SPECIAL OFFER: - Limited Time Only!
(The ad below will not display on your printed page)


Midwest Living
Published on Midwest Living (http://www.midwestliving.com)

Home > 3 DIY Ways to Age Garden Pots

3 DIY Ways to Age Garden Pots

Plain terra-cotta garden containers gain weathered-over-time style with our 3 easy techniques.
Writer: Sara Reimer; Photographer: Jacob Fox; Project Designer: Lori Hellander
DIY aged garden pots
DIY aged garden pots

Years of hanging out in the yard leaves pots with a mottled finish that’s easy to replicate on new clay containers. To prep pots for all projects, remove debris with a damp cloth.

DIY aged garden pots

Speckled effect  (Pot at left in photo) Mix one cup of garden lime with one cup of water to make a paste; apply a heavy layer using a foam brush. Let dry. Rub with fine sandpaper to take off enough of the resulting grit to achieve desired appearance. Resources Garden lime Mayville pulverized lime. Menards. menards.com [1]

Chipped charm (Pots in middle of photo) A worn paint job gives pots casual color. Apply a coat of acrylic paint to the outside of a container. When almost dry (sticky to the touch), use coarse sandpaper to partially remove paint and form streaks. Stop there, or repeat the process with a darker shade for a two-tone makeover. Resources Paint colors (Top pot) 6464 Aloe and 6939 Turquish. (Bottom pot) 6464 Aloe and 6964 Pulsating Blue. Sherwin-Williams. (800) 474-3794; sherwin-williams.com [2] 

Tough texture (Pot at right in photo) A roughed-up surface brings character to plain pots. To start, apply a water-based primer and white acrylic paint to the outside of a pot, drying between coats. Add clear crackle medium with a foam brush. This creates uneven texture. A layer of oil-based dark wood stain (photo at left) highlights bumps and ridges. Resources Crackle medium Delta Creative. Hobby Lobby. (800) 888-0321; hobbylobby.com [3] Stain Wood Classics Charcoal oil stain. Sherwin-Williams. (800) 474-3794; sherwin-williams.com [2]

To protect finishes, spray the outside of pots with a clear enamel topcoat to seal. Also spray the insides to prevent moisture absorption when watering plants. Resources Clear topcoat Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2X clear matte. Rust-oleum. (877) 385-8155; rustoleum.com [4]

 

Tags: 
Garden [5]
Container gardens [6]
DIY [7]
Spring [8]
Spring gardening [9]
Summer [10]
Summer gardening [11]
March April 2014 Midwest Living [12]
Copyright © 2013, Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Source URL (retrieved on April 22, 2018): http://www.midwestliving.com/garden/container/3-diy-ways-to-age-garden-pots/

Links:
[1] http://menards.com
[2] http://sherwin-williams.com
[3] http://hobbylobby.com
[4] http://rustoleum.com
[5] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/garden
[6] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/container-gardens
[7] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/diy
[8] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/spring
[9] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/spring-gardening
[10] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/summer
[11] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/summer-gardening
[12] http://www.midwestliving.com/tags/march-april-2014-midwest-living