How to DIY a Faux Concrete Finish on Terra Cotta Pots

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We are starting with an ordinary terra cotta pot. Before painting, I am going to add some texture to the pot with a Dremel rotary tool.

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First, draw in some guidelines to help keep the design as balanced as possible. With a pencil, mark the bottom of the pot into four equal parts and then use those marks to draw a straight line from the bottom of the pot to the top.

I put a sanding accessory on the Dremel rotary tool to create the texture, as a simple free-hand design. I'm using the rotary tool on a low speed so that I can maintain more control of the tool. Be sure to wear safety gear when operating this tool as sanding on terra cotta will produce a lot of fine dust.

You can choose whatever design you want. I'm filling the sides with a series of columns of three and two sanded marks. They do not have to be perfect. You're wanting an aged, weathered look and that is best achieved with imperfection!

The secret of this project is using this new Chalky Gesso by DecoArt. Artists use this as a primer for canvas, but I've found it worked great as a primer for projects like this. I'll be using this for the base coat as well as the final coat.

Once the base or primer coat is dry, paint on a coat of DecoArt satin enamel in Charcoal Grey. (You could use any color based on the look you want), but since this is a concrete-like finish, grey was a must. Let that dry and then add a thin layer of the gesso on top of that. If gesso is not available, try to find a chalky white.

Once the top layer of gesso is dry, it's time to lightly sand. I'm using 320 grit sandpaper. When sanded, the texture is revealed and really pops!

Once finished, I added some foam to the pot (this is styrofoam although floral foam actually works way better) to hold the faux succulent in place.

A little bit of sheet moss added to the top of the pot completes the look. The larger pot is actually a vintage planter, originally yellow, that I finished with the same faux finish minus the sanding. This look is much better for my home decor, and bonus, no plants to water!

For a complete list of the materials we used, please go to our blog post.