Painted Plastic Flower Pot

It’s time for an outdoor decor makeover! I’m going to take you through the steps I used for my painted plastic flower pot transformation. You are not going to believe the before photo of the pot I used!

PROJECT OBJECTIVE:

I wanted to brighten up a small patio that’s in front of my husband’s workshop. The area has always looked too plain so I decided a couple of chairs for a seating area, and a flower planter with some personality were needed.

Colorful painted plastic flower pot.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

PAINTED PLASTIC FLOWER POT

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

  • plastic flower pot
  • Krylon outdoor spray paint
  • Helmsman spar urethane spray
  • Rustoleum comfort grip (optional)
  • frog tape (Home Depot)
  • trash bags
  • craft paint for making dots
Supplies needed for painting the plastic flower pot.

WHAT KIND OF SPRAY PAINT TO USE ON PLASTIC?

I used Krylon Colormaxx spray paint which dries very quickly in between coats, works well on plastic, and is for outdoor use. The colors I used are Gloss Sun Yellow, Satin Pistachio, and Satin Island Splash.

Since I used craft paint to make dots on the pot, I needed outdoor protection so I sprayed Minwax Helmsman spar urethane on the flower pot.

I chose to also use a Rust-Oleum comfort grip attachment that’s made especially for spray paint cans to prevent “finger fatigue.” I found one hanging next to the spray paint section.

HOW TO PAINT A PLASTIC FLOWER POT

STEP 1CLEAN YOUR FLOWER POT

As you can tell, the pot hadn’t been used in a very long time! I’m sure most people would have just thrown it away, but I saw the potential. I found it at the bottom of a pot pile in my parent’s backyard, and I can’t resist anything that’s free!

I used Lysol cleaner and a hand brush to scrub through the dirt and algae stains. The bottom of the pot was “too far gone,” but it won’t be seen so no worries.

plastic flower pot prior to cleaning

STEP 2 – PLAN YOUR COLORS AND DESIGN

There are 2 main areas and 4 thin sections on my pot. I chose turquoise and green for my main colors and bright yellow for one thin accent section.

I originally wanted to use a detailed stencil for painting a design on the main green section, but you’ll find out later why that plan fell through and I went with dots instead.

STEP 3 – SPRAY PAINT YOUR FIRST SECTION

It’s not necessary to tape off for your first color. I started spray painting the turquoise areas first. You can get your desired coverage in a short amount of time since Krylon Colormaxx dries quickly between coats.

I sprayed about 5 coats for each section to get full coverage.

TIP – Spray in a short, quick, one direction motion. Do not spray in a back and forth motion because this will be too much paint at one time and will cause your paint to sag.

STEP 4 – TAPE OFF FOR THE 2nd PAINT SECTION

I waited a day before placing tape over the first color because I wasn’t sure about the cure time for the paint.

Step 4 for the painted plastic flower pot.

Use frog tape for taping off to make a crisp paint edge. I used the long edge of yard bags to wrap and tape around the pot.

Step 5 for the painted plastic flower pot project.

I was originally going to paint my yellow accent color at the very top of the pot, but later changed my mind. That’s why you’ll see some color inconsistencies in my photos compared to the completed pot.

STEP 5 – TAPE OFF THE ACCENT SECTION

I used the same trash bag method, as illustrated above, to tape off for my yellow accent stripe. I waited a day before taping off the accent section because, again, I wasn’t sure of the paint cure time.

The finished painted plastic flower pot.

STEP 6 – PAINT POLKA DOTS OR APPLY STICKERS

I hand painted my polka dots, but I recommend purchasing yellow polka dot stickers (office supply store), or if you have a Cricut you can make your polka dots. I didn’t go out searching for dots because of the virus.

Yellow painted polka dots on the plastic flower pot.

My original plan was to stencil a design on the green section. I found out that craft paint doesn’t work well at all on the pot so I went with polka dots and just painted several coats to get full coverage.

TIP – Whichever way you decide to make your dots, be sure to protect them from the weather with the Helmsman spar urethane spray.

Two red yard chairs with the painted plastic flower pot.

I’m so happy with all the color and personality the side patio has now! It’s amazing how adding a seating area and a flower pot makeover can make a small patio look more inviting. Is this a project that you would try?

graphic "pin for later"
completed painted plastic flower pot with flowers

PAINTED TOAD HOUSES FOR THE GARDEN

HOW TO MAKEOVER OUTDOOR METAL ART – EASY DIY

POLKA DOT PAINTED BIRDHOUSE

FOLLOW ME ON  PINTEREST FOR MORE DIY CRAFTS AND DECOR INSPIRATION!

I’ve joined a group of awesome bloggers who are also sharing their outdoor decor and entertaining ideas with you! You’ll find links to their amazing projects below so be sure to visit each one. Don’t miss out!

SEE MORE OUTDOOR DECOR & ENTERTAINING IDEAS BELOW!

graphic for a blog hop

MEET THE PARTICIPATES:

Purple Hues & Me
Stone Cottage Adventures | Southern Sunflowers
Slices of Life | Sew Crafty Crochet | Sum of Their Stories

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Sharing this painted pot makeover at these FABULOUS BLOGS!

author of the southern sunflowers blog

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Allyson Lauder

Allyson is the founder and content creator of Southern Sunflowers. She shares tutorials for DIY crafts and decor on a budget.

85 thoughts on “Painted Plastic Flower Pot”

  1. Beautiful cheery planter – from blah to glam! I started working with spray paint to refresh our outdoor decor – it’s a lot easier to work with than expected – I”m regretting I waiting this long to try. Congrats on the feature! (seen through Inspire My Monday)

    1. Thank you! The spray paint I used was great because it was a fast drying formula which made my project go so much quicker than I had anticipated. Thanks for visiting!

  2. Congratulations! Your post was my feature pick at #OverTheMoon this week. Each Hostess displays their own features so be sure to visit me on Sunday evening and to see your feature! I invite you to leave more links to be shared and commented upon. Please don’t forget to add your link numbers or post title so we can be sure to visit!

  3. Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn

  4. I am so thrilled for you that your darling pot is a Feature on virtually all of the linky parties I link up to this week! It is so adorable, and you are so deserving of these features! I love it to pieces! Congrats on a huge success! Smiles, Linda at Paper Seedlings

  5. Looks great! So much better than the plain one! And your flowers are lovely; I especially love the yellow and red go with your chairs. Thanks for joining us for Friday Favorites. I’m featuring you this week!

  6. I love any project that reuses what we already have! Thanks for sharing, and this is one of my features this week! Stop by and say hello, and thanks for linking to EHH!

  7. This is so pretty! I have some old pots that need a makeover, but they’ll have to wait until the weekend since we’re expected rain all week. The trash bag trick is a great idea! Very clever!

  8. What a transformation!!! Love the color choices…so bright! I’m going to try your tip of spray painting in one direction rather than back and forth the next time I spray paint.

  9. I love this makeover, that old pot is transformed! It’s great to know what paints work well for this kind of project too, thanks.

  10. Allyson,
    I LOVE this sweet transformation!! I should do that with some of my pots before I plant my annuals in them…We have had frost warnings for the past 3 days so I have not bought any flowers yet….Thanks so much for stopping by and for sharing this idea!! Love the color of your chairs too!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

    1. So glad you like my flower pot makeover! We had those warnings as well and I had to bring all my outside flower pots inside the house. I’m happy it’s finally warm now!

  11. I used 45-gallon food grade plastic barrels to make pots for my cabin deck. I didn’t want the blue colour so used the same spray paint. I found with mine that over time the paint peeled. The second time I used a spray degreaser and wire brush to clean the surface and it worked much better. I also learned that an old faded and distressed barrel worked much better holding the paint to its surface. – Margy

    1. I agree, I thought it was a good thing my pot was scratched up badly, plus I added the outdoor coating because of the polka dot craft paint. Thanks for visiting!

  12. How pretty, looks nice and cheerful! Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 12, open May 1 to 26. All party entries shared if social media buttons installed.

  13. This is so bright and cheerful! I love it! Plus the polka dots. I have a stack of plain pottery planters in my garage and now I am ready to paint them! Thank you so much for the inspiration!

  14. That turned out beautiful. I love the colors you picked. You’ve inspired me to look back through my pile of pots and see what I can do. Pinned.

  15. Your pot came out so pretty and i love how it brightens things up! The color combo is perfect for spring and summer.
    Thanks so much for the blog visit today on transplanting seedlings. I hope you have a nice week!

  16. I love it! I”m sure you get to enjoy it plenty sitting in those awesome chairs too. Such great colors and perfect for spring and summer. Thank you so much for sharing.

  17. I love the colorful new look of the planter, Allyson. The tip of using the trash bag is great. What a pretty summer setting this is along with your chairs. We’re delighted to have you join the group!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *