Spiff Up Your Cutlery With These DIY Painted Wooden Spoons

Plain wooden spoons are rather utilitarian — they serve their purpose but they’re nothing to rave about. Spiffy them up with a paint job, however, and you’ve got some colorful accent pieces for the kitchen. And if you keep a kosher kitchen, painting the handles will help designate different spoons for meat and dairy. But be sure to paint only the handles. Even though we’re using nontoxic paint, we don’t want the painted portion of the spoons touching any food.

What you’ll need:
Wooden spoons
Masking tape
Acrylic paint
Paintbrushes
Baking sheet

1. With masking tape, mask off the area on the spoon you wish to paint. I recommend the top three inches of the spoon handle. Press the tape down securely so paint won’t seep through.

2. Apply acrylic paint with a paintbrush. Place the spoons with the handles up in a glass or vase to dry. When the paint is dry, remove the masking tape.

3. Paint accents such as stripes or dots on the handle. I decided to paint one gold metallic stripe around the base of the painted portion, using tape to mask off the stripe. When dry, remove the tape.

4. To cure the paint, place the spoons on a baking sheet in a cold oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake the spoons for 25 minutes. Turn off the oven, and leave the spoons in the oven until they have cooled. Wait three days before using, and hand wash only.

Jonathan Fong is the author of “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects at jonathanfongstyle.com.