How To Paint Flower Pots: Easy DIYs

Are you wondering how to paint flower pots? Look no further! I’m having fun painting terracotta flower pots! I’m going to show you how to make and use DIY painted flower pots around your home.

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Here is a complete guide with tips on how to paint pots. They make great gifts, craft projects and decor for any season. Keep reading to see all the crafts I’ve made with painted pots to get DIY ideas.

How To Paint Flower Pots Materials List:

As you get started, here are items to collect that you can use to paint pots. Keep an eye out at thrift stores to buy old planters for cheap. See what items you can reuse from around your home before you go into a craft store.

Try to recycle planters you already have. A coat of paint can give pots a different look. Plus, you can craft them. Before you recycle your old garden planters, keep them for a DIY instead.

Pots you can use:

clay pots
plastic pots
outdoor pots
saucers
repurposed household items

Painting supplies:

How To Paint Flower Pots

Make sure to remove the labels from the flower pots. Then wipe them down with a wet towel to remove any dirt or debris on them. This is important because if they are dirty the paint won’t stick properly. Let them dry completely before you start painting.

Start with a clean pot.

I start each painted pots tutorial with a clean flower pot. Be sure to remove price tags and stickers. Then wipe the pots down with a rag or damp cloth to remove dust and dirt. The clean surface of the planter gives a better chance for the paint to adhere and last.

Then I painted the rims of the flower pots silver to provide some visual interest.

Painting Surface of Terra Cotta

Most of the crafts I’m showing you how to make will use terra cotta pots. But, you can paint plastic pots, too, for porch and patio decor. Depending on the planter material, you may need to use different types of paint.

You do not have to use a clay pot sealer before painting the terra cotta. But, a sealer will typically help the paint last longer on the terra cotta. If your planter is for outdoor use, you may want to use a sealer first or outdoor-specific paint.

A lot of times, my painted pots are indoors and used as gifts or decor so they don’t have to be as durable. I do not seal these pots first and use paint I already own, typically paint for crafts.

How to Prevent Drips

Drips are a common challenge when I paint flower pots. The key I’ve learned is to paint slowly and not rush it with too much paint on the paintbrush, heavy coats, or too much spray paint at a time. Hold spray paint cans at the proper distance as the back of the can suggests.

You may want to rush your project with thicker coats of paint, but thin layers of paint work better for even coats. Just use patience when painting. It pays off in the end when it comes to preventing drips.

Fun and Creative Craft Ideas with Terracotta Painted Flower Pots:

I love to garden, so I tend to have extra planters around for paint projects. Here are some crafts I’ve made from flower pots for decor, holidays and even to organize home items.

Holiday and Seasonal Painted Pots:

To celebrate holiday seasons, here are some fun craft ideas for plain terracotta pots. These craft projects are great to use as yard decor or the front porch as you are decorating for the holidays.

I’m at it again making more seasonal decor with terra cotta flower pots! This time… a flower pot bunny!

I painted terracotta pots with acrylic paint to create this fun bunny craft, and it can be used indoors or outdoors for decoration. See the full tutorial: Easy and Awesome DIY Bunny Craft

Turn a flower pot into a patriotic Uncle Sam with this DIY. Bonus with this decor craft is you can still use it for a potted plant or herb garden for summer. Here is the complete tutorial: Easy and Awesome Patriotic Decorations For All Season

Combine solar light crafts with flower pots to make this pumpkin decor. See how here: Flower Pot to Solar Pumpkin

Do you want to know how to make Halloween Decorations? Many of you have seen my flower pot creations, my scarecrow, snowman, Santa, & Uncle Sam. I'm at it again creating a flower pot Frankenstein (or Frankenstein planter). Today I'm sharing how I made my Halloween Frankenstein Candy Holder.

Want a cute project to celebrate Halloween? This is an easy craft that makes handing out candy even better. Grab some craft paint and get started! See the full tutorial: Easy and Cute Halloween DIY Frankenstein Candy Holder.

Do you like decorating for Fall and Halloween? Do you like creating easy fall and Halloween decorations? I took a column and pumpkin and made easy Halloween pumpkin outdoor decorations.

This pumpkin craft is a great outdoor decoration for fall. Follow this complete tutorial to make yours: Halloween Pumpkin Outdoor Decorations.

Nutcracker decor looks perfect on a hearth or a front porch. Learn how to make these soilders from flower pots. Here is the full tutorial: Nutcracker Flower Pot Solider.

Here is another flower pot craft to make a nutcracker. These could be my favorite holiday crafts and I just love the Nutcracker. See the full instructions here: Terra Cotta Nutcracker Soldier.

Do you want to make an easy flower pot snowman and Santa? I'm at it again making more holiday decor with terra cotta flower pots!

Celebrate winter holidays with snowman and Santa crafts. After painting, I stacked the painted terra-cotta pot, and then decoupage on the embellishments for texture. See how I make winter decorations from flower pots with this complete tutorial: Easy Flower Pot Snowman and Santa.

Painted Pot Projects for Kids:

Looking for painted pot crafts for kids? Younger kids love to make animal crafts and here are some I’ve made that kids and adults enjoy making. Be ready for a little bit of a mess though, so grab a drop cloth or recycle a box to paint on for easy cleanup.

I hot glued on the ping pong ball and then drew a face on it with a permanent marker.

Turtle DIY

I love making this craft with younger kids. Although it is a little messy, the kids love these turtles. See the full tutorial here: Super Cute Turtle Terra Cotta Pot DIY For Your Home.

With just a few supplies from one of my favorite stores, you can make 2 cute and easy Dollar Tree ornaments for about $1 a piece!

Painted Pot Ornaments

A Sharpie marker, a little paint, and embellishments are all you really need for this fun craft. Kids love these ice cream cone ornaments. See the full tutorial here: 2 Cute and Easy Dollar Tree Ornaments.

Here you can see a few other flower pots that I made and a few were for Hometalk TV.

Fun Gift Ideas

Are you a teacher or classroom parent looking for a craft for the holidays? Or, maybe you are throwing a holiday crafting party? Try painting these pots with kids for gifts. See the tutorial here: Easy and Cute Non Toy Kid Gifts on a Budget.

Painted Pot DIY Home Decor:

Try these craft ideas for the porch and patio.

Flower Pot Lighthouse

Here is a fun summer lighthouse craft. See the tutorial here: How To Make A Flower Pot Lighthouse.

Fill the flower pot with a variety of your favorite drinks for everyone.

Planter Side Table Cooler

This is a fun summer DIY that I love for backyard summer barbecues. Paint a large planter and turn it into a cooler. See the full tutorial here: Easy DIY Outdoor End Table with Storage or Cooler.

For October turn the face side forward for some extra spirit!

Porch Fall Decor

This is a fun DIY project using glaze and a plastic pumpkin. You’ll often find these in the thrift store just after Halloween, so you’ll have one for the fall season. See the full tutorial here: Easy Front Porch Fall Decor.

Or I could plant mums in him. I decided to start here and when the mums die, I can put the hat on him.

Here is a scarecrow idea: Easy and Super Cute Flower Pot Scarecrow DIY For Your Home.

If you’re looking for where to find cheap planters to paint, you might enjoy this post: We Found 12 Cute Planters and Flower Pots That Cost Less Than $25

How To Paint Flower Pots Q & A

What kind of paint do you use on flower pots?

For flower pots, you can use outdoor acrylic paint, outdoor spray paint, or multi-surface craft paint. Always make sure to use a sealer to protect the paint from the elements.

Do I need to seal terracotta pots before painting?

It depends on what you will be doing with your flower pots. It’s recommended to seal terracotta pots before painting to prevent the paint from peeling or chipping. Applying a coat of sealer will also help the paint adhere better to the surface of the pot.

For most of these crafts, I didn’t seal before, but in some cases I sealed afterward depending on the placement of the pots and what weather they might be exposed to.

Run and grab some Dollar Tree planters, and create this awesome and easy DIY on a budget. You won't believe the useful possibilities.

I planted some flowers in my son's old Tonka Truck. I added some dirt to the back and then planted the flowers in the it.

Repurpose Planters to Use Around the Home:

Here are some other ideas to reuse planters around your home. While you may not need to paint these planters, you may find you already have the materials as you are looking for planters to paint. Try these DIYs to repurpose planters into a fire bowl or home organizer.