Reviving Old Planters

Here is my most worn down-looking planter. Some of the outer coating is chipped, and it is stained. It was really in need of a new, clean look.

First step is to thoroughly clean! I sprayed mine down using the jet setting on my garden hose and gave it a good scrub with a stiff cleaning brush. This took off the loose dirt and bits that were already beginning to flake. If your planter is made from a porous material, let it dry fully before continuing.

Tape off any sections you want to leave the current color. I chose to tape off the top rim because it wasn’t in bad shape, and the top would be the most likely to get chipped.

Spray paint your planter with a primer and paint combo. I really like this blue to liven up my patio. It will probably need at least 2 coats to soak in paint evenly.

If your planter has textured patterns, use a dense foam roller and a contrasting paint color to go over the design. Use very little paint on the roller and go slow. I used my white exterior trim paint.

If yours doesn’t have a textured design, paint your own! Stripes would be easy with the tape, or free hand something.

To go along with my large planter, I found these plastic ones at Dollar Tree. I taped off the top and bottom so I could spray the middle section blue.

After painting and removing the tape, I used a craft brush to paint white stripes over the small rope design at the top and bottom.

Move the planters to your desired location and get planting!

Another fun idea: I put a small bucket upside down inside the large planter, and placed a wooden circle on top. Then I added soil and plants around the outside. Now I have a small table section inside the planter!