DIY Dupe Clay Links
I’m sure you’ve seen the latest trend with chain links as coffee table decor. They come in all shapes and sizes and in a variety of materials from clay to wood to marble. I’ve actually made some clay ones in the past but I was looking for another set and decided I would DIY them of course.
As you may know I’m participating in the Fall One Room Challenge event, you can follow along over on my Instagram at Simply Styled Inspo As part of that project involves a major DIY cabinet that we’re doing, the chain links were just an added decor item so I wanted to keep it budget friendly. Here comes the material of interest, I wanted to give this a try using foam, yess foam rope that is! I found long foam rope at the dollar store so it was worth the experiment. The result is so surprising not to mention the amazing texture that is very much a clay dupe!!
This turned out even better than I thought. It’s such a fun DIY and not bad for $1. I’ll definitely be making another set as I actually want another one for the coffee table since it turned out so great. You could paint these any colour, I’ll probably attempt a marble dupe next!
It’s a super simple project, here are the steps!
So here’s a look at the foam rope I got at the dollar store, it was in the craft section. This stuff is so cool and inexpensive! You can paint it in any colour, my goal was to give it a clay finish but first assembly!
You can make as many chain links as you want. I went with a set of five, which will look great draped over a bowl or coffee table books. I also went for larger size for impact but you could do a longer set with smaller links too.
I did end up using the glue gun for this project. My tip would be to not let the glue get too hot or it could start to melt the foam. You just need to move quickly or any other glue should work for this since the material is so light to work with. I then began connecting the links and glued along as I went. Also, trim off any excess glue so the lines stay clean and not bulky.
Next up, the fun part, paint!!
As mentioned, I was going for a clay look and so I mixed a bunch of my go to craft paints which is a combination of tan, brown, white and cream. It’s trial and error so it took a few different mixes to get to the desired colour. And then I simply painted the links. It does get a bit tricky in the areas where the links connect but a little patience in between coats and that’s all it took. I only did two coats in total and the final texture was amazing!!
And here’s a hack I love to share. I save the trays from chocolate boxes (especially over the holidays). They make awesome little paint trays, perfect for kid crafts too!
Here they are waiting to dry! You can already see the colour and the texture is so cool!
I’ll be honest, I didn’t know how these would turn out exactly and it was a $1 experiment. But I’m truly impressed with these links, not to mention what a budget friendly decor dupe. Can’t wait to make more! What should I try next?!!
Below are pics of the finished links displayed on the coffee table. That is until I need them to style in that DIY cabinet lol, I guess I’m definitely making more! Be sure to follow along on the One Room Challenge living room makeover and for all my other DIY’s on Insta Simply Styled Inspo
Thanks for following along on another DIY project of mine!!
