Fall Mums and Garden Plastic Pot Refresh and Easy Makeover with Paint

Give your plastic garden pots a refresh and makeover with chalk paint. An easy and affordable facelift, that you can do in an afternoon.

Happy Friday!

Raise your hand if you have plastic garden pots that aren’t too pretty.

I usually recycle my pots at Lowe’s but I hung on to this pair to reuse

that came with last year’s fall mums. They were pretty sturdy so

I saved them, thinking I could give them a makeover and refresh!

They have a faux whiskey barrel finish and are shinier

and more plastic looking in person than they photographed.

I don’t go crazy with mums in the fall but I like to add a few pots to mix in with pumpkins.

The price of mums like a lot of things is crazy high these days and I was

shocked at the price this year at the garden center.

The ‘ready refill’ pots of large size mums were way more affordable

than those mums that were already potted up.

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To paint my pots, I needed a paint that would adhere to plastic,

but didn’t want to go to all the effort of priming or sanding.

I’ve used Krylon Fusion spray paint in the past which adheres well to plastic,

but the day I decided to paint, it was extremely windy and would have been impossible

without paint drift everywhere.

Chalk paint to the rescue!

If you’re not familiar with chalk paint, it adheres to almost anything without primer.

It has a matte finish and is designed for layering and distressing if you’re so inclined.

It’s waterbased, nontoxic and dries quickly so you can reapply a second coat in an hour or two.

I had some FolkArt Home Décor Chalk Paint in Tuscan Red

that I picked up for another project I had in mind for the Potting Shed.

It’s designed for indoor use, but I decided I could use it as long as I sealed my pots

so the paint would hold up to watering and the elements.

You want to start with a clean dry surface before painting so

I cleaned my pots and let them dry before beginning.

I applied two coats of chalk paint, allowing the first coat to dry, about 1 1/2 hours,

before applying the second coat.

To give the pots a little texture, I dry brushed some some

FolkArt Home Décor Chalk Paint in Java over the red,

paying attention to the raised bands on the pots to give them a little dimension.

If you’re not familiar with ‘dry brushing’, it’s a paint technique using an almost dry brush.

Dip the ends of your brush in the paint, then blot your brush on a some paper towels or newspaper

(I used a piece of cardboard), wiping most of the paint off,

before lightly dragging your brush over the surface.

Practice first on a piece of cardboard or scrap piece of wood

to get the hang of it or start on an inconspicuous place first.

You can apply light multiple coats, building your layers until you achieve the look you want.

I let the pots dry overnight.

I wanted a matte / wood-like finish rather than shiny, so I gave them several protective coats

using a matte clear spray sealer.

Follow the manufacturer’s directions of your sealer for applying and recoating.

Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2X Ultra Cover Matte Clear Spray Paint

is recommended for use on interior/exterior surfaces including wood,

plastic, plaster, metal, masonry and unglazed ceramic.

It’s an oil-based sealer that’s low odor; dries to touch in 20 minutes, to handle in 1 hour,

and fully dry in 24 hours.

Once the pots were dry, they were ready to drop in my mums.

The ‘ready refill’ pots were half the price of the mums in garden pots.

Ta da. .  . the wonders of paint and an

 easy makeover for plastic garden pots!

It only took about a fourth of my 8 oz. container of paint for both pots,

so I have plenty left over for another project.

I hope you’re inspired to makeover a tired garden planter with paint!

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 Between Naps on the Porch