Do I need to seal a terracotta planter before hand-painting?

I love painting terra cotta pots! I have never sealed them before I paint, but I do recommend sealing them after. I only use acrylic paints when painting and I leave them outside all year . After 2 or 3 years of rain and snow and dirt and flowers, they do get rather faded though.

I would seal then paint, and then seal the paint job especially if you get the frequent rains

Hi Susan, yes you can, but if you're going to use it outside be sure to spray on a couple of clear coats. I use RustOleum for the sealer but I'm sure any brand made for outside will work. If you are going to sponge or rag paint the pots, I found that it is much faster to spray on the first color and use that same spray for at least the top 3 inches or so on the inside. Then use the sponge or rag for 2 more colors on the outside and the inside if you want.. Let everything dry, spray on 2 coats of sealer, let it dry and it's done! I do bring my pots into the garage in the winter just because our plow guy plows close to where they are. I hose them off each spring while I'm planting and they've lasted for years! It works on plastic and terracotta pots.

Good luck!

the point of terracotta planters is that they 'breath'; they are 'better' for plants than plastic or concrete planters if they are not planted --- your plants will be happier in the plain terracotta -- especially if there is frequent rain; hope there are drain holes in the bottom too!

Yes, seal the pot before painting to avoid having all of your paint just soak into the pot...once you've got the pot painted as you wish, apply outdoor rated sealant to keep the design throughout all weather

http://www.finegardening.com/painting-clay-pots

Thank you all for your advice!

Make sure to seal the inside, terra cotta absorbs water when you water your plants, this mosture, will cause flaking on the outside of a painted pot is not sealed on the inside