Cheap plastic pots elevated with paint and stencils?
Yes, by adding some paint, these cheap plastic pots look pretty good, don’t they? By placing them on top of the soil in larger pots, they are actually elevated, too.
The two large pots on the front porch looked like they needed some height. The spike plant, or Dracaena, has been used in the past to create height. This year though, I decided to use smaller versions of the cheap plastic pots straight from the nursery, paint them to coordinate with the large pots, and stack them for added height, ‘elevating’ them.
Prepare The Plastic Pots
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The first thing I did was wash and dry the cheap plastic pots. Since the pots in the front of the house were a light color, I chose a Plaster color of chalk paint. You will notice I taped off about 1-inch at the bottom of the pot. Whether it makes any sense or not, I knew the pot was going to be sitting in the soil and thought it wouldn’t show after the flowers grew and the painted part wouldn’t be sitting in the soil. It might not affect the paint since three coats of outdoor varnish were going to be applied but why take a chance?
Apply two coats of chalk paint to the clean plastic pots.
How These Hold Up
Remember the cheap plastic pots I painted a couple of years ago? Well, believe it or not, last fall I was watching grandkids a lot. Our house is not set up to allow a toddler-free range. Memphis’ feet hit the ground running with reckless abandon. Needless to say, some of my gardening chores did not get done.
One of those chores was emptying and storing pots. Those poor cheap plastic pots stayed outside all winter in the elements. You would think that the paint would be peeling and they would not look too hot. Nope, they really still look good! Hopefully, this fall affords me a little more time for fall chores.
Anyway, after two coats of plaster-colored paint dry, I stencil a design on the outside of the pot with chalk paint in a ‘Truffle’ color paint. That pot looks pretty bright and clean, unlike the pots in the front.
Age Cheap Plastic Pots With A Wash
To age it slightly, I use a wash of small amounts of Truffle-colored paint and water. The paint was allowed to puddle slightly along the edge where there is a little indentation, as you can see. The picture of the pot below looks a little lime green around the curved edge of the top rim. We bought two lime green umbrellas for the deck and patio. When the sun is shining, things on the table have that green cast.
Allow the paint wash to dry. That happens quickly in the sun on a beautiful day. Then, remove the painter’s tape from the bottom of the pot.
Paint On A Protective Coat
Lastly, apply three coats of Delta satin exterior/interior varnish
, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. (We are an affiliate of Amazon. If you purchase from this link, we will receive a small percentage of the sale at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting this site.)
That little strip of terra cotta color at the bottom looks pretty good, doesn’t it? I kind of like it, even though it won’t really show as the Wave petunias fill in around them. Next, fill each of the pots with a layer of rock, and potting soil, and plant a ‘Morning Star Calibrachoa’ in the center of each one of the large pots.
Sprinkle some rooting medium mixed with water on the soil around the newly potted plants for an extra boost for growth. While the painted pot doesn’t match exactly, it blends in pretty well. Soon, flowers will fill the pots and they should look great. Cheap Plastic Pots Elevated, who knew?
