Staining A Wicker Basket
Staining a wicker basket is an easy and economical way to update an old basket. If you have some baskets that could use some updating, try staining them. You will love the results.
Gather Your Old Baskets
Several years ago, I bought this basket tray from the Longaberger company. It is handmade and numbered. It is a beautiful, strong and expensive basket. I never used it. I just didn’t like the natural color. I loved the size of the basket and it is perfect as a tray for a coffee table or dining table. But the color. I wanted to stain it but thought I might ruin it.
I kept seeing Pinterest posts on successful painting and staining. People were doing this with brushes. Not spray paint like I thought, to get in the slats of the basket.
Related: Build a printer stand with pipes and wood.
Staining A Wicker Basket Is Easy
So, I got out my walnut stain and a sponge brush and began dabbing the stain onto the basket. This was so easy to do. It simply took a bit of time to dab each of the slats.
I wanted to get every bit of the basket stained. Both the inside and outside of the basket received a coat of stain.
I only used one coat of stain. I felt that gave it enough coverage.
Note: Always use stain in a well ventilated area. Outdoors is preferred.
The Finished Basket
It worked!! It didn’t take long at all. It tore up my sponge brush but that was okay. The basket took the stain beautifully. I didn’t wipe off any excess stain. I didn’t need to since I was using as little stain as possible.
This was such a great way to update an old wicker basket.
So, now I have a basket tray to display on my table. I am so excited to finally use this basket. There are a couple of other natural color baskets in my house that will be getting a walnut stain.
Thank you so much! Staining baskets is much easier than I thought. Just joined your linky party. Thanks for inviting me.
Such a great post! I’m so excited to try this out! Thanks for stopping by DIY Vintage Chic’s Friday’s Five Features and Fun Festivities. Don’t forget to stop back by this Friday!
Your basket looks gorgeous! I am getting ready to go for it and darken the stain on all of my Longeberger baskets so I can start getting some use out of them. I am really excited after seeing your!
Thank you!! Baskets are so easy to stain with fantastic results. You will love how they turn out. Thanks for visiting!
I am doing this with all my baskets, and am wondering if you did one coat or two?
I only used one coat. It made such a big difference!
What brand of stain did you use?
I always use Minwax wood finish.
I have tried to stain my Longanberger tissue basket darker and the stain is not taking. Did you do any prep work on the basket? Is there a specific type of Minwax stain that you used?
Hi Karen,
I didn’t do any prep at all. I used MInwax Wood Finish. I wonder if your basket was treated in any way when it was made. Is it a natural color or white? Are you using a sponge brush? That may help.
The baskets are not “natural” color. They have been stained. I worked in the staining department at Longaberger for many years. I’ve stained hundreds of thousands of these baskets! In the later years there were 3 wood stains used. The golden map!e that you have. We also used a walnut stain and a white wash. Valspar was the company that Longaberger used. The baskets were hung on a spindle with hooks that traveled through a spray of stain, then they were spun to remove the excess and it helped push the stain beneath the weaving. Then they were placed on carts and air dried.
Thank you for explaining the staining process. That is fascinating. Longaberger baskets were very well made. I have a couple of the white washed baskets. It’s nice to know how the baskets were stained.