Faux Copper Metal Awning

If I can’t have a real copper awning, I’m going to try my best to create a faux copper metal awning.

I’m not 100% convinced I nailed it. However, I am 100% convinced that the metal awning over our small side deck looks better than when I embarked on this project.

That counts for something, right?

For reference, this side deck is right off the porch where we built my favorite shelves of all time for drink storage.

Here’s how the metal awning started out.

Quite frankly, the metal awning looked and sounded a little worse for wear.

By “worse for wear” I mean it was an eyesore, especially after I painted the deck railing.

It also clanks when it is windy.

It’s kind of like having our own built-in wind chime.

Not one of those soothing, pleasing wind chimes, but more like an annoying, persistent wind chime that grates on your nerves. Some of the clips that hold the awning shingles together are missing or don’t work correctly and that allows the metal shingles to blow in the wind.

I haven’t come up with a fix for this problem. I’ve just learned to tune out the sound. Moms are good at learning to tune out sounds. For instance, crying babies on planes? As long as it isn’t my baby, it doesn’t even register as anything more than background noise.

I might not be able to fix the sound issue, but I could make the metal awning look better with a little spray paint.

Ignore the garden jungle happening on the deck as I was working on the awning.

I didn’t think this project would be challenging enough, so I thought I’d work around some gargantuan tomato plants too.

On the plus side, if I got hungry in the middle of this project, a snack was always within reach.

Who’s the smart one now, huh?

There was also a paving crew working on the road in front of our house watching all my awkward attempts to get that sheet secured to the roof above the awning. Due to all the worried looks they sent my way, I think they were concerned I was going to fall off the deck railing I was standing on.

Truthfully, I was worried that was going to happen too.

But with some clothespins, tape, Christmas wrapping paper, and old sheets, I protected the house and the precious tomato plants from overspray.

It took three cans of spray paint, but I was able to transform the entire awning into a faux copper wonderland. Better yet, I didn’t get any paint on the house!

This faux copper metal awning looks so much better, right?

It won’t patina like real copper, but I can happily live with that because this small change makes a big difference on this part of the house.

I think this awning would also look striking painted oil-rubbed bronze or black. Eventually, I’ll have to repaint it, so I’ll keep those ideas in my back pocket for later. Hopefully, much later because I don’t have any desire to tape off the house again so soon.

Plus, I can only get away with balancing precariously on top of a deck railing so many times without disaster striking.

P.S. The jungle is gone! The plants are mostly done for the season and have been removed from the deck. We did move a few of the herbs and one tomato plant into the sunporch. Next year we need to build a larger fenced-in garden if we want to grow so many plants. Live and learn.

Project Details:

Spray Paint: Rustoleum Vintage Metallic Dark Copper

Deck Railing Paint: Behr Limousine Leather

Clanking Metal Awning: You’re on your own there

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Thanks for sharing my enthusiasm for these small projects and makeovers. It makes my day! Here are some other posts you might get a kick out of too. 

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