Faux Painting a Plastic Container
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When I decided to make a window box, I wanted a container that would be light in weight. I went shopping for one that would fit the window width and look good. The lightest container I could find was a plastic container with a terra cotta color. No matter how the manufacturer tries to disguise a plastic pot, it still has the look of a plastic pot. The container size was perfect and the cost was inexpensive, but the color was not going to work under the window. I decided to paint it a copper patina faux finish. With a faux patina, the window box will look good until the plants grow and drape down to cover it.
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I share with you the step-by-step process I used to achieve a faux finish on the container. This process will work for any style plastic pot. Choose colors that will go with your house or garden. This process takes very little time to paint and faux finish; however, drying time for each coat of primer and paint will make this a 3-day process.
After you select your container, you want to assemble all your tools and supplies for the process.
Tool and Supply List
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plastic container of your choice
100 grit sand paper
tack cloth or damp rag
paint brush
plastic bags
pie tin (to hold paint)
plastic grocery bags
paper grocery bag
protective gloves
acrylic primer
2 quarts of exterior flat latex paint - 1 green and 1 white*
water
drop cloth
*I mix my own colors but if you are not sure about mixing your own colors, find a medium dark green color that is on the blue side. Then choose the lightest green (almost white) on the same swatch for your lighter color. You can also take your dark green and mix a little with white paint to make a green-tinted white. If you are mixing your own paints, make sure they are the same brand of exterior flat latex, and mix colors in a separate container, not in the paint can. You will not need much white paint, so if your tinted white is not what you want, mix another batch. Start with about a 1/2 cup of white and add your green a spoonful at a time until you get the tint you want. Thin the paint down with water so that the consistency is like milk. Make sure you mix enough paint to do the entire job, as it will be tough to mix up another batch and have it match the first one.
If you are not sure you can do this process, start with a small inexpensive container and practice with it. You really cannot mess up. If it does not turn out the first time, you can repaint it again. If some of the paint chips off in a few years, it adds to the look of patina. If you want, you can lightly sand small areas of the paint once it is dry so the terra cotta color comes through.
Use a drop cloth to protect table surfaces from paint.
Prep and Prime
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Rough up the surface of the pot with your sandpaper, making sure all parts of the pot that will be painted are sanded. When you are finished sanding, wipe down the pot with a tack cloth or other damp rag to clean off the dust. If you use a damp rag, be sure to allow the container to dry thoroughly before priming.
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The next step is to apply one coat of primer. Prime all areas of the container that will show. Let it dry overnight.
Now for the Fun Part - Paint and Faux Finish
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The first coat of paint is the medium dark green. For a copper patina look, mix green paint to be on the blue side. Using a paintbrush, paint one coat of green over the primer. It does not need to be perfectly painted, some brush strokes are fine, although you want to smooth out any paint drips. Let the container dry overnight.
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Take a plastic bag and slip the pie tin inside of it. Pour the paint into the plastic bag that covers the pie tin. When you are finished painting, pull the bag off, turn inside out, with the leftover paint inside, and toss it away with no mess to clean up.
Mix the lighter green paint (almost white) with water to the consistency of milk. Pour a little bit of paint into your pie tin, covered with the plastic bag. Take another plastic bag and scrunch it up in your hand. Wear gloves to protect your hands from paint.
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Dip the scrunched bag lightly into the paint. Then blot it on the paper bag until the plastic bag blots almost dry. Use as many paper bags as you need for blotting. If the bags get too wet from paint, use a new one. You can also pick up more paint from the paper bag when the bag gets wet with paint. Each time you pick up more paint onto your scrunch plastic bag, blot it out on the paper bag to get rid of excess paint.
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Lightly touch your container with the plastic bag, building up the greenish-white around the pot. Turn your hands each time you blot on the paint so the pattern does not look uniform. Keep working the bag all over the pot until you have much of the lighter color covering the green. If you have corners to get paint into, you can manipulate the plastic bag to fit the space.
If you get a little too much paint in an area, quickly blot excess paint off your plastic bag on the paper bag; then blot the excess paint on the pot to take away paint. You cannot mess this process up; the more random the touch of the bag on the pot the better! Let the pot dry thoroughly over night.
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Fill with soil and plants and you will have a beautiful container unlike any other. Enjoy!
Recommended container gardening books.
Debra Teachout-Teashon
Photographed in author's garden.
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