Do you love the look of aged concrete planters but not the price tag?! I found a way to create the look on a budget and possibly with supplies you already have sitting around!
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Concrete planters and pots are beautiful and timeless. They can coordinate with almost any other decor inside and outside your home. I’ve always been a fan of neutral colors and organic textures for decor in our home and I’m not sure that will ever change. So for me, I plan to use these pots for many years to come!! I’m going to show you how to make these high-end looking planters at a fraction of the cost to buy them!
Depending on the size, high quality concrete pots and planters can be anywhere from $50 to $200+ each! When you are furnishing multiple areas of your outdoor space, that can add up very quick and be a pretty hefty investment! I had some old planters that were blue and red and didn’t match our decor that I chose to use for this project. If you don’t already have any old planters, try buying second hand or the big box stores usually have major sales on them at the end of the season. It would be a great time to stock up on a few for this project. The best part is, it doesn’t matter the color of them or how pretty they are, since you are going to be covering up the outside of them.
For this project you will need:
-A planter or pot
-Acrylic paint (white, gray, and black)
First, I started off by scratching up the finish of the pot/planter with steel wool. This gives the paint a better adhesion to the pot. Next, I sprayed the entire pot with a bonding primer.
After the bonding primer had dried the recommended time, I applied a layer to stucco all over the pot. I just used a rubber glove and applied with my hand but you can also use a brush for more even stroke marks.
Once the stucco was dry, I went back through and randomly applied little bits of spackling to various areas of the pot. This is the part where you can be creative and use as little or as much as you want. With the stucco as the first layer, it gives a rough texture but by using the spackling in little areas, it gives some dimension by adding some smooth areas as well. Once you have finished the spackling, let it dry according to the directions on the container.
You honestly could stop after this step if you are happy with the look of it.
But I wanted a little more dimension. And this last part was my favorite! I diluted white acrylic paint and applied a light layer over the entire pot. Then I diluted some gray acrylic paint and added it in a few spots. Once those had dried, I diluted black acrylic paint, dipped the toothbrush in and splattered it on the pot to give those little black speckles to make it appear aged!
And that was it!! Within a few hours, this quick little project made a big impact!
Now I’m sure you are wondering, how will these hold up in the outdoor elements? We live in the midwest and have pretty cold winters. I did three of these pots over two years ago and left them outside all year and they still look as great as the day I did them. By following all these steps (especially the prep work with the steel wool and bonding primer) I am confident these can last you many years!
