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I'm not kidding! I'm going to show you!
How To Transform A Plastic Pot
I wasn't too worried about complete coverage. I just didn't want any green showing through.
My idea for this pot was to make it look like an old concrete'ish pot. That's not a real word... but it's the look I'm going for. 😊 I thought why not try some joint compound....
So, I slapped some on. I had no idea if this was even going to work. This could go either way... serious fail or a serious WIN!
I've heard of doing this on a terra cotta pot, but not on a plastic one. I honestly thought it would just chip off.
I knew I didn't want it smooth like the above photo, so for the second coat, I smeared it on then dabbed it with an old piece of t-shirt. I wanted it kind of bumpy and uneven.
After that all dried, and it STAYED ON! I'm still in shock that it just didn't fall off! I sanded it to smooth out some of the high spots.
The next step, was to give it even more character and depth. I went to my basement and found what ever paint samples I had that might work. I even grabbed some acrylic paints. 👍
I wanted to start with a dark brown, to kind of make it look dirty. I wasn't picky with how it went on... just swish and dab. 😎
Then I added some gray paint.
One of my friends, told me when she saw this on my Instagram story, that she wasn't too sure this was going to look very good.... 😆😂 I had faith!
I just kept adding more paint. This time a lighter gray and some white. Um.... I have to say, I think it looks pretty awesome!! 😍😍😍
What?! This worked?? Now it's time to put a plant in the thing! I needed to make sure that there was an area at the bottom for drainage. I didn't want rocks to make this thing more heavy. I didn't have any packing peanuts... I have a leftover pool noodle!
I just cut it into 1" 'flowers' and added them to the bottom.
Once I finished making a huge mess of dirt on my dining table... I had that snake plant potted! 💪
This makes a great addition to our office! The plan is to build a plant stand for it to sit near the window.
I'm so glad this turned out! I'll definitely be doing this to some more of my planter pots!
Blessings,
Hi Lori!
ReplyDeleteGreetings of the season from Europe, from Bulgaria to be more precise. Thank you for your detailed "lesson". I followed it closely and did a great job on 3 plastic pots. Joint compoud is wonderful for this job. I used chalk paint. There is some wax for chalk paint but have not tried yet. I will keep experimenting with different materials. My mother have a lot of plastic pots in her garden.
Hi! How wonderful! I'm so glad you found my tutorial useful.
DeleteHi! What exactly did you use for the pot. I am in Bulgaria and was wondering about the materials I gave to buy for this project?
DeleteHi Radenka! I used just a regular plastic gardening pot, then added joint compound to it. 👍
DeleteHi Lori! I was lucky to come across your tuturial. I followed it closely and the result was 3 nice looking planters. Thank you for the detailed lessor.
ReplyDeleteNice! I'm so glad! It makes me so happy to be able to help instruct. Thank you for reading!
DeleteHi Lori, I’m curious how the joint compound has weathered? Is the pot outside at all? Has any of it flakes off or had problems staying stuck to the plastic? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi! My pot is inside in my office. It has held up fantastic! But it isn't exposed to the elements outside. Hope this helps!
DeleteDo not put them outside......joint compound will fall apart when wet or even damp
DeleteYeah... I didn't think they would hold up well in outside weather. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteHeavy coating with acrylic paint and indoor/outdoor polyurethane sealer. Will do the trick. Have mine outside with no problems (it's even rained on them).
DeleteWhat a great idea!! Love it! I'll have to try it! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteJust wanted to share a drywallers trick I saw on IG, I was thinking the same thing about it flaking off. I saw a video this guy doing dry wall and he used some Elmer's glue and mixed with the wall compound to give it more flexibility. Im gonna try this method and repost.
DeleteHmmm.... that sounds very interesting! I'd love to know how it worked out! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteFor outdoor pots you do this same method with spackling (just check to see if it says indoor/outdoor use). Then it should last much better outdoors.
DeleteI really like your finished product. The first method I found that didn't look like baked alaska with some paint on it. Thanks!
Looks vintage. A great outcome. Wonder if I coul d use leftover wood filler this way?
ReplyDeleteOh, I bet you could! Why not? Would love to know if it works for you!
DeleteLove this! What could I use for this same look on outdoor pots and planters?
ReplyDeleteHi Anne! Hmmm... I'm not sure... I bet concrete! That might withstand the elements!
DeleteThis looks fantastic! For a slightly different look, I have used acrylic paint with sand (large and small grit) mixed into it. The acrylic is waterproof because it's a plastic. It should adhere to plastic pots well, but you may want to give the pot a rough sanding first. Obviously, the result is not as 'rustic', but if you are wanting some texture it works.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool idea! I love it! Thanks for sharing!
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