Painting Terra Cotta Pots with Acrylics

Click Here to see the post on the five-year follow-up to see how these pots held up.

One of my garden goals this year is to add more color to my garden. Specifically something that will last through the dreary winter months. Painted pots ought to do!

My first inspiration came from the DIY club. These pots were made with chalk paint and sealed with patio paint. Click on the link above for the complete tutorial. 

I also liked the more distressed look of these pots at shelternes.com. This idea used candle wax and whatever type of paint you already have on hand.


I tried a couple looks on my pots before settling on the finished product.

Attempt 1: Straight Acrylic and sandpaper 

applied acrylic paint all over pot
rubbed pot using a damp t-shirt rag

the rag wasn't distressing enough
so I turned to sandpaper

In the end, I wasn't really happy with Attempt 1. It just didn't "look right" to me.

Attempt 2: Paint Wash and terry cloth

I created a paint wash with the acrylic and water,
then re-coated the pots.
if it seemed too dark, it was given another paint wash of
a lighter acrylic paint

then each pot was rubbed with a
damp terry cloth...
much better than sandpaper or a t-shirt rag

paint wash success the first time! 

just needs some patio paint sealer and then...
ready for the garden! 

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