I think I've mentioned here a time or two that I'm not much of a DIYer. Not that I wouldn't love to be, I've just never been the crafty type. I am, however, somewhat thrifty, so when it came to finding a pot for my faux Fiddle Leaf Fig tree I knew I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a designer planter that would be seen by no one unless they came into my bedroom.
Hence, my newest attempt to turn something not so nice into something better lol. I had a large plastic pot that I had previously bought from Wayfair, and decided to try my hand at the the ever so popular "planter upcycle". I didn't want to spend much money on it, so I rummaged around my house and came up with some leftover paint from when we refreshed my husband's office, and some old rags. I did buy a small container of chalk paint and a cheap paintbrush, but I figure those might come in handy for future projects.
Supplies:
-Plastic planter
-Paint (I used leftover BM Soot)
-Chalk Paint (Chalked Country Paint in Roasted Cocoa)
-Baking powder (or baking soda)
-Small paint brush
-Rag
-Plastic (to contain mess)
-A wing and a prayer lol j/k
First, I poured some paint into a plastic cup so I could add the baking powder to it. I'm not sure the exact measurements, but you want the paint to be about the consistency
of paste so it'll stick to the planter.
After stirring it, I began to paint in horizontal strokes all over the planter. I didn't paint the bottom or the inside since this would be in a corner of my bedroom where not many people will see it. If it's in a more conspicuous space in your house you will probably want to paint the entire pot.
Once it was painted I left it over night to dry, and when I checked on it the next morning I was pleased with the results. It didn't look plastic anymore. The baking powder had given the paint more of a stone look which is what I was going for.
There was a little bit of the gray color showing through the planter, but I didn't mind that either. If you want it completely covered you may want to do another coat or two. I could have left it like this, but I wanted to try out the chalk paint. I had no idea what I was doing lol, but I grabbed a rag and dabbed a little bit of paint onto it. Then I vigorously rubbed it into the already dried paint. I did that all the way around it, just adding a little more color and texture until I was happy with it.
I thought about putting a glaze on it, but I really like the matte finish and didn't want to bring attention to my less than perfect paint job. To hide the fact that I didn't paint the inside I stuffed the pot full of Spanish moss, and voila! It's done. I love the result!
If you would like help designing a space in your home, schedule your free call with me today!