DIY Painted Terracotta Pots

Have you ever walked into a store, looked at the price of something and said “are you kidding me?? I’ll make it myself.” For me, it happens 50% of the time that I shop, but I never get around to actually making it myself. This time was different.

I dreamt up this whole beautiful screened porch renovation that included a planter wall. And what do you need for a planter wall? PLANTS. And pots to put those plants in. We headed over to Home Depot and were shocked at the cost of such small little pots. I looked over at the plain terracotta pots that were only 97 cents and I said, I’m going to make these into what I really want!

I wanted white pots and pots with patterns. Not perfect patterns, but patterns that were imperfect and had character. So I made them. And it only cost me an hour of time and about $3 a pot!

So let’s start DIYing!

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Tools

• Caulk gun
• Paintbrush or sponge

How to make the perfect painted terracotta pots

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Step 1: prep your pots

Wipe the terracotta pots to remove any dust or dirt.

Caulk the hole at the bottom of the pot. No need for the inside to look great (it’ll be covered in dirt), but smooth out the bottom by lightly running over it with your finger.

Step 2: paint

Spray your pots with the first coat of paint. Keep your coats light and keep a close eye to make sure the paint is not dripping. If you’re doing light coats, it shouldn’t be dripping 😉

Let your pots dry fully before flipping them over or applying a second coat. Continue adding coats until the pots are fully covered. Ours took 2 full coats and one touch-up coat. We only did 1.5 coats on the inside since you won’t be able to see it once you fill the pot with dirt and plants.

If you don’t let the pots fully dry and you are spray painting on paper (we sprayed them on paper grocery bags), you risk the paper sticking to the pots and peeling off some of your paint. So be patient and keep your paint light. If you are able to elevate your pots so that they aren’t completely resting on the ground, that’s even better!

Step 3: stencil

Since the pots are rounded, you won’t be able to use a normal stencil. Rather than converting a pattern to fit on a round pot, I decided to pick patterns that I could piecemeal together. You can work in sections and connect the pattern as best as possible. It doesn’t have to be perfect! In fact, I wanted these pots to be less than perfect since I was going for character.

Pick out or create your stencil. I chose patterns that were available on my Cricut. Since I didn’t need these stencils to last too long or result in perfectly clean lines, I cut my stencils out of cardstock.

Stencil your pots by dabbing lightly with your paintbrush or sponge. Again, I didn’t want them to be perfect so I stenciled quickly and only spent a minute or two on each pot. Before you dab your paintbrush into the stencil, dab your paintbrush on a piece of paper or napkin to remove some of the excess paint to avoid excessive bleeding through the stencil.

step 4: seal

Once the stencil paint has dried, seal your pots. We used triple thick glaze to make the pots look more like what you would find in the store.

Once your sealer dries, fill those pots on up with all the plants your heart desires!

Who doesn’t love a simple DIY?! I can’t wait to see what patterns you choose. Go ahead and tag us on Instagram when you finish your project so we can see!