Why are planters so expensive? I particularly love a stone washed look, and of course, the ones from terrain or Pottery Barn I am a sucker for. I love the “worn” look, and especially that white European stone color. A wall of it would look so aesthetic, but we don’t have the home for that right now.
Wandering on Pinterest, I saw that people were doing their own DIY Planters. If they could do it, so could I! … and so could you! What I wanted truly was a terracotta base. Shopping with a child in one arm though, I dreaded carrying something so heavy at the time. Instead, I found two basic white trash cans from Ikea! They were between $3-$5 each.
I’m serious!
Look at these stone planters below. I love them, and if you have the money then buy them! Mine are not exactly the same color (obviously) so feel free to user lighter paints than what I used. Otherwise, follow down the blog to watch me make my own so that you too can make your own . 🙂
Just a quick note that there may be affiliate links on this page. This means Decaf Succs may get a small commission for referring you to these sites. All opinions of these products are our own and we purchased everything that has been mentioned. Of course we only recommend what we feel is quality! Now go have some fun!
Just a tip if you feel overwhelmed with a DIY. I narrowed this process down to a few steps:
- Prime
- Layer
- Paint
- Sand
- Create
- Weatherproof for outdoors
Everything was a shot in the dark and I literally had no idea that this was going to go anywhere. It turned out so awesome, so please have fun! One quote my elementary art teach used to say was “I can fix anything but a broken heart.” So make a mess! And turn it into something.
Prime
Since these trash cans.. er planters.. begin as plastic, you want to first prime them so that the following steps stay on. I used Krylon Fusion All-in-One, bright white. Just a quick sweeping spritz around the plastic to create an even layer. Let Dry.
Layer
The second part is to layer. You want many layers! The plan is a good mix of plaster, spray paint, and normal paint. Eventually you will be sanding down these layers for a realistic look.
- After the primer I did a very uneven coat of DryDex. (The container was only $4 from Target. I used half of the container for the first layer). You can choose to use a spackle tool or you can use your hands! Whichever you find easier to spread the DryDex.
- I spray painted Krylon Stone Coarse Texture- Charcoal Sand. I did a very generous coat.
You want to repeat these steps one more time.
So:
Drydex, Spray Paint, Dry Dex, Spray Paint.
If you want to stop at any step, go for it. I thought after this one layer it looked great. But I wanted to keep going with the original plan. This is what it should look like:
Paint
This is where I got overwhelmed, and decide to just chose these colors: Deep Burgundy Acrylic, Gray Acrylic Paint, and Pickling Paint in Bright White. My ultimate goal was for a terracotta peek -a-boo look, but then adding the gray it gave the overall appearance of a more stony look!
Sand!
Wait for the paint to somewhat dry. I will say I was too excited to wait for it to dry fully, so it is okay if you want to do this next time quickly after.
Take coarse sanding paper and sand random parts of the now planter. What helps with the look is sanding around the painted areas to make a chipped-stone look. And then do some quick sweeps over the paint. Just take your artsy hand and go for it. If you “mess up” there will always be more paint or drydex.
Create
Here is where you get Pickling White Paint. It’s just a washed down white paint. Dab it in places where you find the paint is too dark or saturated. It helps give that stone or light concrete look. Use sweeping motions for this! Layer as you need. Remember this is all about what you want, too!
Finally, I glue gunned green Moss at the top because it looked unfinished at the rim. I would also suggest glue gunning some rope around this or braided twill. That would give this a different rustic look. Or! Be like me and keep it plain…. for now.
After all of this. You want to make your work last! Espescially with the outdoors. Find a good all-weather spray, such as Krylon UV Resistant Spray!
Let me know if you attempted this! tag me on insta @krystlelauren or twitter @decafsuccs! Products mentioned below. Thank you.
