How to Create A Silvery, Rustic Aged Effect On A Metal Planter
11 Materials
Debbie Hayes of My Patch of Blue Sky shares a wonderful tutorial on transforming a boring planter into a silvery, rustic piece perfect for bringing character to any garden. She used our Texture Effects, Metal Effects, Metallic Paint, and a large stencil for this look. Let's see how she did it!
SUPPLIES
First, clean and prep your surface with a good primer for your surface. Debbie used a metal primer tinted gray and let dry. Using one of the brushes in the Metal Effects Kit, brush on a coat of Metal Effects Primer. Once dry, you can add the second coat. Let dry at least 12 hours or overnight.
Just in case her planter gets bumped or scratched while outside, she tinted the Texture Effects with Natural Brown Glazing Cream, so that the pure white color would not show if chipped off. She used 1 pint of Texture Effects and 4 ounces of Natural Brown so that she could have enough to use on all four sides of the planter and not need to mix more. You can tint to taste on this step. It does turn out she could have made less, about half as much, so she can seal the leftovers up for another time.
Debbie is an enthusiastic painter and project-doer, but is also frugal with her time. She selected this very large wall stencil that covered her planter entirely. That way, she did not have to wait for the pattern to dry, then move the stencil to fill in missing design areas. She cut the top of the stencil material off so that she could easily start the design right at the top. After taping, she applied the mixture using a color shaper tool. A small hand trowel can also be used. Hold the stencil tight to the surface with one hand so the mix won’t bleed, but no worries if happens a bit. Perfection is not required.
Next, Debbie applied a coat of Silver Metallic Paint. She was planning to do 2 or even 3 coats of the Silver Metallic Paint, but, magically, one coat was perfect. Let dry.
Use the sea sponge, tapping it into the iron paint on a palette of tin foil, then onto the surface.
You can use the chip brush in the kit to add iron paint in recessed areas. You need two coats, so after the first one dries, add some more in approximately the same areas. Let dry well.
Spray one coat, beginning at the top. Wait five minutes, then spray again. About 20 minutes into the drying process, as the rust begins to form, she used the barely dampened clean sponge to pull off some areas until she liked the look. Then she let the rust process finish.
By now we're sure you know that Debbie is a rust, crust, and patina lover.
Sometimes, she sleeps on a project after it is completed, and decides to do just “one more thing.” So we're guessing you have done it before too, right? So Debbie got out the Silver Metallic Paint, and a small, stiff artist brush and very quickly dry-brushed some paint on all of the raised leaves, flowers and stems. This took about 15 minutes.
Now this oversized, boring planter literally glows, even as the sun sets over her front courtyard. No matter which of the two looks you adore, you can achieve them with the same materials. After your piece dries, you can apply the Permacoat Xtreme sealer for additional weather resistance.
Are you ready to do this? Debbie has discovered that she could have done two of these planters with the materials on the supply list, and more! Have a fun painting!
Comments
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2 of 96 comments
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Yes I think I can pull this one off. I just have a recycled planter that I recently got out of scrap.
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Beautiful job!!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Love your planter. Can you tell me where you bought the head planter? I've looked everywhere.
Very pretty but I wonder if there’s another way to get the same effect without having to spend a lot of money on products.
Can you use food coloring in place of the dye?