them. I'll trade you straight across for your new ones.


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## trishaanne (Aug 20, 2005)

You could do like the New Jersey haunters do and just leave it in your hostess's driveway for a few months!!!!


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