Turn a Popcorn Tin Into a Trash Can

by Amanda C, Hometalk Team

7 Materials

$5-10

1.5 Hours

Easy

So I have kept this stinkin' popcorn tin in my closet with the intention of making something out of it and the day has come! I picked up these great knobs from Anthropologie when they were super marked down and thought, well, why not make a little trash can? I simply painted the tin and added the handle to the top and now I have a nice lookin' trash can. I also added some champagne cork feet to give it a little extra pizzazz.

SUPPLIES:

-Drill

-Popcorn Tin

-Spray Paint

-3 Champagne Corks

-Knob / Handle

-Super Glue

-Wrench (not pictured)

STEP 1: Spray paint tin

Remove the lid from your popcorn tin and spray the tin and lid separately and allow them to dry. You can paint this however you want in whatever color you want. I just went for a color that matched the knobs I picked up!

STEP 2: Drill hole

Find the center of your lid and drill a hole through the top so that you can fasten your handle.

STEP 3: Add your handle

Feed your handle through the hole you just created in step 2 and fasten tightly. I did end up using a wrench to tighten the knob.

STEP 4: Spray paint the corks

Grab your metallic gold paint (or whatever color you choose...or you can leave them plain) and paint the champagne corks coating them entirely.

STEP 5: Glue corks to tin

Once your corks have dried, you can super glue them to the bottom of your popcorn tin, arranging them so that they are evenly dispersed around the circumference of the circle.

*I did paint the bottom, but you really don't have to. Not really sure why I did hehe...

Once your glue has dried, you are all done! You have a nice new trash can with cute little feet and a handle!

I kept the design pretty straight forward and simple on this guy cause I felt the knob sort of lead things that way, but you could paint designs on the can, or cover it with Mod Podge and fabric too!

Here is a better look at those cute little feet...

Too bad this fella doesn't fit beside my toilet and the sink or on the other side for that matter.... apartment problems, but I am sure I will find a home for him... Maybe someone else's :)

Enjoyed the project?

You can do it! Saved to your projects

Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this project?

Ask a Question

3 of 5 questions

Lpe15014522 on Apr 08, 2017

Could you use chalkboard paint so that you could write on it ?

1
N. G. Londonderry on Dec 30, 2018

I have never seen popcorn tins where the top circumstance is wider than the bottom AND as Jackie Byrd said the covers I encounter fit so tightly it’s very difficult to remove them. How do you fix that problem?

3
Fbgirl1961 on Dec 30, 2018

How easy does the paint scrape off? It must at least where the lid is tight against the container, right? I have a bunch of tins that I'd like to do something with but I'm afraid the paint will scrap off easily.

2

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 79 comments

J J on Feb 18, 2019

I used my popcorn tins for that long ago, but just left it as was, no paint except the original design. I don't even use the lids; I just put a bag in the tin, & there you have it, a trash can for my bedroom! I did the same with another one for my living room.

1 Reply
Ann on Feb 18, 2019

How cute! Love the cork feet. How simple but so useful.

Like Reply