Welcome to a fresh take on DIY home decor with Salvaged Inspirations! Denise shares her step-by-step guide on how to paint a plastic planter to achieve a charming vintage terracotta look. Using simple techniques and the right products, you’ll learn how to give ordinary plastic planters a beautiful makeover that adds personality and style to any space. Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or just getting started, this project is perfect for bringing new life to your greenery displays.
(The following is an excerpt from Salvaged Inspirations. Read the full article here.)
Hi creative friends! This plastic planter makeover was so fun to do and Google Lens mistakenly identified it as a $2700 Spanish 19th Century Black Terracotta Urn Planter! So if you don’t have $2700 for a huge vintage planter, a few dollars in paint can level up the cheapest plastic planter beautifully.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Plastic Planter – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Bonding BOSS Primer
WoodUbend Trim
Sanding Sponge
Shop Towels
Chip Brush
Paint Brush
Drop Cloth Chalk Mineral Paint
Chocolate Chalk Mineral Paint
Terracotta Chalk Mineral Paint
Collard Greens Chalk Mineral Paint
Gator Hide Topcoat
CLEAN
I set up my worktable and cleaned this planter with this heavy-duty cleaner. After cleaning it, I used a damp sponge with clean water to wipe down any residue the cleaner may have left.
SCUFF SAND | BONDING PRIMER
To create grip for primer and paint, you can scuff sand plastic with a medium grit flexible sanding sponge. However, I skipped the sanding step and used Bonding BOSS Primer instead. I love this water-based primer for slick surface makeovers because it’s easy to use. While working on plastic, I did encounter an issue, so I’m sharing a best practice tip for applying it on plastic surfaces.
Following the instructions, I applied the first coat and let it dry overnight. The next morning, I performed a scratch test with a sharp metal screw. The primer held strong where I applied it thickly, but in areas where the coat was thin, it scratched off easily. I’ve used this primer on many furniture projects without this problem, so now I know that when priming plastic, a generous coat is essential.
After applying and drying the WoodUbend, I added another thick layer of Bonding BOSS Primer. For this faux clay technique, the texture and direction of the primer application didn’t matter—actually, a bit of texture enhances the final finish.
FAUX CLAY PAINT TECHNIQUE
To get a faux clay look is all about layering paint colors. I used Drop Cloth, Chocolate, and Terracotta to get a warm and vintage clay look. While the paint is wet, I dab my brush into the various colors and paint in different directions. Sometimes a smooth brushstroke. Sometimes I dab the brush to give it a little texture. As you can see in the pic below, its starts to look more and more ‘authentic’ the more you layer on the paint. To give it a vintage old world look, I used Collard Greens and dabbed around the top and under the WoodUbend Trim to give it a mossy aged look.
And there is no right or wrong way of doing this. Have fun and play with the paint until you like what you see. I did just that, and when I wasn’t happy with the way it was looking, I painted over the area with another layer of paint.
Same thing when I was applying the Collard Green faux moss. If it looked a little too heavy in areas, it was painted over.
TOPCOAT / PROTECT
To protect this piece and unify the terracotta faux finish, I used Gator Hide mixed with about 10% Terracotta paint. I brushed on two coats. I wasn’t overly particular in how I brushed it on because the more texture, the better. In my opinion, it looks better and more authentic when this topcoat is brushed on in different directions and dabbed onto some areas, exactly like the faux paint technique to get this look.
THE BIG REVEAL…
Here’s the finished look.
What do you think? It doesn’t look like plastic anymore!
Denise’s easy-to-follow tutorial proves that with a little creativity and the right tools, even plastic planters can become stunning vintage-inspired decor. Ready to refresh your planters and add that perfect rustic touch to your home or garden? Grab your supplies, follow these tips, and watch your DIY vision come to life. Don’t forget to share your planter makeovers with us—we love seeing your creative projects!
