Can’t get those flower pots out of my head!
Here are 3 easy ways to finish simple terracotta flower pots, for use in an indoor garden. These three flower pots are a faux painted, cement like finish, stucco and decoupage. Like the tri-umverate of craftiness – thanks to Carol Duvall that I know how to do all of these techniques!
These can totally change the look of your decor, and you can personalize the paint treatment to match.
I took a bunch of flower pots I had hanging around, and just started priming them, inside and out. I hoped that I would figure out what to do with them when inspiration struck.
1. Faux painted flower pot
The first is a painted faux finish to approximate the look of cement. I have a cement planter, found here, that I love, but I only have one of them. I decided to try and paint a planter to look like cement. If that didn’t work, you know what is coming next. I feel the urge to make a concrete planter. But, that is for another time…
Confession time – I love faux painted surfaces! When did they suddenly go out of style? I didn’t realize faux was out of style until my real estate agent made me paint over one of my walls. She said NO one liked faux any more. Well, I have news for her – I think it is staging a comeback – from the posts I have seen around Pinterest – it is coming!
I find that faux paint and sponging works better if you choose 3 or four paints that are similar in color.
- First, tape the rim with masking tape.
- Then, paint a base coat of gray
- Using a sea sponge, sponge on a mix of gray, black, a little bit of blue, and white, layering until they blended. Also make sure that the colors didn’t completely mix
- Then, thin some black and white paint and flicked droplets on
- Sponge some of the droplets to blend a little, and leave some as droplets.
- All in all, it is a very random process, but the good news is, you really can’t go wrong. If you don’t like it, just keep layering!
- Once the faux painting is dry, take off the masking tape, and paint 2 coats of white on the rim
- Finish with a coat of Polycrylic
2. Stucco and painted flower pot
For this flower pot, you will need some ready mixed Spackle, a putty knife, primer and acrylic paints.
- Prime the pot with a paint primer
- Smear on some of the spackle on with the putty knife. Don’t get it too smooth – the trick is to leave some unevenness so the paint can go into the nooks and crannies
- When the spackle is dry, it is time to paint! First paint the flower pot white
- When the white paint is dry, thin a brown paint with some water, and paint that on the spackled area, letting it get into all the nooks
- Wipe off the majority of the brown paint from the outer surfaces with a rag before the paint drys
- When the brown has dried, touch up the high points by dry brushing on another layer of white
- Finally, paint the rim with two coats of white paint. I did not finish this with Polycrylic, as I did not want the stucco to be shiny. So, I am not sure how long this finish will last with any abuse.
3. Decoupaged and painted flower pot
Click here for instructions on the decoupaged and painted flower pot
